Kier Construction
First Aid Drones
Due to the first aid response times on site, we have setup a drone to allow a first aid kit and/or defibrillator to be used to transport the items to the injured. In the Risk and Method statement we have identified issues such as notifying the site that a drone is in use and for all other works to stop...
Use of GPR Technology for Surveying 
Service drawings can be unreliable with the CAT or RD8001 type scanners only locating services with a metallic or an electromagnetic signature. This leaves the contractor vulnerable to services such as water pipe, domestic services, fibre and BT. Therefore a new technology was needed to be used on this project to find plastic underground services without excavating. The Leica DSX...
Solar Panel and Lithium-ion Powered Noise Monitoring Stations
On this project they are building a new offline bypass and are required to continuously monitor the noise of operations across the duration of the scheme, therefore seven Solar Li-ion powered Noise Monitoring stations have been installed during 2021. The monitoring equipment provides real-time data capture and trigger alerts via a customised web platform, enabling the construction team to be...
Smart Gate
The team on this project wanted to address the potential risk of vehicles leaving works entrances and pulling onto the Strategic Road Network in an unsafe condition. Following previous collaborations between Kier Highways and Solar Gates UK, the organisations have developed a safety gate which addresses the hazards caused by load security, weight amd overhead services and obstructions. The solution...
Remote Control Grass Cutting in Difficult Terrain
On this project the new road cuts through areas of peat which is waterlogged and operations in this area are carefully managed to ensure zero impact on people, plant or the environment. As part of their Great Crested Newt license issued by Natural England, there is a requirement for habitat manipulation within 250m of Great Crested Newt inhabited ponds, in...
Remote Controlled Barriers
An operative stood on the gate daily, and the only task he was expected to carry out was to operate the barriers. Doing such a job bred boredom and isolation, which led to an increase in mobile phone usage on site. Mobile phone use is one of the biggest causes of incidents across the industry due to the operative’s concentration...
Dump Truck with Ejection Blade
This contractor and the construction industry as a whole have identified overhead power line or overhead structure strikes and over-turning vehicles as potential hazards on construction projects. With overhead power lines running across an area of the initial archaeological works, the project team looked at ways of eliminating and reducing the hazard. Working with their plant supplier, the CAT-730C2-EJ was...
FLIR ONE
On site, we are always looking to reduce the risk of fire and protect the environment, site, workforce and public from the damages of heat and residual heat. On this project, we have been using FLIR ONE, which is a temperature censoring camera that can be attached to a mobile phone. The device is a quick, effective and inexpensive tool...
The Efficient Demolition of a Bridge Over a Motorway
After months of planning and detailed communications, teams working on the M6 junction 13 to 15 smart motorway project in Stafford, successfully demolished Burton Bank Footbridge on the night of Saturday 23 March in just under 12 hours. The project team worked throughout the night to prepare and demolish the bridge and then undertake a massive clean-up operation to make...
Safe Access and Egress
The SHE team working on the M23 SMART Motorways Project have recently implemented an initiative to improve the flow of information with regards to access and exit changes throughout the road works. Until recently, the team had relied on daily updates emailed out on a scale drawing, and the problem with that was that any changes throughout the day wasn’t...
Utilities Signage
Cable strikes form a significant safety challenge for the construction industry utility sector, and such incidents can result in death or injury for the workforce as well as costing companies millions of pounds in associated damages and compensation costs. Damage to underground services can cause fatal or severe injuries (HSE 2005) as well as the potential for fire and explosions,...
Talking Roadside Safety Sign
‘The Talking Sign’ is a brand-new initiative designed by Kier in conjunction with Chevron, which is based on their intercom system normally used for residents awaiting escort through work areas. The Talking Sign was showcased recently at Gatwick Airport and was well received by stakeholders, Highways England and customers as it is the only ‘live’, up to the minute, works...
Safety on the Move
Safety Point is a pop-up unit which can be deployed in 60 seconds and moved from site to site when needed. It has bays where safety apparatus can be easily reached for all operatives to use. The pod contents per the unit are 2kg powder extinguisher, standalone 100dB alarm, first aid kit and eyewash bottle, together with the Health and...
Fire Door Gap Measuring Tool
This project have identified the need to accurately measure the gap around fire doors. It is common practice to use a 3mm packer, however a packer is not calibrated and will not measure the door gap behind the front face of the door or frame. Often door frames are installed with packers to ‘twist’ the legs of the frame that...
Use of a Flywheel to Reduce Power Needed to Start a Crane
It is recognised that when a tower crane is first started up it requires a ‘surge’ in electricity, and that the surge falls away once the crane is operational. To start the tower crane on this project would require the reinforcement or upgrading of the local electricity network, and a 300kVA generator is currently being used although this is an...
