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...
Instaboom GS6 Overhead Barrier
This mobile barrier is a solar powered solution to overhead protection. It is a first in the industry and there is currently nothing similar on the market. Currently, the industry relies on signs, goalposts and blue cones. A system that stops a vehicle that is too high from passing through was needed and the Instaboom GSX barrier does this through a...
Multi Lingual Training
The Kier A13 Road Widening Project has recently started offering operative training modules in Hindi and Punjabi, alongside the standard English language option. The initiative has been developed in conjunction with labour agency Fortel and has enabled the project to ensure that safety critical messages are communicated with its diverse workforce in an appropriate way, ensuring best understanding of key...
Meet the Team Open Days
The Kier team on the A13 Road Widening Project hold a monthly ‘Meet the Team’ event at their site offices in Thurrock. The event enables members of the public to attend – with no appointment necessary – to learn more about the project, ask questions or lodge complaints. The events are advertised via the project newsletter, on the website, social...
Personal Hazard Alert System
The SHE team working on the M23 SMART Motorways Programme have recently implemented Overhead Safe. Developed by Carnell’s Innovation Team as a Personal Hazard Alert System, Overhead Safe is worn by members of the site team where it provides a clear and visible warning of overhead hazards by illuminating the vest when it is within a designated warning zone. It...
National Walk to School Week
During National Walk to School Week the site team at Bishop Ellis Primary School joined with the pupils and teachers on their walk to school. The pupils were encouraged to ask any questions they may have about the new building, which led to some interesting conversations. The site team were happy to get involved in an initiative that promoted exercise...
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...
