November 27, 2017

‘Spotlight on… women in construction campaign launched in UK and Ireland to challenge perceptions

Considerate Constructors Scheme’s industry survey reveals more needs to be done to change perceptions and encourage more women in construction.  Whilst 79% of respondents said the construction industry has improved its approach in encouraging women into construction, 52% have witnessed or experienced sexism within the industry.  The survey also reveals

Read More »

New Era for Doka in Sheffield’s Chinatown

Northfield Construction select Doka for their formwork and protection screen requirements at the complex £65m New Era development project. The first phases in Sheffield’s £65 million Chinatown development, New Era Square, are well under way now and due to finish in early 2018. When complete, the landmark 21 storey scheme

Read More »
Latest Issue
Issue 332 : Sept 2025

November 27, 2017

‘Spotlight on… women in construction campaign launched in UK and Ireland to challenge perceptions

Considerate Constructors Scheme’s industry survey reveals more needs to be done to change perceptions and encourage more women in construction.  Whilst 79% of respondents said the construction industry has improved its approach in encouraging women into construction, 52% have witnessed or experienced sexism within the industry.  The survey also reveals the main reasons women do not choose to work in construction cited as being:  working conditions – 22% lack of female role models – 22% negative image of the industry – 20%   The UK and Ireland campaign ‘Spotlight on… women in construction ’ has been launched by the Considerate Constructors Scheme to boost the much-needed industry effort to attract more women into the construction industry. The Scheme, which makes around 15,000 monitoring visits to construction sites, companies and suppliers every year, surveyed over 1000 people to find out why women still only represent a meagre 11% of the construction industry workforce. The Campaign provides a variety of practical steps that can be taken to address this issue in the short, medium and long term. The survey findings also revealed that: 94% of respondents agreed that the industry would benefit from employing more women. 76% said there are no construction jobs which only men can do. 74% said there should not be quotas for hiring women into construction. It is clear from the survey, that although some results appear encouraging, there is still a huge amount to be done, particularly in addressing sexism and changing misguided perceptions of what a career in construction offers to women. ‘Spotlight on…women in construction’ pulls together the latest and greatest examples of best practice, case studies from women working across the construction industry, legal requirements and links to useful organisations encouraging women to work in construction. The Campaign extends the Scheme’s influence in this important area; by complementing the Scheme’s monitoring Checklist which asks several questions about equality and diversity to raise standards across the thousands of Scheme-registered sites, companies and suppliers; and the role of the industry mascot, Honor Goodsite in visiting hundreds of schools across the UK and Ireland every year. The importance of having role models is absolutely critical. As such, ‘Spotlight on…women in construction’ has interviewed a number of women within the industry to examine what opportunities and challenges they have faced and why construction offers a great career for women of all ages, backgrounds and skills. Case study contributions include: Roma Agrawal, (Structural Engineer at AECOM and a Director of the CCS); Stephanie Bennett, (trainee Quantity Surveyor, Morgan Sindall); Victoria Betts, (Senior Site Manager, Higgins Construction), Sally Cave, (first qualified female Gas Membrane Installer in the UK); Margaret Conway, (Project Manager for McAleer & Rushe and winner of CIOB Construction Manager of the Year 2017 Award); Michèle Dix (Managing Director, Crossrail 2); Katie Kelleher (Crane Operator, Laing O’Rourke); Eillish Kwai (Employment and Skills Manager, Ardmore); Kath Moore, (Carpenter and Chief Executive, Women into Construction); and Megan Robinson (Technical Coordinator at Barratt Developments plc). Managing Director for Crossrail 2, Michèle Dix said: “Women are still underrepresented at present but I think we are starting to move in the right direction. We need to recognise the need for more flexible working arrangements, especially if we are to encourage women back after taking time off for children. “I think there are lots of opportunities out there and one message I would give to my fellow women colleagues is “go for them!”. Be confident in your own abilities. The industry has so much to offer.” Site Manager for Higgins Construction, Victoria Betts said: “In the time I have been working in the industry there has definitely been an increase in the amount of females working in it. The Considerate Constructors Scheme has been a big driving force in this as it insists on facilities for females that previously would not have been in place.” Considerate Constructors Scheme Chief Executive, Edward Hardy said: “Thank you to everyone who has contributed to ‘Spotlight on…women in construction’. The Campaign provides a must-read set of resources for organisations and individuals who would like to improve their standards of considerate construction – with the aim of driving greater equality, diversity and inclusion throughout our industry. “Not only is it imperative that standards must be raised in this area, in order to help encourage more women into the industry, but a more equal and diverse workforce also brings greater collaboration, creative thinking and more inclusive workplaces. This can only be a positive step in helping to improve the image of the UK and Irish construction industries.” The Scheme will continue to update resources available within ‘Spotlight on…women in construction’ and would be very interested to hear more from the industry on this issue, including further examples of best practice and case studies. Email enquiries@ccsbestpractice.org.uk to send in suggestions. Click here to read ‘Spotlight on…women in construction’.

Read More »

Five Winter Hazards Employers Need to Keep in Mind When Thinking About HSE

This winter is said to become the coldest since 2010/11 when Britain was battling sub-zero temperatures and severe frost country-wide. Already freezing temperatures are foreshadowing what this “year of the snowstorm” might look like. This is the time to gear up for winter: employers need to be thinking about how they can mitigate risks that come with the season, training workers in health and safety and making sure the company is compliant with legal regulations. These 5 areas can be a good place to start when trying to assess the level of compliance regarding winter-specific hazards in and outside the office. Slipping into high breaching fees Winter is the time of wet and oozy paths, frozen ground, rain, snow, slush… and many other chances to slip and hit the pavement. If workers or even civilians are injured on company ground, the employer is looking at hefty fees, not to forget the public consequences of civil claims, which can damage a company’s image. Companies need to make sure that every potential slippery surface is treated with the right type of grit. That means considering less obvious spaces – like shortcuts or carparks – and applying grit after rainfall/snowfall, as otherwise the grit will wash away. Also, warning signs need to be put up to help civilians to identify risks. Employees need to be trained on how to set up warning signs and shutoffs effectively. To make sure everyone is clear on how to handle certain situations, work distribution sheets need to be created that state who is responsible for doing which task. Freezing temperatures complicate working outside Industries that involve working outside, like construction or engineering, will be highly affected by the change in temperatures. Some work might be possible to reschedule for spring or be done inside instead, but sometimes workers will just have to put up with standing outside in the cold. In this case, it is the employer’s obligation to guarantee access to facilities, where workers can warm up during (frequent) breaks. Being cold is not only uncomfortable, it also compromises one’s ability to judge situations accurately and thus should not be taken lightly: work gets rushed, which leads to sloppy mistakes that can threaten the whole operation and everyone involved in it. As soon as temperatures drop, workers need to be trained on how to arm for the cold. Wearing the right clothing is important – and trickier to get right than one might think. Instead of thick clothing pieces, layering multiple thinner layers is key: that way workers can take off sweaty inner layers during break easily and stay dry and comfortable. Different materials make a difference, for clothes, as well as for gloves, gear and helmets. The danger of icy roads Driving during winter is always more stressful – roads are fuller, people are in a rush to get home, and on top of that weather conditions aggravate the overall situation. There are more accidents, more car break-downs, more deaths. Whilst driving for work cannot be avoided, employers must take measures to mitigate the risk of road accidents by ensuring that every vehicle is using the correct tires and training workers on how to check instruments and engines properly. Frost can cause damage to vehicles that are left outside overnight. Every person operating a machine or vehicle needs to check all functions every morning before usage. This can only be ensured if safety training and schoolings occur frequently. Especially when seasons change, every worker should be updated on all new machinery etc. and be taking HSE coursed to refresh their memory. The season of colds There is no safe way to prevent catching a cold. But there are methods that can decrease the chances, such as washing hands often, cleaning dishes and plates thoroughly, or having a healthy meal for lunch that boosts your immune system with plenty of vitamins. The temperature in the office is an important factor. Staff should know how to heat and ventilate the office properly, as too little fresh air can make you tired, but a draughty office space provokes getting ill. The same goes for ventilation: if the heating is turned on for too long, the air will get dry which causes the throat and eyes to feel itchy. Installing a thermometer in the office might help with checking if the temperature is at the correct level, which should never be lower than 16°C. Providing access to hot drinks and fresh fruit for example, will help workers to feel cosy and energised while it’s storming outside. Winter sadness and its impact at work Feeling down during this time of year is completely normal – shorter days with less sunlight causes the brain to produce less melatonin, which makes us feel tired and even mildly depressed. People already suffering from mental health problems might struggle more than usual with workloads, deadlines, productivity and overall well-being. Talking about mental health at work is important to help workers feel safe by creating an environment in which talking about depression or anxiety is no taboo. Making staff come up with excuses for why they’re being less productive, constantly taking sick leave, etc. only makes it harder to feel understood. Companies need to provide access to helplines and encourage openness about mental illnesses to create a safe and healthy environment at work. Where to start Health and safety risks during this time of year are manifold and hard to grasp. Tackling these mentioned areas though can help employers to get a vague idea of where to start gearing up for this coming winter. Also, online health and safety quizzes can help figuring out a company’s current level of compliance. Nevertheless, an extensive and legitimate assessment can only be carried out by a professional.

Read More »

New Era for Doka in Sheffield’s Chinatown

Northfield Construction select Doka for their formwork and protection screen requirements at the complex £65m New Era development project. The first phases in Sheffield’s £65 million Chinatown development, New Era Square, are well under way now and due to finish in early 2018. When complete, the landmark 21 storey scheme will consist of five blocks containing student accommodation, food and drinking outlets, an exhibition and conference centre, office space and shops.  The Project  Situated on the ring road, the development was specifically designed so that its penthouse apartments will overlook the Bramall Lane football pitch and it is expected that New Era will become a pivotal communal and community centre in the city. The development itself has also been selected for multiple awards; including the ‘Best Project to Work On’ category and the ‘Corporate Responsibility Scheme of the Year’ category of the 2017 Construction Investing in Talent Awards, set to be announced at in London during November. Involvement Northfield Construction were appointed as the reinforced concrete frame contractor for the project and had worked alongside Doka in their planning and tender processes. They chose to use Doka’s slab, wall and climbing formwork, as well as perimeter protection screen solutions for the project. Doka and Northfield Construction have been working closely together on a number of projects in the UK for many years and Northfield were one of the first customers in the UK to invest in the new Dokadek 30 beamless slab panel system after successfully trialing on another project in Sheffield during 2016.  Formwork Solutions  Key requirements for Northfield Construction on both this, and all their projects, include the deployment of safe, productive and innovative solutions. Fortunately for Doka, these customer demands fitted excellently with the recently launched Dokadek 30 slab panel system. The beamless panel not only provides up to 3m2 of hand-set slab formwork in one panel, but also allows for easy to follow installation process from floor level, simple site logistics due to the few components required, Dokaflex infill solutions which require fewer props and last but not least, a 1 metre slab cantilever to accommodate post-tensioning demands. In addition to the extraordinarily fast forming slab system provided by Dokadek 30, the highly versatile Dokaflex tables were used for forming the stepped slabs. The markings on the H20 beams allow for easy visual checking from ground level prior to casting the slab and can be constructed in almost any formation to achieve more complex floorplans when required. Northfield Construction also selected the multi-functional Xclimb60 protection screens for this project installed in a configuration which utilized both Xbright poly plastic panels and mesh enclosures for different levels. The Xclimb60 screens were chosen in part, due to the extra large sections which can be created, which in turn also reduces the number of anchor points and minimises setting-up during the lifting processes. This not only sped up and simplified the operation of the screens on the building, but also offered seamless integration with the Doka Table Lifting System (TLS) in order to efficiently move formwork and shoring equipment to the next level once struck. Northfield Construction specified the crane lifted option for the Xclimb60 perimeter screens, however where crane time is at a premium Doka can also offer a Hydraulically lifted solution which can lift two of the large area screens together in approximately 20 minutes resetting time. For the sheer walls and column requirements, Doka’s Framax system was employed. The high-performing steel-framed formwork is crane-lifted and proves ideal for the forming of large areas. Because the Framax system only uses very few different panel formats, a consistent 15 cm increment-grid can be achieved, no matter whether the panels are stood upright or on their sides. All the connectors and accessories fit seamlessly into this grid – making for fast forming-times and high efficiency. The Framax on this project was used in conjunction with various climbing formwork systems on the building including the versatile MF240 jump climbing system. MF240 is a simple to operate crane-climbed formwork system also capable of wall inclinations up to 15 degrees and K platforms to provide working access where required. The Challenges  Mark Sherwood, Contracts Manager at Northfield, commented “We faced some interesting challenges on this particular site due to the small footprint and complex shape of the structure itself, but working with Doka’s Account manager, Joe McBride and the team of Doka technical experts and demonstrators, we were able to overcome these tests and are really satisfied with the on-site productivity, quality of finish and safe execution of all the formwork operations on the project.”  

Read More »