The Sirius Group which provides demolition, remediation, ground stabilisation and civil engineering services to the construction industry has invested in fifteen additional SITECH® UK & Ireland Trimble technology systems as their fleet grows because of the greater site efficiency machine control offers. The UK based business with principal offices in Durham, Leeds, and Warrington, operates nationally and began fitting their machines with SITECH Trimble technology more than a decade ago after realising how GPS systems save time, fuel, labour, and improve the quality of the work and site safety. With clients including Taylor Wimpey, Keepmoat Homes, Miller Homes, and Gleeson Homes, SITECH Trimble technology is used in site surveys and throughout the project development. The Sirius earthmoving fleet of more than 130 diggers, dozers, scrapers, and compactors use the GPS technology across the fleet. Stuart Kirk, Plant Director at The Sirius Group, responsible for all equipment and investment in the Sirius plant division, was an early adopter of site GPS technology after seeing it in action on a dozer back in 2001.  In 2010 Sirius purchased a new Caterpillar D6 fitted with machine control, and over the last decade Sirius has continually invested in GPS technology to remain at the forefront of machine control. Stuart said: “We’ve just taken delivery of fifteen new Kobelco machines which are all fitted with SITECH Trimble technology because machine control helps us to make efficiencies in all areas. “Back in 2001 people struggled to see the savings having a site sat nav provides and I had to push to get investment in them, but slowly things began changing. People began to see how much production can improve with efficiency savings on fuel, maintenance, tighter tolerances, engineer time on site and safety as your operator can stay within the machine. “When you’re running on Trimble machine control there’s less supervision needed. Operators can see exactly where they are on site, what depth they’re digging to, and can refer to the plans so they can be confident they’re doing the job right first time which means they’re not tracking about using fuel or increasing wear and tear on the machine. “Having our engineers, surveyors and machine operators all using the same systems means we have complete confidence when tackling some of the most complex and challenging brownfield or greenfield sites.” The Sirius Group has invested around £400,000 on SITECH Trimble technology over the last 12 months, and they currently operate fifteen Trimble GPS rovers, fifteen base stations, a site surveying system and they have twenty-five excavators installed with the machine control system.  Stuart added: “Thanks to Brent Taylor at SITECH our team of three scrapers are also up and running with Trimble technology after he was able to create harnesses for them for us, and we’ll continue to invest in future technology. We’re now looking at the Trimble Business Centre to create the 3D models for our machines.” To find out more about the construction technology, software and specialist services and training SITECH UK & Ireland offers, visit the website at www.sitechukandireland.com.

In recent years there has been a focus on producing more efficient buildings that will reduce operational emissions. As it stands it is estimated that 39% of all global energy related carbon emissions comes from the built environment with 28% coming from operational emissions (i.e. heating, cooling and power) and the other 11% from embodied carbon emissions (from the construction of the building).  As the population of the world quickly approaches 10 billion, the global building stock is expected to double in size.  But now, we are starting to see a coordinated action to tackle embodied carbon, with the World Green Building Council promoting a bold new vision:  by 2030, all new builds, infrastructure and renovations will have at least 40% less embodied carbon, and all new buildings should be net zero operational carbon, andby 2050, new buildings, infrastructure and renovations will have net zero embodied carbon and all buildings, including existing buildings, must be zero operational carbon.  Closer to home, to help meet embodied carbon benchmarks, there is increasing pressure for London’s large scale projects to prioritise retaining existing buildings over demolition. For example, under updated planning guidance published by London Mayor, Sadiq Khan in March 2022, as part of the London Plan: “Retention should be seen as the starting point,” and “Retaining existing built structures for reuse and retrofit, in part or as a whole, should be prioritised before considering substantial demolition, as this is typically the lowest-carbon option.”  Where refitting is not possible, Parliament’s Environmental Audit Committee has recommended more effective use of low-carbon building materials, including recycled steel and timber or using second-hand materials such as brick, metal, wood and even broken concrete.  While there is a degree of political consensus on the issue, this position is perhaps supported more strongly by the Labour Party and that may accelerate the impact on planning applications in London. Having for the first time taken control of Westminster City Council in the May 2022 elections, the new administration is introducing a Net-Zero Test for every major decision, which will assess social, economic and environmental impacts to help make more informed choices and improve outcomes.At the same time, M&S’s plans to demolish and redevelop their flagship store in Oxford Street have been caught up in the process. Initially approved in principle by Westminster Council and the GLA, the plans were then put on hold by Communities Secretary Michael Gove following a report published into the potential carbon footprint of bulldozing the building. This revealed the scheme carried an embodied carbon cost of almost 40,000 tonnes – the equivalent of driving a typical car 99,000,000 miles, further than the distance to the Sun. The report’s author Simon Sturgis called the plan “absolutely crazy”, believing a better idea would be to refit and renovate the existing shop. In June Mr Gove decide to ‘call-in’ the application for scrutiny by a public inquiry and for him to take the decision himself.  The Government’s net zero targets and the policies to achieve them mean that changes will inevitably be forced on those who operate in the development sector. As is so common with planning, it’s an evolving picture. 

In this article Joe Harmon, Chief Product Owner at Evotix, a leader in EHS software solutions, outlines the importance of keeping construction workers safe, and how failure to comply with regulations, such as The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, can lead to severe consequences.  While all businesses have reasons to comply with EHS regulations, it’s especially important for construction businesses because it’s the largest industry in the entire world, generating 13% of the world’s GDP. Failure to do so could result in construction delays, financial loss, and most importantly, loss of life. And if EHS negligence is severe enough, it could also lead to loss of licensure. Due to the nature of construction work, the safety stakes are significantly higher than in most other sectors. Hazards related to working at height, unguarded machinery, proximity to heavy construction equipment or power lines, and occupational disease related to silica dust and asbestos are just some examples of risk. Ensuring safe building practices remains one of the industry’s top priorities, yet businesses still face problems with employee engagement and compliance. The latest Health and Safety Executive (HSE) stats for the construction industry reveal the shocking human cost of negligence. In the UK, there were 30 fatal injuries to construction workers in 2021/22 as a result of negligence. There were also 123 deaths from injuries in workplace incidents, making the construction industry the deadliest. The hardest part of these statistics are what comes with them.  Behind every statistic is a name and a family, which means more than 150 families and friends were affected by such tragedies. This is NOT ok. These failings also lead to consequences for businesses in the UK, and those that run them. Even one death at work is one too many. Every employee should expect they can carry out their work in a safe and healthy working environment and return home just as safely. Businesses that do not take this seriously and fail to comply can result in some serious business consequences. Here are some of the main consequences of EHS non-compliance.  A criminal offence EHS is a legal requirement for construction businesses. Did you know that breaching health and safety regulations is a criminal offence? Businesses have a duty to ensure the working environment is safe for employees. If a business is found to have breached regulations, then it will face consequences which can include fines and even prison sentences. Hefty fines and financial burden Failure to comply with EHS regulations such as recording, tracking and reporting guidelines will result in major fines and penalties for construction companies.  According to the UK’s HSE, British businesses are fined an average of £147,000 per convicted case. Additionally, the injured employee can also claim against the business that is responsible. Issues that endanger human lives can produce unlimited fines and even imprisonment. The most serious violations will result in civil or criminal legal proceedings against the construction company, leading to serious financial strain on top of the fines.  Loss of worker confidence Notable safety violations and public fines won’t help current employees feel confident in the company, and it can make it harder to attract and retain highly qualified employees. If companies don’t show that they value them enough to provide even the most basic of requirements, which is a safe working environment, the result will be unengaged, unmotivated employees looking to exit the business.  Business reputation  Non-compliance with health and safety regulations can also hurt a business’s reputation. If violations are revealed and in the public domain, then these reported quality issues can impact the success of securing new projects. It is not good business to partner with a company that has inefficient operations which leads to major violations and safety issues. A poor health and safety culture will cost a business its reputation. Disqualification  If a company is found to be negligent, then disqualification from the industry is a possibility. As it’s the employer’s legal responsibility to protect their employees, any disqualification or prosecution targets those at the top. Prosecutions brought forward by the HSE in the UK have a 93% conviction success rate. Endangering lives Inadequate health and safety procedures can result in serious injuries or fatalities. The death of a worker is the most severe consequence. In the construction industry, the biggest priority is to prevent serious accidents and injuries as the industry continues to have one of the highest rates of work-related deaths. With 30 deaths in the UK construction industry in 2021/22, publishing figures such as these raise awareness and should drive improvement in occupational safety and health. Compliance shouldn’t be seen as a challenge, but as an opportunity. Leveraging the right construction management software is the key to realising the potential of EHS compliance to generate real cost savings. The most effective way for construction businesses to track EHS compliance is to use construction EHS software solutions. At the end of the day, all employees should return home from work safely.