Skilled Craftsmanship
Attentive customer service allied to skilled craftsmanship, the use of modern building materials and techniques, and sound business management has made John Weaver an industry leader in Wales

(The Following is a Promoted Article)

These days, a successful health and safety record is as much a mark of success as the bottom line. John Weaver Construction certainly recognises this; the welfare of the workforce forming the foundations of its activities. Set-up in Swansea in 1967, the company has successfully grown to offer a suite of services across a range of construction and conservation activities. Strong family values have seen it develop long-running relationships with clients based on an inherent attentiveness to customer service allied to skilled craftsmanship, the use of modern building materials and techniques and a first-rate health and safety record.

Its success sees it remain very busy. Much of the construction division’s work derives from running the framework projects for Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University NHS Trust. The company is also widely involved with other healthcare projects as well as work in the residential, commercial, retail, civic and institutional sectors. Indeed, John Weaver has just completed a five-star boutique hotel in Pembrokeshire worth £4.5m. This project involved works to a listed mill alongside the building of a new extension to create a 21-bedroom hotel with restaurant and bar.

Its activities are aided by the pedigree of the conservation team which boasts 100 years of traditional skilled craftsmanship and construction expertise. Directly employed labour and the provision of its own bespoke joinery shop alongside a carefully chosen local supply chain has seen this side of the business flourish while complementing its construction endeavours, the result of which is the successful completion of many refurbishment and conservation projects over the past 20 years at contract values up to £8m. It recently completed the refurbishment of a listed building plus construction of a new build at The Glynn Vivian Art Gallery in Swansea in a project valued at £5.4m.

Yet, despite an expanding portfolio, Business Development Manager Joan Tamlyn says health and safety remains at the “forefront of what we do”. Indeed, the welfare of the workforce forms a key component of company training. For example, procedural days will cover specific topics for all site employees and staff, while onsite inductions are carried out for every new project.

John Weaver also works with external bodies such as South Wales Consultancy and Training to enhance its health and safety practices and ensure it stays abreast of current regulations, topics and policies. This complements its work on site which begins with a thorough risk assessment and continues with weekly assessments to ensure site safety adheres to the protocol and policies of its accreditations such as CHAS.

Working with CHAS, and earning its accredited “mark of approval”, has been of great benefit to John Weaver. Tamlyn remarks: “CHAS helps us demonstrate to our clients and suppliers that we operate in accordance with health and safety law and CDM regulations. As an approved CHAS supplier, we are able to work with their buyers, which leads us to a larger network of clients and potential work.

“Being CHAS accredited assists us improve as a business in this key area and assists in identifying areas where improvements can be made. During competitive tendering, 95% of our prospective clients score on our policies and procedures. By being CHAS accredited this ensures that we can, and do, comply with the requirements of our prospective clients, which in turn is a good asset for this area of the business.”

This obviously extends to those subcontractors that work with John Weaver. All must adhere to rigorous vetting procedures and be willing to accept they will be regularly monitored through routine audits.

Ultimately, it’s about ensuring that a project satisfies the client’s needs safely; often exceeding expectation. It’s part of the “hands-on” approach and attention to detail that the company’s reputation is built upon.