Considerate Constructors Scheme

Considerate Constructors Scheme Launches Air Pollution Campaign

Considerate Constructors Scheme has launched its ‘Spotlight on… air pollution’ campaign, which will help the construction industry to address the air pollution issues. The campaign was created after a survey revealed that 84% of nearly 600 respondents believe there is an issue with air pollution and not a lot is

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Considerate Constructors Scheme goes international

Considerate Constructors Scheme launches in Ireland John Sisk & Son is the first contractor to register site. The Considerate Constructors Scheme – the organisation established to improve the image of the construction industry – is now international, having launched its first registered site in Ireland. The Scheme is delighted to

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Featuring Roadbridge: Interview With Peter Byrne (Environmental Manager)

A Considerate Constructor (The Following is a Promoted Article) The completion of the Chelmsford Effluent Pipeline Works by Roadbridge was met with the glowing commendation that is expected by this award winning company. As one of Ireland’s most prominent and well-respected civil engineering businesses, Roadbridge has enjoyed significant growth over

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Considerate Constructors To Get Competence Star Rating

Considerate constructors will get a star rating for their competence after a new system was launched by The Considerate Constructors Scheme (CCS) to boost standards and reward best practice. Now, companies along with their contractors, clients and workforce will be better able to demonstrate CCS competencies including everything from the

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Latest Issue
Issue 325 : Feb 2025

Considerate Constructors Scheme

Considerate Constructors Scheme Launches Air Pollution Campaign

Considerate Constructors Scheme has launched its ‘Spotlight on… air pollution’ campaign, which will help the construction industry to address the air pollution issues. The campaign was created after a survey revealed that 84% of nearly 600 respondents believe there is an issue with air pollution and not a lot is done about it. Other findings comprised in the survey say that 91% of respondents agreed that air pollution is a nationwide issue; 88% revealed that the importance of minimising air pollution is being communicated to the workforce on their site; 62% said their site has appropriate measure sin place to address air pollution; 56% of them have a good understanding of the issue, while 39% have an average understanding of the regulations surrounding air pollution. The campaign aims to raise awareness and understanding of how the construction industry could tackle this problem and erase it from its activities in and around construction sites. Additionally, it provides a variety of practical steps, case studies, resources, and regulatory information. This is well needed because apart from affecting the health of the workforce, it is also costing the UK at an economic level. “A staggering 40,000 deaths a year are linked to air pollution in the UK, and many people are suffering long-term health problems caused by poor air quality. As construction is a significant contributor to air pollution, it is essential for the industry to put measures in place to clean up our air by working together to reduce our impact on air quality,” said Considerate Constructors Scheme chief executive Edward Hardy. “The Scheme’s campaign provides everyone within the industry access to a practical suite of resources including best practice, guidance and case studies from Scheme-registered construction sites, companies and suppliers on how to tackle this issue,” added Edward. “We are proud to be at the forefront of collaborative efforts to tackle air pollution.”

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Considerate Constructors Scheme goes international

Considerate Constructors Scheme launches in Ireland John Sisk & Son is the first contractor to register site. The Considerate Constructors Scheme – the organisation established to improve the image of the construction industry – is now international, having launched its first registered site in Ireland. The Scheme is delighted to welcome its first contractor to register projects in Ireland – family owned John Sisk & Son – a member of the international construction company, SISK Group. The first registered Irish site is located at The Exchange, which forms part of the International Financial Services Centre at the heart of Dublin’s financial district. This project involves the construction of a six-storey office block with a basement car park and two retail units at street level. The Scheme – which introduced site registration in the UK in 1997 – has received increasing interest from contractors with sites in Ireland asking to register construction activity. All are keen to improve the image and reputation of the construction industry, in line with the Scheme’s Code of Considerate Practice, which commits those registered to care about appearance, respect the community, protect the environment, secure everyone’s safety and value their workforce. Sisk led the pilot of site registration to help ensure that this model of registration within the Irish construction industry was appropriate and fully tried and tested, before making it available to all construction activity in Ireland. Considerate Constructors Scheme Chief Executive Edward Hardy said: “The opportunity for contractors to now register sites in Ireland is a huge step forward for the Considerate Constructors Scheme. With over 18,000 monitoring visits to UK-based sites, companies, and suppliers every year, the Scheme is highly regarded across the construction industry as a central part of instigating positive long-lasting change, for the benefit of the workforce, local communities and the environment. “We are delighted to now be able to provide monitoring and support services to Irish-based construction sites to help raise their standards beyond statutory requirements – pushing the bar of considerate construction to a new level in Ireland.” Brian Handcock, Head of Sustainability at Sisk commented: “We are proud to have worked with the Considerate Constructors Scheme to deliver the first project registered in Ireland. Indeed, Sisk was one of the early supporters of the Scheme, and has attained the highest standards possible on its projects on numerous occasions. “As a business that is over 158 years old and with over 1300 staff employed, it is important to all of us to be recognised for the good work our industry does for the communities, workforce and environment that we live in, are a part of and care for. Being part of the Considerate Constructors Scheme gives us an objective viewpoint of our performance, helping us and the wider industry to improve our image and reputation. We look forward to seeing the Scheme being taken up by our peers across Ireland so that the whole industry benefits.”

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Featuring Roadbridge: Interview With Peter Byrne (Environmental Manager)

A Considerate Constructor (The Following is a Promoted Article) The completion of the Chelmsford Effluent Pipeline Works by Roadbridge was met with the glowing commendation that is expected by this award winning company. As one of Ireland’s most prominent and well-respected civil engineering businesses, Roadbridge has enjoyed significant growth over the last few years, now boasting activity across the United Kingdom as well as further afield with projects completed in Poland, the South Pacific and the Middle East. Since its formation in 1967, Roadbridge has continued to develop around the family traditions on which its foundations have been built upon. This has seen it develop enduring relationships with clients, successfully delivering projects across a variety of sectors for customers serving the transport, renewables and energy, utilities, commercial, industrial, waste management and leisure industries. A key component of its ethos is consideration for the client’s needs, the community in which its endeavours may impact upon, and the wider environment in terms of sustainable, long-term value. Roadbridge – acting as principal contractor was responsible for the design and build of an 8km effluent pipeline between the Chelmsford Sewage Treatment Works in Essex to an existing outfall on the River Blackwater – brought it the attention of the Considerate Constructors Scheme (CCS). It came as little surprise to Quality and Environmental Manager Peter Byrne who said Roadbridge had exhibited the qualities of a “considerate constructor” since its inception; it is part of the company’s defining approach. Recognised by the CCS for its work on the Chelmsford Effluent Pipeline with the award of Bronze, the accolade joins others achieved by Roadbridge including Silver for a road improvement scheme in Wales. The Executive Summary recorded by CCS representatives following inspection of the site scored the company highly across all categories with the appearance of the site achieving particularly high marks. The report said Roadbridge clearly approached “everything in a very professional manner” and that this is “evident immediately when arriving on site”. The CCS award was a chance for the company to celebrate its work ethic – combining the elements that make a “considerate constructor” with sound implementation of civils expertise. Indeed, as Byrne notes, it was a fitting endorsement of the company’s abilities. “The Considerate Constructors award actually mirrors our ethos,” he says. “It gave us an opportunity to be externally recognised for our policies and procedures which we have always considered to be standard practice. “When we’re looking to stand out in a competitive market, awards such as the CCS Bronze gives us that edge. But, importantly, it is an endorsement of the successful systems we have in place – systems that have driven the business over the years, resulting in its success today.” The pipeline project, one of the biggest of its kind in the UK, saw Roadbridge install around 8km of concrete pipe alongside 2km of upgrades. The contract with Northumbrian Water involved the design, supply and installation of the underground gravity pipeline to run in parallel with the existing pipelines including numerous strategic crossings of roads and watercourses. The project was successfully completed on time, to budget and to the total satisfaction of the client in November 2014. The success of the project led it to being awarded Project of the Year Finalist at the Northumbrian Water Group Framework Awards for 2014 – 2015. One of the considerations when undertaking the contract was the close proximity it had to a caravan park. A popular destination for holidaymakers in the summer, Roadbridge liaised with the park owner in regards to working hours in order to mitigate noise, while measures were put in place to prevent potential pollution to nearby water courses from the site’s large areas of exposed soil. It was representative of the company’s overall approach. “When we leave an area we’ve worked in, we want only to have left a good impression. We will buy from local suppliers, we’ll help out with local interest groups in the area. We try to give back to the community meaning there’s a lot more value to our presence than merely the job at hand,” explains Byrne. This means mitigating disruption to daily life, communicating with local residents to keep them up to date with project works, caring about the wider environment and the health and safety of both the workforce and others who may visit or be affected by the site works. It all adds up to being an ideal “considerate constructor”. Byrne calls it the “non-adversarial approach”. He adds, “The very nature of civils work means we are inherently impacting on people’s day-to-day lives. We aim to be transparent and to work closely with the client as much as possible to limit the adverse effects of our work. Our ability to do this is paramount and it’s something that we’ve been able to highlight through the CCS awards.”

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Considerate Constructors To Get Competence Star Rating

Considerate constructors will get a star rating for their competence after a new system was launched by The Considerate Constructors Scheme (CCS) to boost standards and reward best practice. Now, companies along with their contractors, clients and workforce will be better able to demonstrate CCS competencies including everything from the success of health and safety policies to green initiatives and engagement with the local community. The new star rating – based on a level from one to five – has been developed to better reflect how well a site is run. It will highlight how businesses are complementing their work through onsite appearance, respect for the local community, safety of those involved directly and indirectly, and how company’s are operating with more sustainable, environmentally friendly business practices. Edward Hardy, CCS’ chief executive, says the new five-star system provides a clearer indication of competency and is an easier, more “quantifiable way” for the industry, the public and the local community to understand how construction businesses are performing to the CCS’ rigorous standards. Star ratings will be clearly displayed at each site with posters and certificates issued. Companies need to register sites to be scored by a nominated “monitor” whose analysis will be translated from the traditional 50-point marking system into a star rating out of five. Hardy believes the new rating system from the CCS will help the construction industry develop a more positive image in communities while its consideration for the wider environment is rightly celebrated. The simple identification of a site’s competency for passers-by will also encourage companies to act more responsibly and drive internal practices to become more considerate constructors.

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