Behind the Hardhat
A Day in the Life of Clarkes Head of Health & Safety
How did you get started in the industry?
I had a career as an engineer in the Army. I was a trained tradesman covering a range of roles including Bricklaying, concreting, steel fixing and scaffolding. When looking to resettle I was looking for a career in construction management and so the Health and Safety role stood out to me. I gained a lot of transferable skills that fit with the role.
What skills do you need to work as a ‘Head of HSEQ’?
There is a lot of personal skills needed in my role. Being able to work as a team member and gain the trust of the site teams is important. It’s crucial to the role that site teams see me as a support and asset and not as an outside threat. A high level of integrity and honesty is vital to gaining the trust and respect of the site teams. Often, I work independently visiting different sites each day, so a high level of self-discipline is needed to be on time
What advice would you give to someone who wants to work in your role?
My best results for this have been when I focus on the people and work alongside them to ensure a task planned with safety at the heart from the beginning. The health and safety role is not to police people, but to influence them to be safe from the start.
Biggest professional achievement:
I worked on a project that had a value of £1.4bn. I worked with the site team closely to successfully remove the largest concrete climbing frame in Europe without incident.
Favourite project and why:
I've really enjoyed setting up the company's HSE Improvement plan. This has been a project to drive improvements across the business and I feel we have achieved a lot in a short time.
Is there a project you wish you delivered/one that stood out to you?
Beaumont court has really stood out, in my time with Clarkes the team at Beaumont have really pushed to improve. This has been shown not only in our internal audits but also with the client. The site scores consistently 98%-99% during client audits. The initiatives brought in on this project get passed on to others.
Best advice you received:
What do you like most about your job?
I get to visit different sites and work with a variety of people.
The biggest challenges your organisation has faced?
Project Honey has been a challenge. Both off-site factory requirements and the on-site installation have been very challenging for all. Being able to work alongside them to maintain safety standards while delivering the demands of a difficult task has been a great learning experience.
Why did you choose to work in the construction industry?
The construction industry is a challenging environment. You deal with lots of different people and ever-changing requirements. No two projects are exactly the same. I enjoy the challenges this brings and working with Clarke I know we will deliver excellent projects while consistently delivering a high level of HSE Standards.
- Clarke Head of Health & Safety
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