The world of construction is always changing. Our blogs uncover the latest developments in the industry and provide insight into the work CIOB and our members are doing for the built environment.
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I am honoured, privileged and humbled to be taking on the presidency of a great and proud institution, that is the CIOB. We’re living in a time of tremendous change, and construction is changing as well. There is much to be optimistic about but face it: these are stressful times.
Scotland has long been famed for its engineering and construction. From the Lighthouse Stevensons to James Craig, who planned the New Town of Edinburgh, right up to the Falkirk Wheel, the only fully rotating boat lift in the world, which was completed at the start of the 21st century.
To date, there has been a general reluctance from businesses to publicly report on any incidents of Modern Slavery they have discovered.
When I first got the word ‘quality’ in my job title, I was one of very few across the industry. Health and safety managers are seen as a necessary part of the sector, but quality didn’t come with the same level of respect and understanding on the site. But the role I, and thankfully now many others, have is a crucial part of the construction sector.
This event is a conversation we all own, we want to hear your views and opinions and tap into the expertise you have and, as with every Forum, the programme is packed with discussions around many serious issues affecting the construction industry.
On June 12 the Home Office brought together representatives from across the construction sector to have a frank and open conversation on how we can eradicate modern slavery from supply chains.
Every year around this time, I take a bit of time to reflect on what Armed Forces Day means to me. It’s amazing how a short time in the army, by military standards, has been both the catalyst and a stepping stone to what continues to be a rewarding career in the construction industry.
Scotland’s construction industry has a pivotal national role to play, shaping the future of our diverse built environment improving place making and the lives of our citizens who use them. We are a major contributor to our national economy with a total gross value added (GVA) of 6.1% to the UK economy (a wider 10-15% when considering off site activities such as design, consultancy services and manufacturing of construction products etc) which equates to about circa £116 billion annually.
The construction community coming together on an international scale is one opportunity to come from the largest infrastructure project the world has ever seen.
In our previous blog , we discussed the challenge in ascertaining a true picture of the number of victims of modern slavery in the UK and the importance of businesses’ recognising it as an issue, in order for them to be able to mitigate that risk.
It’s Dementia Action Week, and a good time to talk about what the construction industry can do to support not just the creation of homes and office spaces, but the development of spaces to help people live well in the buildings we create.
Mental health issues in the construction industry have been described as the ‘silent epidemic.’ Yet it isn’t that silent when you consider the statistics. According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), anxiety and depression have overtaken musculoskeletal issues as the most reported health problem in the construction sector; suicide in the sector is high - with 454 construction workers dying by suicide in 2016.