31st May 2012 - A Year On

It is a year ago today that Andy had the honour of carrying the Olympic Torch, as part of what became the summer of Olympic celebrations.

On the day 31st May 2012 - Crewe

Young .....

... and not so young enjoy the torch experience

Since that day we have taken the torch to dozens of schools, youth groups and sports events, meaning that more than 8000 - yes thousand! -  people have been able to have their own Torch moment.

This is just a small part of the Good Stuff we strive to do in the community.  Thank you all for supporting our vision of a company that is positive in everything we do, both in and out of work.

Inspecting a complex structure - this pays for the Good Stuff

Infrastructure - Don't Take it for Granted

This morning I was reading an article in Transport Professional about the construction of over 1000miles of roads in Afghanistan and the effect it has had on peace and prosperity in the areas affected.

In the developed world we are lucky that we are served by infrastructure that has been built over hundreds of years. Developing countries are trying to bridge this gap in tens.  Admittedly there are some short cuts with telecoms being installed either wireless or via fibre optic, instead of having to go for copper first.

The big message for us in the UK is to realise how fortunate we are that earlier generations invested for us and this investment supports our relative prosperity.  Also that all of our existing infrastucture, roads, railways, airports, sewers, power transmission systems, etc. have elements within them with finite lives.

So this leads to some interesting thoughts, a few of which are:

• There are fundamental weaknesses in the management of infrastructure, some organisations do not even know the extent of the asset base, without this they cannot plan for the future;
• Many of the components, bridges, pipes, masts, harbours, sea defences, culverts, etc are reaching or are beyond their original design life;
• Without good quality maintenance these components will not reach their optimum lives;
• We cannot afford to replace great swathes of our infrastructure;
• New infrastructure builds should have realistic design lives.

What is certain is that our physical infrastructure is every bit as important as Schools, Hospitals and our Defence Systems.  Without it they cannot function!

Maintenance is often seen as the Cinderella branch of the construction industry, but when you know you can't afford to buy new shoes, you should look after your old ones carefully.

Safety Monday

This morning I was greeted by the sight of  builder backside hanging over the edge of my neighbour's roof parapet, he was manfully wrestling a window frame from his precarious perch, and ………..I did nothing,

spot the safety provision

Although this attitude might just about be acceptable in private life it is not acceptable in a work environment, where we all have a responsibility to prevent (if possible) and report dangerous behaviour.

Holding on with his backside

I am a little ashamed to report that I am a little tired of approaching people in the street and bringing to their attention the risk they are taking.  Surprisingly, not once have my heart felt pleas received grateful thanks.  The usual answer, to my respectful concern for their safety, ends in “….. off!” so today I just walked past - I hope he is OK!

And following up on the subject of our attitude to health and safety, I read an interesting article in the Guardian this morning, I don’t think I have got that paranoid yet.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/may/12/health-and-safety-eh

And finally we have mentioned a number of public consultations on H&S legislation in the past.  If you are interested in what the next step is follow the link to find the Final Impact Assessment from the “CD243 - Public consultation on proposals to simplify and clarify RIDDOR reporting requirements”

http://www.hse.gov.uk/consult/condocs/cd243-update.pdf

It gives some interesting insights into how decisions are made - that is if you can get through the jargon.

I’m off home now, hopefully there won’t be one of those body shapes from the cop shows on my neighbour's front lawn.

Work safely or you may damage a perfectly good lawn

Friday Smile - Up and Under Care

Last weekend staff from Up and Under took a group of young carers to the Conway Centre on Anglesey for a special weekend away.

Funded by the Up and Under Foundation, 12 excited youngsters headed off in a minibus, driven by our MD Andy Fewtrell, for a weekend of adventure.

Teamwork to overcome obstacles

Gaining confidence

Flying now!

The youngsters aged between 8 and 15 had a programme that included rope courses through the trees, canoeing on the Menai Straits, night time trail finding, camp fires, bush craft and climbing.

How to safely light a fire

On Sunday evening they climbed back into the bus ready to travel home and regale friends and family with tales of their adventures.

Toasting Marshmallows

You may not be aware, but 0.5% of all the turnover (not profit) from our operating companies is donated to the Up and Under Foundation.  In addition all of the admin costs of the charity, including insurance costs, IT, vehicles, etc, are met by Up and Under; plus they support fund raising activities and provide volunteers.

So every job you give us helps young people.

Charity Bike Ride Entries Close Soon!

Entries for the Foundation Rides closes on 29th May, so don't delay.  We will close the entry earlier if we meet our full quota of 250.

This is a great way to give yourself a fitness challenge while helping others.

All money raised by the event will go to support less well of youngsters through the Up and Under Foundation.

For details and entry visit www.foundationrides.co.uk

Thanks for your support.

Latest Project - Premier League

I am sorry we have missed a couple of project posts because of how busy we have been with work and our charity commitments, but we have a good one for you today.

Last chance to see ......

Sponsors love to see their logos prominently displayed on TV.  However, when the deal comes to an end, a location that may be prominent, can also be tricky to get at to remove the signs.

Disconnect.......

And remove.

 As you can imagine that is not a problem for our contracting team, so recently we paid a visit to Stoke City's ground to remove a few signs.  Our activities were probably the most exciting thing that the Britannia Stadium had seen all season - oops controversial.  

Whatever your team colours I am sure you will appreciate the photos.

I think we have a fan in the ranks

Got an access problem, installing or removing give us a call 01270 589615 or email for a quote.

Safety Update - Are Ladders Banned?

Ladders are banned aren't they?!?

Well, actually despite the over riding fear of their use, there are circumstances where they can be the safest means of undertaking a task.  The guidance from the HSE seems to be assess the task and choose the most suitable means of access. So Risk Assessment!

As with all access equipment, selection, storage, inspection and safe disposal are important issues that need to be addressed by a competent person.

Entrainment, our training division, offer courses dealing with a range of work at height issues including safe use of ladders and ladder inspection.  These courses can be offered at our training centre or at your site, subject to suitable training areas being available.

Want more info: Call 01270 589615

Acknowledgement: Contains public sector information published by the Health and Safety Executive and licensed under the Open Government Licence v1.0

Awards Again and Further Foundation Activity

We have been notified that we have been shortlisted for a Local Impact Award in the Business in the Community Awards 2013 for the North West.

We are delighted that our efforts are being recognised in these prestigious awards.

We will have to wait to see if we have won when the results are announced at a prestigious ceremony in Manchester on 13th June.

And just to keep us busy we will be taking 13 young carers away for a weekend in Anglesey.  These youngsters are really impressive people.  With ages ranging from 8 up to 16 they care for ill or disabled parents or siblings.  We hope that they all really enjoy their weekend break.