Workers’ Mental Health Deteriorates Due To Covid-19

Ana Delgado, Executive at Structural Repairs, reports that 62% of construction workers revealed their mental health has deteriorated over the past year due to Covid-19.

The risk of suicide among low-skilled male laborers has been found to be three times higher than the male national average. As an extremely male dominated industry, the construction sector has a lot of progression ahead of it when it comes to effectively protecting its workers.

Through a surveyed 600 interviewees of a comparable demographic within the construction industry, here at Structural Repairs it was found that an astonishing 62% of workers have reported that their mental health has deteriorated because of the current pandemic.

These findings fall in line with The Lancet Psychiatry’s study which found that nation-wide, by late April 2020, the mental health of the UK’s populations had deteriorated compared with pre-COVID-19 trends. It can thus be understood that this is both a national and construction industry specific issue.

However, according to a relevant Personnel Today study, the construction industry has been largely identified as a crucial component to the UK’s economy and while many industries and companies have stepped up over the past few years and recognised the significance of acknowledging mental health, the construction industry is yet to measure up to these new standards.

While physical health is of big concern within the construction industry’s radar, the risk of suicide among low-skilled male labourers, particularly those working in construction, has been found by the Office for National Statistics to be three times higher than the male national average.

When it comes to physical health, it is well known within the construction industry that its workers are frequently exposed to ill health and various reputable sources, such as the Health and Safety Executive, have widely discussed issues pertaining to the matter. In fact, it was recently identified by the Health and Safety Executive that the physical health of the industry’s workforce, in general, has been in decline with 82,000 ill health cases in 2017-2018 which was up 2,000 cases from the year before. It was further recorded how this cost the United Kingdom’s economy £160m in lost working days.

On the other hand, Carl Laidler, the director of Wellbeing at Health Shield Friendly Society, has reported that [while the social stigma around talking about mental health is gradually fading all-round, the construction industry progress in this regards remails patchy and needs to change].

The reasons for this lack of discussion regarding mental health within the construction industry largely stem from how male dominated the industry is with only 11% of workers being women, as was reported by The Smith Institute. Nation-wide, men have been reported by BMI Healthcare to be half as likely as women to access mental health services and struggle to discuss issues of this nature.

Structural Repair’s survey likewise found that out of the individuals surveyed, 71% of females reported that their mental health has deteriorated due to covid, while contrastingly, only 55% of the men surveyed reported the same.

It can be understood that within the construction industry, mental health is an aspect which is in need of being addressed and destigmatised as a means to protect the wellbeing of its workers. Like with many other industries, and across the United Kingdom as a whole, many construction workers’ mental health has deteriorated as a result of the current pandemic and the national lockdowns which have come with it.

This renders the construction industry in dire need of addressing mental health, more so now than ever before given the lengthy period through which we have now had to endure the pandemic.

While other industries may find themselves better prepared to deal with this pandemic related decline in individual’s mental health, the construction industry is yet far from where it should be when it comes to the mental wellbeing of its workers. If further unforeseen consequences were to happen and likewise affect workers’ mental health, the industry ­­­is not in a position where it would be able to effectively address the needs of its workforce.

Even without any further unforeseen circumstances which hold the ability to have a significant effect on the construction industry’s workforce, the industry remains in need to change in regards to its approach towards mental health. According to Occupational Health & Wellbeing, the industry holds a variety of systematic issues which together contribute towards the creation of an environment taxing on individuals’ mental health.

The predominately male nature of the workforce is extremely likely to perpetuate a largely toxic and ‘macho’ industry culture, a type of culture which has been strongly linked to the high rates of male suicide and depression which are likewise found in other industries, as state by Psycom. Further factor which may influence the decline of mental health within the construction industry include the job’s long hours, demanding workloads, short-term projects, frequent long travel distances required to reach jobs and sites, and much more.

In all, it can be greatly understood, that the construction industry is in great need of further addressing mental health among its workers. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, many construction workers have reported that their mental health has deteriorated as a result of the year long pandemic we are currently facing.

This statistic is alarming in itself, however, paired together with the fact that overall, men are significantly less likely to open up about mental health issues, it leads to speculation around whether this male dominated industry is in greater peril over mental health than it is reporting.

As a means to thus effectively protect and ensure the wellbeing of its workforce, the construction industry and its organisations are required to further acknowledge the importance of mental health and put strategies as necessary into practice to address it, just as other industries have been doing over the past decade­­­.

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QEPrize for Engineering Launches 2022 Cycle

The Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering (QEPrize) commenced its search for the next recipients of the world’s most prestigious engineering accolade with the opening of its public nominations window at the start of the month (May 2021).

The QEPrize is open to nomination from engineers from all over the world, and is awarded to up to five engineers responsible for a bold, ground-breaking engineering innovation of global benefit to humanity.

The QEPrize is awarded annually and exists to celebrate the critical role that engineering plays throughout society, as well as to honour the engineers that have changed the world with their work. It also looks to inspire young minds and to help them consider engineering as a career.

Lord Browne of Madingley, Chairman of the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering Foundation, said “The global pandemic has demonstrated just how rapidly the work of engineers can have a widespread and demonstrable impact on our lives. As the nature of engineering and society’s expectations of engineering continue to evolve, so too does the QEPrize.  Our move to an annual award reflects this pace of change. It will enable us to celebrate the pinnacle of engineering achievement, and to honour more engineers whose work improves the lives of so many people around the world.”

Professor Dame Lynn Gladden, Chair of the QEPrize Judging Panel, added “We want to recognise the diversity of today’s global engineering world. It is a diversity not only of individual engineers, but also of a breadth of ideas, creativity and collaboration which drive engineering forward. We encourage and welcome nominations from around the world which truly showcase the very best of contemporary engineering.”

The prize recognises the pace of innovation around the world and is calling for the diversity that is in contemporary engineering community to shine through in the nominations.  Collaboration in engineering continues to improve billions of lives, and the QEPrize looks forward to spotlighting those individuals who are driving improvements for all humanity.

This year’s nominations window will remain open until 23:59 BST on 31 July 2021. All nominations will be assessed by an independent international judging panel comprised of world-leading experts in their respective fields.  The winner(s) will be announced on 1 February 2022. The only limitations are that self-nomination and posthumous nomination are not allowed.

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Additional Years Secure for Jacobs on Contract

Jacobs is pleased to announce that it has been awarded the role of sole provider for Highways England’s Historical Railways Estate (HRE) term contract. Jacobs is tasked with maintenance and disposal of more than 3,000 assets which make up the estate, including 77 listed structures throughout the UK.

Jacobs are to continue its role as professional services supplier for Highways England and will deliver multi-disciplinary services including:

• Design
• Site supervision
• Bridge and scour assessments
• Abnormal load checking
• Stakeholder management

Along with these, it will also take care of environmental, ecological and state management services across HRE’s assets. This includes viaducts, bridges, tunnels and culverts. Highways England estimates the contract value to be around £30 million ($39.5 million) for the sever-year period, with an option to extend it to ten years.

Jacobs’ People & Places Solutions Senior Vice President Europe and Digital Strategies, Donald Morrison, said: “Jacobs has a long-established relationship with the Historical Railways Estate and this award provides an excellent opportunity to continue our successful partnership and investment in developing U.K. talent for the next decade.

“We look forward to working closely with HRE to efficiently manage their assets, with a focus on safety, sustainability and digital delivery.”

As a trusted partner of the HRE since 1998 and sole provider since 2004, Jacobs has built and sustained a team that focuses on successfully delivering Highways England’s objectives for the HRE. Over the next seven years Jacobs will draw upon its digital innovation capabilities to help HRE manage its estate more efficiently and safely.

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RMD Kwikform Solution Takes the Load

RMD Kwikform has played a key role in the construction of the new Thames Tideway Tunnel by supplying its innovative ground-shoring products to help support the excavation of a 16.5m deep interception chamber, positioned underneath the course of the River Thames.

The Tideway project, known as the “super sewer”, will prevent raw sewage from entering the Thames when there is heavy rainfall. The existing and mainly Victorian sewerage system overflows into the river and struggles to accommodate the burgeoning population of London. The 25km sewer tunnel will span from Action in West London to Beckton in the East and capture sewage overflows which would otherwise spill into the Thames.

One of the main construction sites on this project is at Chelsea Embankment Foreshore. The project being led by the Ferrovial Constrction and Laing O’Rourke (FLO) JV the central section of the project includes the excavation of a 16.5m deep interception chamber, which is positioned under the River Thames, which will aim to divert sewage for the existing sewer system.

To support the construction of the chamber, RMD Kwikform has worked with FLO JV to engineer a heavy-duty propping system to support the retaining walls of the excavation. Groundwork’s equipment provided includes 610 diameter steel props (RMDK’s Tubeshor 610) and a 550 bespoke section waler system (RMDK’s GeoBrace 550).

Ajay Nagah, Engineering and Major Projects Manager (Ground Shoring) at RMD Kwikform, said: “We entered the frame relatively late in the design cycle where a traditional fixed structural steel solution had already been developed – which is usually the case with a job of this depth and duration. We, therefore, had to match or exceed the performance of the existing solution to prevent time delays from significant re-designs and checks, whilst incorporating new features that would pose unique benefits to the site team.

“One such feature was the ‘hybrid’ hydraulic unit of the Tubeshor 610 props that telescopically extends to pre-load supporting members before being isolated mechanically. The hybrid ram ensures that all loads are transferred through the steel element of the prop only – providing high axial stiffness whilst mitigating the risk of hydraulic squash or failure whilst subject to high loads. All without the need for on-site welding.”

Other services offered to this project were 3D modelling and wireless load monitoring; with the latter giving an indication of actual prop behaviour compared to theoretical design values.

RMD Kwikform’s visualisation software, LocusEye, also proved to be a useful tool for on-site discussions.

Matthew Wiseman, Divisional Digital Innovation Manager at RMD Kwikform, said: “Traditionally we could only share and view 3D models on PC, which limited usability to offices only. LocusEye allows us to provide a realistic 3D model of the temporary works, which can also be viewed on a smart/mobile device. This allows us to provide user-friendly navigation, augmented reality features, and the relevant product information/animations when we click components.”

John Breen, Commercial Director at RMD Kwikform, concluded: “We are incredibly proud to be partners with FLO and Tideway on this prestigious project and welcome anyone to visit our premises and witness our offerings and capability first-hand.”

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Housebuilding Can Lead on Biodiversity

A new guide launched recently highlights that biodiversity should be considered at the earliest stage of planning new home developments.

Climate change and the decline of wildlife are the great challenges of our tome which when combined with Government demands for greatly increased housing supply, are creating a balancing act which home builders and developers must consider in all its aspects.

Sustainability must also be a key consideration when looking building new homes, ensuring there is a positive impact on wildlife and the adoption of nature-based solutions.

Much of the focus on sustainable housing in recent years has been in reducing carbon emissions, but the coronavirus pandemic has placed emphasis on caring for local wildlife.

The majority of house-buyers say the pandemic has highlighted the need for more nature-rich green space. The UK Prime Minister recently said he will make “tackling climate change and biodiversity loss” the government’s “number one international priority”.

58% of UK species have declined over the last 50 years, and urbanisation is considered one of the key reasons why. The National House Building Council (NHBC) Foundation has partnered with the RSPB and Barratt Developments to produce guidance on how the housebuilding industry can incorporate green infrastructure into new build homes and enhance and protect biodiversity within developments to help deliver wider public health benefits.

The new report Biodiversity in new housing developments: creating wildlife-friendly communities has just been launched providing guidance on planning for beautiful places, key topics include:

• Implementing Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) which mimic natural processes in managing rainfall through the use of landscape form and vegetation
• Installing roost bricks for bats and designing lighting plans in a bat-friendly way
• Putting in bird nest bricks that provide permanent nest features for declining species such as swifts
• Ensuring boundaries enable hedgehogs to move freely through a housing development.

Beccy Speight, CEO, RSPB, said: “The housebuilding industry is uniquely placed in having an opportunity to create not just sustainable houses, but new, sustainable communities, where people thrive alongside wildlife. This guide is a great introduction to the principles and practicalities of creating wildlife-friendly communities and a great addition to the sustainable housing toolkit.

“I hope that the industry will embrace it and help to drive positive change. We all have our part to play as we seek to revive our world.”

Richard Smith, NHBC’s Head of Standards, Innovation and Research, said: “In a year so focused on health, this report is a timely reminder of the many benefits nature can provide when successfully integrated into new homes and developments.

“As we head towards COP26, we want to support those in the housing and construction sector to think more about how they can better integrate biodiversity and climate resilience into new home developments to help to achieve the country’s climate change goals and improve health and wellbeing in local communities. Biodiversity Net Gain will soon become mandatory in England so there’s no excuse not to start looking at these issues now.”

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Land Acquired for Avonmouth Logistics Scheme

Tungsten Properties, a mid-box industrial and warehouse developer, has gained funding from British Airways Pension Trustees Limited and has acquired 25 acres of land at Severn Road, Avonmouth from Delta Property Holdings for £11 million.

The scheme is based across two plots of the North and South of Severn Road and will aim to accommodate a 457,000 sq ft (42,456 sq m) logistics scheme over six buildings, ranging from 16,00 sq dt to 240,00 sq ft. It’s estimated that the project will help with the creation of over 300 new jobs.

The site also has the benefit of an existing outline for planning permission, with Tungsten Properties committing to deliver phase one, which will consist of two industrial units of 80,000 sq ft 240,000 sq ft. Construction is set to start in September 2021 and the two building should reach their completion by Summer 2022.

Phase two will consist of four smaller buildings which will range in size from 20,000 sq ft up to 62.000 sq ft to total 125,000 sq ft.

Avonmouth is a well-known and well-established South-West distribution location, thanks in part to its thriving port as well as great links to the M49 and M5. Occupiers include Amazon, Lidl, Tesco, DHL, Next, The Range, Coop, Acolade Wines and Asda.

It is also the fourth deal where British Airways Pension Trustees has funded Tungsten Properties with the three other projects being: Super W in Warrington, Super B in Bradford and Calder Park in Wakefield.

Ian Dunckley, Development Director, Tungsten Properties, said: “With Avonmouth being such a well-connected place with a strong workforce in nearby Bristol and South Wales, it is ideal for logistic occupiers. With retail habits changing and consumers purchasing more online, the warehouse distribution market is expanding and we aim to capitalise on this growth. To meet the demand, we will focus on the two larger units. We have built up a strong relationship with British Airways Pension Trustees and look forward to delivering this next significant project with their support to deliver high-quality logistics space and jobs.”

Russell Crofts, Partner, Industrial and Development, Knight Frank, who acted on behalf of Tungsten Properties, added: “This purchase reflects another major vote of confidence in Bristol as the prime location for logistics throughout the region. Tungsten has a proven track record of delivering high-quality developments, and the proposed scheme will reflect this reputation. Over the last 12 months, demand has been extremely high throughout the region, and we expect the new purpose-built distribution units to immediately meet this lack of supply in a highly active marketplace.”

Knight Frank has been appointed letting agent.

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Taking the Field with BIM

Tom Boland, Global Head of Digitalisation at Zutec, discusses the importance of having a site-based technology strategy and why construction companies should adopt Field BIM now.

By now, all those in the construction industry are well-acquainted with BIM. It has come a long way since its inception in the 1970s, especially in the UK, where standards in development over the course of 12 years became the basis of international standard ISO 19650, launched in 2019. In 2011, the government announced its Construction Strategy, which set out to reduce construction costs by 20% by 2015, subsequently putting the UK on the map as a global BIM leader.

However, as the industry becomes increasingly digitised and client demands evolve, a new form of BIM has come into play: BIM to field, or ‘Field BIM’. This is the process of managing construction data in an information model and using it to inform accurate construction, operations or maintenance on site. With Field BIM, handheld mobile devices become essential tools in accessing shared information and collaborating in real-time with colleagues back in the office.

The benefits are numerous, ranging from saving time and minimising the risk of error, to building trust, ensuring coordination and boosting visibility. With so many advanced digital tools available to us today, it would do the industry a great disservice not to utilise them to its full advantage. Here is a closer look into how Field BIM can transform construction projects, and the sector, as a whole:

Trust

Trust is the foundation of good business, whether between a company and its clients or among team members. In the world of construction, the success, and even safety, of a project depends on how much those involved can trust one another and the work that is being carried out from the design phase all the way through to a building’s handover.

Clients need to be able to believe that projects will be delivered on time and as promised, and teams need to trust each other in order to collaborate effectively. And, providing data-led evidence of progress in real time, on site, lets stakeholders know that they are investing in the right business. Trustworthy actions lead to a good reputation, which, of course, leads to better company morale and repeat business, proving that deployment of Field BIM benefits everyone.

Coordination

Field BIM is also a game changer in terms of coordination on projects. Quality inspections, compliance reporting and machinery delivery timings can all be coordinated by site managers using smartphones or tablets. A Field BIM platform or app will typically include access to 3D BIM models, a document library for all assets on the build, checklists for QA/QC, a site diary and digital forms. When it comes to snagging, there is functionality for live ‘issue creation’ and tracking of the necessary work to the point of sign off—all in the field. In some cases, this can even be done without an Internet connection. For example, quality and compliance related checklists can be created on site using an app such as Zutec Field.

Accurate data also ensures that project teams can head off potential problems early. This has the benefit of minimising errors, delays and costs. On all builds, the aspiration is to deliver results on time and on budget, and Field BIM is increasingly viewed as essential for project success and profitability.

Visibility

The use of Field BIM also results in greater transparency. The main professionals involved in a project, such as the architect, engineers and contractor, will be able to clearly assess fundamental aspects of a build, carry out inspections and hand over huge amounts of important asset information to the owner when the build is complete.

During the build, teams can view real-time data, update status information, and mark up the project’s 3D model in the field. 4D progress tracking is also possible, allowing a team to monitor a façade installation in line with scheduling data, for example. This way, stakeholders have a detailed overview of the entire process, and stay on top of everything that happens, or is about to happen, on site.

Field BIM tools also capture the inspection history of a project, including the date of inspection, the person who signed it off and the person who reviewed it. Workflows can be built into the toolset to boost visibility at every stage of the project.

This level of visibility has never been more vital in construction. Dame Judith Hackitt’s ‘Building a Safer Future’ report, produced in the wake of the Grenfell fire tragedy, called for a common process to achieve true transparency of information across buildings. With Field BIM in play, this golden thread becomes a reality, as data is securely recorded whether related to compliance sign-offs, materials used, or asset information for operational manuals. Key information about a building can be relayed through the relevant chain of stakeholders, from architects to fire engineers, and building safety managers to end-users.

Looking ahead

Although digital tools designed for the construction industry are becoming more widely available and their use is progressively becoming the norm, there are still those who are hesitant to embrace them. The key is understanding the advantages of using new technologies and to find a platform which is both user-friendly and which delivers outstanding results.

Further, contractors want standardisation in order to make their work simpler, so the streamlining of the various stages of a project, including the construction, inspections and handover phases, is not only useful but essential. Paper is also increasingly becoming obsolete, and in this global pandemic, there is a growing reliance on digital communication, and a need to carry out inspections and collaborate with colleagues from home. It’s therefore crucial that tools such as Zutec Field are used in order to ensure people stay connected, even when they have to be apart.

Lastly, Field BIM allows construction professionals to learn new skills. Keeping up to speed with the latest tools means staying ahead of the game, and being prepared for a world that could one day be totally virtual. In order for this to happen, however, it takes commitment from all sides, and to remember that everyone involved, from the client to the contractor, has one goal in mind: to deliver the best project possible.

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