Since the down turn in the housing markets we have only been coasting along, working on design & build projects and local council works. This is not work to be turned down as it has so far kept the company turning over enough money to
limit the number of redundancies and kept us out on site.
To try and improve our ability to win new contracts and to bring a much-improved system of work we set about implementing quality management procedures. Back in April 2009 we got ourselves accredited for ISO 9001 Quality Management System. This system allows us to work through a contract using a standard set of forms, allowing us to keep track of most events and developments. With us all working to the same system it also means that any time the management on site is changed, due to holidays or scheduling needs, the new person can quickly see the history of the contract and continue from where it was left.
Of course there has been some grumbling about ‘more paperwork‘ and ‘inefficient procedures‘, however we were already using the majority of the forms within our previous record keeping practices. All the QA system has changed is that our procedures are now set out more clearly with key areas of responsibility highlighted.
Since gaining the ISO 9001 accreditation we have pushed forward. We are now working towards getting accredited under ISO 14001 Environmental Management. We hope this will bring a better understanding of the environmental impacts we have on site and improve our environmental performance.
This has added a few more form to our list contract forms and highlighted a number of key legal requirements when it comes to how we as a company interact with the environment, both on site and at our head office.
We have also taken the opportunity to implement our procedures for OHSAS 18001 Occupational Health & Safety. This phase of our works collates all the required permits and method statements to enable us to work safely whether it is on site or within our own offices.
With a little extra work and attention to detail from each of us we hope to open up opportunities for plenty more work in the future.
Posted: October 7th, 2009 by Chris
| Filed under Civils
Timber shuttering for the lift shaft
Having spent several years at university to learn all I needed to know when it comes to civil engineering. That is when it involved structural design and hydrodynamics. In the real world of working on site I knew that I had no more knowledge than an apprentice on their first day.
With this in mind I always approached my work with confidence but also with an open mind. All around me on site I was working with people easily twice my age and with 20 years of experience. Whenever a better method was suggested I would gladly accept it as standard. If I thought I could improve something I would speak up even if I was shot down to be told when a certain method was longer but more practical.
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Posted: May 1st, 2009 by Chris
| Filed under Civils
The HSE Website
Today, April 6th 2009, saw a change to the Health and Safety Law poster that all employers are legally obliged to display in the workplace.
The HSE have done a decent job of modernising the old beige coloured poster that was filled with tiny text and was only ever glanced at by employees. The new poster is much cleaner in appearance and is nicely broken up into defined section headed with and image and split using well defined bullet points.
Your employer does not immediately have to rush out and buy the new poster as you can continue using your old poster until April 5th 2014, as long as the information for the enforcing authority and the employment medical advisory service is still clear and up-to-date.
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Posted: April 7th, 2009 by Chris
| Filed under Safety
Quality Control
Here we are, eventually, at the final post of my 4-part blog describing the roles of a site-based Civil Engineer. The posts have been broken down into the following subjects:
As with almost everything that is produced in this country, and pretty much all over the world, we must build our structure to an approved design and specification. Each client we work for may have a different specification but all will provide a copy to allow you to refer to anything from stone layer thicknesses to concrete strengths. A lot of the time the Local Authority will assign a Clerk of Works to the site and he/she will visit periodically over the course of the contract to check we are following the specification and advise us on any issues.
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Posted: February 6th, 2009 by Chris
| Filed under Civils
