We鈥檝e always suspected it but now we have an accurate measure of what the public feels about construction 鈥� and it isn鈥檛 flattering. They鈥檇 much rather work in farms and high street shops because sites are exhausting, dirty and dangerous (see pages 16 and 17).

It鈥檚 important to acknowledge that we鈥檙e dealing with perceptions here. We didn鈥檛 ask if people were correct in their perceptions. It doesn鈥檛 matter anyway. People believe what they believe, and they decide where to work, and advise their children on where to work, based on those beliefs. They hate factories the most, for instance. We didn鈥檛 ask why, but presumably it鈥檚 because the image of factory workers as dull automatons has never been successfully challenged.

Let鈥檚 be clear about why this matters. If building sites keep stoking the public鈥檚 fear and loathing of the industry, we can talk to teenagers until we鈥檙e blue in the face about what how exciting it is to work in our industry and they just won鈥檛 believe it.

I know. This is a motherhood issue. Who could disagree? The really interesting question is how do we make clients pay for better sites. The really, really interesting question is how do you turn clean, safe and well-organised sites into a competitive advantage. It鈥檚 happening a bit, but not enough to knock unscrupulous players out of the game yet.

We think contractors can make headway on both fronts by ring-fencing enough money for health, safety and welfare at the tender stage. Richard Thorpe of Mace argues that you need between 8% and 10% of whole project cost to organise a job adequately (see page 19). If contractors start to agree more widely on acceptable standards, the wheat will be separated from the chaff. CM invites submissions on this question. After a consultation period the CIOB will be issuing a guidance note.

It is tempting to blame clients and PQSs for starving projects of the cash necessary to create exemplary working environments, and it鈥檚 true that they have a big role to play. But contractors have the most to lose by a continuation of the status quo: defects caused by chaos, an unending skills crisis, not to mention claims, fines and bad publicity caused by ill-health, injuries and deaths.

As Cervantes said: 鈥淣ever stand begging for that which you have the power to earn.鈥�

Source

Construction Manager