Raising awareness of Health & Safety in the construction industry

Students at a West Yorkshire Grammar School are helping to shape site rules as the remodeling and refurbishment of their former library progresses.  

Trinity Academy Grammar School in Sowerby Bridge, Halifax, will have an extended dining provision and additional classrooms in a matter of weeks to tackle oversubscription and meet growing population demand.  

During the construction phase, the I&G team behind the project have held site safety workshops with the children, helping them to understand what’s involved in the building work being carried out in close proximity to their school, and asking for their thoughts on how they would like the team to behave on site for maximum health and safety.  

Thomas Richardson, Health and Safety Manager for I&G said;  

“We hosted four different workshops with about 250 children in each session, and it was great to see so many of them get really involved and interact with what we were discussing.  

“The first half covered site health and safety, and we got the students to look at scenarios for them to try and spot any hazards or dangers, allowing them to make recommendations on best practice to help with their understanding of why it’s so important.  

“During the second half, we discussed careers in construction from site-based roles right through to office-based, apprenticeships and degree-based careers. 

“It was great to see the children explore the diverse range of roles available in the construction industry, and it perhaps helped to remove any misconceptions about what tends to be a more male-dominated industry. They were impressed to see there are multiple opportunities for everyone!” 

Kylie Ball, Careers and Co-Curricular Lead added;  

“The students were all very complimentary about the assembly, they all learnt a lot and found it very interesting. 

“All staff who attended commented on how engaging the sessions were and commended the team for keeping them all involved and maintaining their attention throughout, especially since it was on one of the hottest days of the year! 

“A huge thank you to the team for hosting the assemblies.” 

The project commenced in April and works have included the strip out of the former underutilised library to create additional dining facilities. The space also needed to be reconfigured to remove a spiral staircase leading to an open-plan upper floor section, which has now been closed off to allow for additional classroom space upstairs.  

Paul Russell, Operations Director for I&G said; 

“This has been an extremely collaborative effort from the offset and has required a great deal of coordination between all parties to ensure the maximum health and safety of everyone involved. 

“It’s not our first time working in a complex live environment, but the school have been very accommodating and patient, particularly when having to share access to main busy corridors during the upper floor phase of the project. 

“It has been the cherry on the top to be able to engage with the school, and it’s important for us to build that relationship with them whilst we’re they’re neighbours on site. Children are curious, and so we want to offer them as much insight as possible into the nature of the project, so they feel a part of the process, but also to raise excitement around their brand-new facilities.”