With the Working Well Together (WWT) initiative hosting its Health & Wellbeing in Construction Day event on the 19th June, we caught up with Lisa Bury, our Business Development Manager for AMP & Utilities and part of the WWT South Wales group, to find out more…
Tell us more about the Working Well Together initiative?
The WWT initiative is a national scheme, committed to improving health and safety in the construction industry. With support from CONIAC, HSE and CITB, WWT has a particular focus on supporting small businesses, which make up such a large percentage of the industry.
With SMEs and one-man bands often not having the support of a dedicated HR or SHEQ team, the focus is on raising awareness and providing them with the necessary support. This can include pointing them in the direction of helpful resources, whether that is to source the correct PPE, access relevant training and funding or anything else Health & Safety related.
Why is this work important?
Safety is so important within the construction industry and is something that continually needs improving. For example, the latest HSE report on the UK industry highlighted critical health and safety issues, with 45 fatal injuries, 53,000 non-fatal injuries and 69,000 workers with work-related ill health in 2022/23.
For me, it’s all about providing people with the skills, knowledge and resources needed to improve the safety of them and their team.
Of course, wellbeing is another major factor to consider. The statistics around people in construction taking their own life are huge. In fact, it’s reported that two people take their life every day – I was truly shocked by this when I learned.
Why did you choose to get involved?
With regional divisions, the WWT group relies heavily on volunteers. It’s all about bringing different people and their skills to the table, working together to get the message out there. As their slogan says, it’s “help from the industry, for the industry”.
Safety and temporary works truly go hand in hand, with our equipment facilitating the safe and efficient delivery of the permanent. I’m part of the South Wales group and predominantly support the WWT with social media, ensuring they have an active and positive presence.
I also regularly get involved with their events. For example, the WWT run local walk arounds, where members walk around communities, chat with construction workers and flag any potential health and safety dangers or missing PPE. Each summer, they also deliver Road Shows, going on tour around the country to visit building sites, run awareness sessions and spread the message. Last year, the two topics for the tour were mental health awareness and the effects of silica dust, a massive killer in the industry.
Not only is it important work but there are real benefits from a personal development perspective too. Since being involved, I’ve gained lots of new skills and the networking opportunities are fantastic.
Can you tell us about the upcoming event?
It’s the Health & Wellbeing in Construction Day, taking place on the 19th June in Cardiff City Stadium. There’s been a lot of planning involved and it’s looking set to be a really great event!
We have a lot of exciting speakers lined up, including Andy Bishop, the founder of Mangang, a peer support group set up to support men through any troubling times; an update from the HSE and more. There are also raffle prizes, health checks and Q&A opportunities, with representatives from Diabetes UK, PPE providers, PCR Global (a training provider), Mabey Hire and the Lighthouse Construction Charity all set to attend, to name just a few.
To register for the event, click here.
