We spent a day with our HQSE Manager for World Day of Safety and Health at Work
Did you know that today is World Day of Safety and Health at Work? It happens every year on April 28th, and it’s a great opportunity to remind ourselves of the importance of fostering a safe and healthy work environment.
Follow Suhed Miah, Tamdown’s HSQE Manager, through a typical day as he ensures that safety standards are maintained, that risks are mitigated and that compliance is upheld on our construction sites.
Morning Routine: Planning the day ahead
Annoyingly, I usually wake up before my alarm goes off but I desperately try to go back to sleep. This doesn’t happen, but my morning doesn’t start until I have my first cup of coffee. As a Muslim, my morning routine always starts with the morning prayer (fajr salah). It almost feels like a little bit of meditation before the day begins.
I have a quick check of my emails to help plan the day and mentally prioritise the responses and actions. I usually have my site visits planned for the day in advance, trying to ensure all allocated sites are visited twice in the month.
Site Visit 1: Wakeley Meadows – Rainham, Kent
My first visit of the day was to a new project where the Site Manager had requested my attendance to support with the site set up and documentation. The site manager was also going on annual leave, therefore a handover to the Assistant Site Manager was held. I attended the morning briefing given to all site personnel and participated in its delivery to set the scene and get to know the team.
This was followed by a walk around the site identifying hazards and actions required to maintain safe systems. With new sites, our focus is usually on ‘public protection’ which includes maintaining segregation as well as reviewing the vehicular access and egress to the site. A discussion was had in relation to buried services which may be present on site and I referenced the client Pre-Construction Information Pack which is within our Construction Phase Plan.
After I spent time with the Site Manager, to collate and establish the Temporary Works File and Excavator Lift Plan which form an essential part of our safe systems of work. Discussion was had in relation to creating a site traffic management plan which includes the compound area, fire muster point, first aid station etc.
Introductions were made with the client Site Manager who arrived on site. A brief discussion was had on their expectations and plan for the coming week where it was advised that a hoarding contractor would be coming on to site. As Tamdown are undertaking the role of Principal Contractor, a request for their RAMS was made as this allows us to ensure they have an adequate safe system of work in place.
Site Visit 2: Farleigh Hill, Tovil, Maidstone
My second visit of the day was requested by the Contracts Manager. This was to assess the upcoming drainage works for the site. The visit was to enable the site specific method statement and risk assessment to be drafted and submitted to the local highways as the works will require road closures to be implemented.
On arrival to the site, the Site Manager introduced me to the client Site Manager. This was followed with a meeting in relation to queries he had regarding our RAMS and some additional information he had requested. All points were discussed and actions agreed before heading over to the off-site drainage works.
A discussion was had with the Site Manager to understand the specifics of the drainage works and review the surrounding area in relation to neighbouring properties as well as access and egress for plant and equipment. Alternative methods of construction were also discussed and the need to allow for a mobile crane to lift and place the head wall which will discharge into the existing open culvert. Additional details in relation to the plant and equipment to be used were obtained from the Site Manager and Contracts Manager prior to leaving site.
Afternoon Routine: Site Manager meetings
Afternoons are usually spent undertaking administrative duties unless an incident has occurred, or a request has come in to assist on another site.
Actioning the client Site Manager’s queries was a priority for me, as this helps build relationships and trust as well as demonstrate our values.
Reflections on his important role
A large part of my role is based on the relationships I have created over the past 15 years. It is not easy telling experienced people to do something different or that they are doing something wrong. Over the years we have persisted with the implementation of policies and procedures and continually measure and monitor these to ensure they are effective and adhering to legislation and approved codes of practice.
I believe in making our site teams think about the work being undertaken, as find I very rarely have to give them a solution. Often just asking them about what they are doing makes them realise what they should be doing and they themselves are able to amend the situation.
We have built a strong health and safety culture at Tamdown. This has been made possible from the senior leadership team who take an interest in ensuring our people are kept safe and uphold the company’s reputation.
Our certification to ISO Standards demonstrates our commitment to maintaining the high standards we have set as well as continually monitoring developing procedures to ensure we are leading the way when it comes to health and safety.
We are seeking enthusiastic individuals for apprenticeship opportunities
We are pleased to announce that our apprenticeship programme for September 2025 is now open for applications.
For more information on the opportunities available, visit our Careers page by clicking here.
The Tamdown Trekkers are gearing up for another exciting challenge
On Friday 12th September, The Tamdown Trekkers will be taking on the Housebuilder Challenge again, fundraising on behalf of The Youth Adventure Trust.
With just over 4 months to go, we would appreciate it if you could show support to Tamdown and the Youth Adventure Trust by sponsoring our teams.
More information can be found here
Your support for our teams and the Youth Adventure Trust will mean a lot and contribute to a much-needed cause.
Thank you.
Revisiting our Sudbury site
It has been fantastic to see the progress on our site in Sudbury for Taylor Wimpey London.
The Infrastructure works and Phase 1 have recently been completed along with the civils to the community heat hub that provides all the heating and hot water requirements for the development via an insulated pipe network.
Phase 2 is now progressing well with 8,000m2 of road completed to binder course and 133 plots completed to oversite.
Great work by the team. Thank you to everyone on site for their hard work.
Managing Director, Rob Kendal, features in this month's Housebuilder Media magazine
Our Managing Director Rob Kendal features in this months Housebuilder Media magazine, ‘The Last Word’.
Rob talks about the low levels of activity in the housebuilding sector and what may be the catalyst for a market upturn.
He considers both supply & demand levers, mortgage affordability issues and the need for more investment in affordable housing. And once those are moving in the right direction he cites the next big challenge will be scaling up to meet government targets, and suggests how we might tackle that.
Read the full article here
A good start on our new site in Rivenhall, Essex for Bellway Homes
What a fantastic start to a new site with Bellway Essex in Rivenhall
In the first two weeks of being on site we have established our welfare area, conducted site clearance, completed earthworks to formation, commenced installation of the diversion haul road that will serve the local golf course and now commencing with our first foundations.
This picture is just the beginning, with the site comprising 225 units up to oversite including associated externals works along with sport pavilion accompanying sports pitches.
With over 2,000m of road and associated off site S278 works, this scheme will significantly improve the local infrastructure in the area.
Well done to the teams involved and thank you to Bellway for the continued support and business.
Tamdown named sub-contractor of the year for Persimmon Homes
We were pleased to be named subcontractor of the year for Persimmon Homes Suffolk yesterday.
A big well done and thank you to all of our teams that helped us achieve this award.
Thank you to Persimmon Suffolk for their on-going support and recognition of the value we add to their developments.
We look forward to continuing our working relationship and building much needed homes together.
Our apprentices achieve recognition at the ECTA Awards
Great to see three of our apprentices get recognised at the ECTA (Essex Construction Training Association) awards last week.
Really well done to Elliot Gamble, Apprentice QS and Jason Podd, Apprentice Engineer who were both highly commended in the technical occupation category.
And a big congratulations to Izzy Baliga, Apprentice H&S Administrator, who won the support / administration category.
Really well done to you all, we are very proud of your achievements so far – keep up the good work.
Celebrating National Apprenticeship Week 2025
Elliot, why did you choose an apprenticeship?
Whilst studying Construction in the Built Environment at Chelmsford College, we had a visit from individuals who were in their final year of degree apprenticeships at various companies; they presented the advantages of the scheme and their experiences. This inspired me to pursue work experience at Tamdown. Following the placement, I was certain that I wanted to seek a degree apprenticeship, having experienced the benefits of on the job learning whilst studying.
Did you specifically want to enter the Construction Industry?
Yes, however I was unsure in which capacity (on the tools or an office-based position). Following work experience in working in the Commercial department, I was set that it was what I would pursue.
Can you give us a brief summary of your role?
My role within the Commercial department consists of reporting duties such as valuations, participation in key meetings such as PRR & Debt Meetings, communicating with clients, subcontractors & colleagues. I also visit site regularly to communicate with the construction team to assess progress and provide support commercially.
Would you recommend an apprenticeship to others?
An Apprenticeship Scheme is certainly something I would recommend. The benefits of valuable work experience, learning and earning at the same time is, I believe, is unrivalled by other schemes.
Izzy, why did you choose an apprenticeship?
I chose an apprenticeship as it gave me the perfect opportunity to get a feel for what full-time employment is like, whilst also learning new skills and gaining new qualifications. I prefer learning on the job compared to in the classroom, so felt as though an apprenticeship was the best next step for me.
Did you specifically want to enter the Construction Industry?
I was unsure as to what industry I wanted to work in until we had a visit from members of the Nexus People Team at sixth form to talk about apprenticeships, which interested me, so I looked further into Nexus/Tamdown online and decided to apply. After being with the business for the past 16 months, I can definitely say I made the right choice to do an apprenticeship within this industry.
Can you give us a brief summary of your role?
I work as an apprentice administrator within the Health and Safety department. On a day-to-day basis I monitor and record the returns of safety alerts, toolbox talks, and Health and Safety Inspections, record minutes within meetings and other various tasks. As well as being heavily involved with our new training database, and our eLearning platform, ensuring that everyone is compliant with their training.
Has the apprenticeship helped you understand more about the industry and importance of your role within it?
I would definitely agree that the apprenticeship has helped me gain a stronger understanding of the industry and the importance of health and safety within is, as I now have more of an insight into all the work that goes into groundworks, and this field of work. I also now understand how important health and safety is within this line of work, as some situations operatives can be put in can lead to bad accidents and incidents, so it is important to do whatever we can to prevent these from happening, keeping our workforce safe.
Would you recommend an apprenticeship to others?
I would definitely recommend an apprenticeship to others, as it provides you with opportunities to learn and develop skills on the job, and gain a head start into working life. You are able to learn and regularly practice skills within a real-life setting amongst professionals, which gives you great opportunities to network and take on a more practical approach of learning.
Jamie, why did you choose an apprenticeship?
I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do when I finished my A Levels. I knew I didn’t want to go to University and an apprenticeship appealed to me because I knew I could get a degree whilst earning and staying at home.
Did you specifically want to enter the Construction Industry?
I did have knowledge of the construction industry before starting at Tamdown.
Can you give us a brief summary of your role?
I assist the Estimators by completing take-offs for all aspects of a groundworks as well as collecting material and sub-contractor rates to help put together an accurate tender.
Everyone has been really supportive. I like learning about contract law understanding about approved documents and health and safety regulations.
Would you recommend an apprenticeship to others?
Yes, I would recommend doing an apprenticeship to others as it helps you get degree while also getting a good lot of experience as well as giving you a headstart in your career.
Nathan, why did you choose an apprenticeship?
I chose to do an apprenticeship because it provides the opportunity for tailored learning, the course I study at university is designed to fit the needs of my role and therefore directly applicable to my work. It also enables me to earn while I learn and gain hands on experience within the industry to progress with my career.
Did you specifically want to enter the Construction Industry?
I wanted to enter the construction industry as I have always been fascinated by the sheer potential the construction industry holds. Every construction site is different, the diverse working environments have always appealed to me.
Can you give us a brief summary of your role?
Within my current role in estimating it is my responsibility to calculate a Bill of Quantities (BOQ) for a tender submission. This involves collaborating with my team to measure the quantity and costs involved within the entire construction project across various factors such as: raw material costs, plant, labour, increased cost projection.
Has the apprenticeship helped you understand more about the industry and importance of your role within it?
Yes, doing an apprenticeship has allowed me to excel at my role within the workplace and progress with my learning at university. The mentorship I receive at both university and within the workplace helps me to progress at both paths as the content intertwines.
Would you recommend an apprenticeship to others?
Yes, I would, for all the reasons I’ve previously mentioned.
Proud of the new addition to our Plant fleet
Great to see our new purpose-built plant truck out on the road delivering our new machines.
One of our strategic priorities is operational excellence; and a key component of that is being ‘resource ready’ – having the right resources at the right time.
Ensuring the mobility of our plant and equipment is vital to being resource ready.