Women in Construction Week
During ‘Women in Construction Week’ and on ‘International Women’s Day’ we’d like you to meet Jess Olley, one of our Excavator Operators.
She shares how she got into construction, a typical working day and what she loves about her job.
– How did you get into the engineering/construction sector?
I worked in Australia for a while and as part of a visa process within traffic management, but when my husband got sponsored I asked my site supervisor for a job, and I’ve never looked back!
– What does your average day entail?
I use plans to determine where drainage and services are to be located then dig the trenches, footings and level the ground.
– What do you love most about your job?
I love working outside and not behind a desk or dealing with the public all day, that just wasn’t for me, so my role is ideal
Supporting families of children with Autism, Learning difficulties and Disabilities through the Spectrum charity
We are pleased to have recently provided a donation and support to Spectrum, a charity our team feels passionate about.
Spectrum provides different events throughout the year, sessions, and support for families of children with Autism, additional needs, learning difficulties, and disabilities.
Amanda Shepherd at Spectrum dropped us a line to say:
“A big thank you to everyone at Tamdown for your support, it really does mean a lot to us. With your very kind and generous donation, we are able to do so many good things.”
Launch of our ‘Roots for Foundations’ Tree planting campaign
Tamdown has recently agreed a partnership with ‘The Future Forest Company’, who exist to remove CO2 at scale from the atmosphere, stop global warming, fight climate change and protect biodiversity.
Their goal is to plant 50 million trees by 2025 and we are supporting this by sponsoring a tree for every foundation we complete on our customer’s sites.
We are committed to sustainability and recognise the impact our operations have on the environment, so this is one of the steps we are taking, and planning for the future, to do our bit to reduce the carbon in our atmosphere.
Decarbonisation – reducing emissions – is key to our future, but we must also actively remove CO2, and planting new trees will support this.
We will provide updates on the type and location of the trees we sponsor over the coming weeks and months, watch this space.
Tamdown presents award for ‘Best design for four storeys or more’ at 2021 Housebuilder Awards
The Housebuilder Awards returned live to the InterContinental London-The O2 on November 24th, and the Tamdown team attended with some of our customers – a great event in great company.
The awards celebrate a range of achievements within the housebuilding community and, after recent remote awards, this year the live event was attended by over 500 people, who also enjoyed the talents of host comedian Tom Allen
Tamdown MD Rob Kendal had the pleasure of presenting the “Best design for four storeys or more award” which went to Places for People and saw Telford Homes also commended for their entry.
Congratulations to all the winners on their achievements.
Tamdown gain DVSA Earned Recognition status
We are excited to have achieved Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) Earned Recognition scheme status.
As part of the process, we reviewed and ensured that all the relevant training, systems and processes were in place.
DVSA earned recognition for vehicle operators is a new way to prove our organisation meets driver and vehicle standards. We regularly share performance information with DVSA and in return, our vehicles are less likely to be stopped for inspections, avoiding any potential delays or issues this may cause to our projects and customers.
By sailing through the intense audit process, we’ve demonstrated our commitment to compliance and best practice.
Mark Cain, Plant & Procurement Director
“Achieving Earned Recognition status is the result of work we began a couple of years ago. With Novadata, our transport consultant we reviewed then strengthened all our transport systems and processes, so we were in great shape for the Earned Recognition audit.
This not only stands us in good stead should anything unforeseen happen while our drivers are on the road, it is also helping to further our plans for future expansion and progress.
An added advantage is emerging in our recruitment process, as our drivers know that we fulfil all our legal responsibilities. They can rest assured that we aren’t going to ask them to compromise in observing any aspect of transport legislation or put themselves in a legally vulnerable position. We are clearly perceived as a conscientious employer, as well as an exemplary O Licence holder.”
Tamdown join Government Gangmasters & Labour Abuse Authority Construction Protocol
This joint agreement with some of the biggest names in UK construction is aimed at eradicating slavery and labour exploitation in the building industry. Tamdown alongside all parties have agreed to raise awareness within supply chains to help to prevent and protect workers from exploitation or abuse and take necessary steps to ensure that exploitation and abuse of workers is recognised and addressed with appropriate safeguards put in place to ensure that exploitative practice is not repeated.
As part of the protocol we have agreed to a number of commitments
- Work in partnership to protect vulnerable workers
- Agree to share information, where possible, to help stop or prevent the exploitation of workers
- Work together to manage information sensitively and confidentially
- Commit to raising awareness within the supply chain
- Maintain momentum through this protocol by communicating regularly
Our representatives will attend regular meetings with the GLA to regularly discuss and further our commitment to this important practice.
Progress on our Thanet project 278 and Plot works
Good to see the 278 works completed and open for use, giving future site and local access for the follow on Phases of our Thanet project for Vistry
Also below take a look at the ongoing work on the plots on-site, we have been busy delivering Phases 1-3 and now it’s great to see the solid start being made on Phase 4. Great-looking work on a tidy site.
Social Value award from Morgan Sindall
We recently received our Social Value award from Morgan Sindall Construction East.
This recognises the work we did on the South Essex College project and engaging with the Women in Construction programme.
Well done to all the team.
RoSPA President’s Award – that makes 12 Years of Consecutive Golds
Our teams are proud to have achieved another President’s Award in the RoSPA Health and Safety Awards this year. This was awarded following our 12th consecutive Gold award.
The award recognises our achievements throughout the year in health and safety management, including practices such as leadership and workforce involvement.
Organisations receiving a RoSPA Award are recognised as being world-leaders in health and safety practice. It is one of the most prestigious and recognised schemes in the world, with almost 2000 entries every year and a reach of over 7 million employees
Rob Kendal, Tamdown Managing Director said
“Health and safety is central to everything we do and Tamdown teams are committed to maintaining the highest of standards on all of our sites. This 12th consecutive ROSPA award is a testament to our people and their ongoing dedication to protecting each other and the communities we work within.”
Helping our people, customers and the public get home safely at the end of the working day is the Tamdown Way.
Tamdown Plant – Quality, Safety and Efficiency
Last year the Tamdown Plant team put in place a ‘6Cs’ quality standard to ensure optimum delivery and safety for our customers and people.
Customer: ensures all plant dispatched is fit for purpose and supports the best level of delivery
Care: teams take care in the quality of plant we buy, hire and supply to our site teams
Clean: plant is always sent out clean, covid safe and to a level we are proud of
Certified: all appropriate certifications and safety checks are completed
Corporate Branding: plant is correctly branded to positively position our business
Checked: all plant is checked to ensure it meets all our high standards
We have also further enhanced our processes with the addition of an asset management software within the plant department.
The team have embraced the new system and the efficiencies and time saving it offers including; instant access to all jobs and information, avoiding duplication and physical printing and filing, paperless service scheduling and records, inspection planning, reporting and repair history.