Meet Marcus Jones

Today marks World Day for Safety and Health at Work, observed annually on 28 April—a timely reminder of why safety must stay at the heart of everything we do.

Step into the day‑to‑day role of Marcus Jones, Contracts Manager, as he works behind the scenes and on site to champion safe working practices. From identifying and reducing risk to ensuring sites meet all legal and contractual safety requirements, Marcus plays a key role in protecting people, maintaining standards and making sure every project is delivered safely and responsibly.

Morning Routine: Planning the day ahead

Most days would be a walk around site with the site manager discussing the works going forward that day. We would identify any issues regarding programme, obstructions, permits required and any additional risk assessments required. Most of these actions are covered generally by the site teams, however there are many bespoke works that will need my attention in order to help the site team, this could be things like organising S278 works.

Site Visits:

I would usually try and visit 2 sites or phases per day, to check in and see how things are going that day and would assist where needed. I also spend some time ensuring that testing and recording is being carried out, as well as checking on the quality side of things. I also like to make sure that all customer care issues are discussed with the site teams, as well as discussing labour, plant and programme.

Throughout the whole day I will be taking various phone calls from our site teams, and helping them with whatever required, this could be technical, or often just a simple close out for an issue, or action rooting from one of our Health and Safety Inspections.

I make sure that I keep regular contact with the clients and will meet with them to ensure that they are happy with progress, Health and Safety matters, and any future works. I believe that it is vital that our site teams have a good relationship with the client teams, so create a good level of understanding between both, and achieve our project goals.

Afternoon: Contract Manager meetings

In the afternoon I attend various meetings at our Head Office, with the Managing Director, Construction Director, members of HSQE and the other Contracts Managers.

In these meetings we discuss all topical issues from the month, including any accidents or incidents, so we can ensure that we are putting measures in place to prevent these going forward.

These are very productive meetings, where all Contracts Managers feedback anything to directors, and members of the HSQE team, so we can work together to make improvements going forward. We all like to share what is and isn’t working across our sites, such as things like different tools, and machinery.

Reflections on his important role

In my role, I want to make sure that everyone can carry out these works in a safe and efficient manner.

I want to see everyone go home safely at the end of the day and for everyone to be working in a happy environment.