You can view this brand new and impressive, soon to be opened hospital from a small city of cabins and containers doubling up as offices, canteens, wash rooms and storage centres. Each of which, at certain times of the day, houses many hundreds of site workers across a multitude of trades. It is here that Poselco Lighting Limited begins its first day assisting with the install of new communication ports to an Emergency Lighting Central System which is shortly to be commissioned.
It is 07.30 and the first introduction to a modern day building complex is the most sophisticated of site entry turn-styles with an elaborate palm recognition system. You are accompanied by a security chief with the most amazing memory for names. As you wipe the sleep from your eyes it is easy to forget that he has a hidden console on his desk which clearly displays the Christian name of all who enter through the barrier. There is always however, something mildly disconcerting by this cheery recognition at a time of day when the first cup of tea has yet to be downed.
Breakfast and the canteen is alive to the smell of freshly cooked bacon, mugs of coffee and frenetic Geordie banter concerning the previous day's football. A fuelling stop before another productive day building one of the NHS's flagship emergency care hospitals here in the North East.
There are some site inductions which involve five minutes of flipping through a folder containing lots of red crosses and skull and cross bones followed by a speedy signing away conformance to the rules and regulations.
And then there is this induction...
Seven hours studying, of almost reverent sermon by a pulpit bashing 'Red Hat' representing, with total health and safety fervour, our main site contractor.
"We will not have accidents on this site, will will not have drunken workers on this site (the limit for alcohol in the system is less than that allowed for driving), we will not have drug abuse on this site (prescription drugs can make you drowsy and if you are found to have any illegal substances in your system well, we will prosecute and ban you from this and all other building sites for many years to come - feel lucky"?)
'Red Hats' are the health and safety policeman for the site and they wear red hard hats. They have authority to spot check your work at any time. Throw you off site for not wearing hard hats, steel capped boots, high visibility vests, gloves, safety glasses and protective trousers or indeed for questioning their authority or for probably staring at them for too long!
You need permits to work in certain places, permits to enter electrical cupboards, permits to use ladders.
"Do you know that most injuries are caused by operatives standing on the first rung of the stepladder"?
If you are found to be working without a permit, you are thrown off site by an angry posse of 'Red Hats'. The only way to fool a 'Red Hat' is to post trusted, alert sentries at every corner while you quickly reach and clip away that errant cable from a firmly balanced second rung of an illegal non-permitted step ladder. But is it worth the risk?
"Do you know that most injuries are caused by operatives standing on the first rung of the stepladder"?
If you are found to be working without a permit, you are thrown off site by an angry posse of 'Red Hats'. The only way to fool a 'Red Hat' is to post trusted, alert sentries at every corner while you quickly reach and clip away that errant cable from a firmly balanced second rung of an illegal non-permitted step ladder. But is it worth the risk?
The induction is not just about the many required safety issues at this site it also offers a far more rounded debate about the importance of getting things right during the day's work.
"You, your family or friends may one day need the services this hospital can provide, so let's all make sure we do a proper job when building it".
"You, your family or friends may one day need the services this hospital can provide, so let's all make sure we do a proper job when building it".
A 'Black Hat' is not hard to find because they are hiding but because they are constantly on the move. You cannot call them so a search of the many floors, corridors, wards and offices will inevitably have to take place. When you finally reach the 'Dr Livingstone' moment it takes a knack to acquire their full attention because you see, these guys are skilled jugglers, balancing many questions and requests at the same time. As a 'Black Hat' you need to be completely calm, tolerant, understanding, thick skinned and prepared to work long hours.
Modern building sites are now housing the most up to date methods for maintaining safety. This has to be as the most common work place for fatalities and injuries is on a construction site. Hazards include falls from height, motorised vehicle crashes, excavation accidents, electrocution, managing machinery and being struck by falling objects. Then there is the present dangers of asbestos, solvents and excessive noise. We all have to be safe and main contractors with their sub contractors have an enormous responsibility.
We all need the guys in the red and black hats.
