Episodi

  • 5: Health & Safety during COVID-19

    5: Health & Safety during COVID-19
    Oct 28 2021
    Construction was one of the few sectors allowed to continue operating when the first COVID lockdown was announced. But this presented a huge challenge for operating safely and minimising the risk for health and safety. 
    Once the industry had recovered from the initial shock of the country going into lockdown in March 2020, and there was a clearer idea of what the restrictions on site would be, work began implementing new health and safety measures and processes.
    The industry operates within strict health and safety regulations, and mitigating risk is an important part of project management. So while this was an unprecedented high-risk situation, the construction sector was in many ways set up to deal with it. 
    That didn’t mean it wasn’t without its challenges. The nature construction means teams often have to work in close proximity, and there are minimum numbers that can be required to safely carry out specific tasks on site. 
    Then there is the order and sequence of work when access to the certain areas might be limited by the number of people that can use lifts. 
    “It was a big challenge, and I think the construction industry can be commended on how it responded to that challenge,” says Nick Payne, Head of CDM at Concert.
    The restrictions and extra health and safety measures also impacted costs – extra PPE, hygiene and cleaning all have to be paid for out of budgets that may have been signed off before the pandemic. 
    However, because of the prolonged nature of the Covid crisis, the industry is already adapting – something which may be useful in the future.
    So what are the medium and longer-term implications for the construction sector? In this episode of Concert’s Sound Check podcast, former journalist Stacey Meadwell talks to Nick about the industry’s response to working during Covid and what it means for safety and risk management moving forward.  
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    12 min
  • 4: The demand for materials during COVID-19

    4: The demand for materials during COVID-19
    Sep 6 2021
    Recent data indicates the construction sector is growing at its fastest rate for seven years which is great news.
    This is translating into more demand for materials and labour but there is a fly in the ointment. The increasing demand comes at a time when there are additional pressures on the supply chain. 
    COVID restrictions are still hampering the movement of materials, goods, and people around the world. Localised staff shortages when people have to quarantine is adding to the problem. 
    And then there is the Brexit deal. The impact it is having on the cross-border movement of goods and hiring of staff is becoming a reality. 
    What this means at a ground level is shortages, increasing prices and delays.  
    Delays across international supply chains are adding to the problem, and the skills shortage, which was prevalent before the pandemic, is getting worse as the movement of people is still restricted.
    How will this shake out in the next 12 months? There are many variables to consider, and careful project planning will be key for the industry.

    Join Rennie Dalrymple, Managing Director at Concert, as he talks all things labour and materials in the latest episode of Concert’s podcast series ‘Sound Check.’
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    11 min
  • 3: Will MMC solve the housing crisis?

    3: Will MMC solve the housing crisis?
    Jul 29 2021
    Despite successive UK Governments setting house building targets, the country remains in a housing crisis. There simply aren’t enough homes being built to meet demand. 
    Planning is slow – and political – and construction takes time. But the Government is pushing modern methods of construction, primarily off-site manufacture, as a quicker and greener way of building more homes. 
    But will it deliver the housing numbers to meet the target? 

    Concert Director Fraser Allen and Quantity Surveyor Rishi Rai discuss the topic in this latest episode of Sound Check.
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    18 min
  • 2: Data Centre Mania

    2: Data Centre Mania
    Jul 12 2021
    Do you think about the environmental cost when you send an email, search the internet or stream a TV series? To put it into context, binge-watching Bridgerton on Netflix is equivalent to boiling the kettle four times, according to Uswitch research.  Data centres are critical to our day-to-day digital lives, but they require energy to function.   In this series, experts Daniel Wright and Julie Clements from Concert discuss what is the industry doing to ensure data centres - and the digital revolution – don’t damage the planet?  
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    19 min
  • 1: So you think you want to be a Project Manager?

    1: So you think you want to be a Project Manager?
    May 19 2021
    Lifting the lid on property careers: “When I was at school, I wanted to be a beautician.”   Concert cost manager Gail Royston has worked in the industry for six years, and Tom Bishop has been a project manager for 15 years; here, they lift the lid on their chosen careers – what they love, common misconceptions and what the future holds for the industry.
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    25 min