One construction project, three graduate perspectives
The graduate mechanical project engineer
The project incorporates two sections: the construction of 45,000 metre squared extension to the hospital and the refurbishment of existing wards and facilities. I first became involved with this project two years after it started. I’m the engineer in charge of refurbishing the older parts of the hospital. I have senior engineers and project managers supervising me but I oversee the daily work. We work on several different areas at the same time so at one point I was overseeing projects in five wards. I was kept very busy, because as soon as I got on top of one ward something needed attention on another, but finishing all five wards on schedule gave me a huge sense of achievement.
We work on several different areas at the same time so at one point I was overseeing projects in five wards.
My responsibilities include looking after health and safety issues, doing risk assessments, making sure that the guidelines are followed and liaising with subcontractors. I’m in charge of the programme of works so I make frequent site inspections to ensure that everyone is doing their job and we’re not falling behind. As the hospital is still running while we’re working we have to be particularly aware of potential hazards.
Working on an old building is tricky compared with a new build. We’re using drawings that are not entirely accurate so we sometimes strip out a wall to find pipes that weren’t on the drawings. I contact various people to work out the best way to deal with the problem. It can be frustrating to wait for other people but we still aim to meet our deadlines.
Gareth Clark is a mechanical project engineer at Balfour Beatty Engineering Services. He has a ONC and HNC in building services engineering from Liverpool Community College, during apprenticeship.
The graduate construction manager
My connection with this project started at the beginning of the fit out stage of phase 5 of the project. I was package manager of core drilling and setting out subcontractors. With more than 2,000 holes to drill in a floor area of 44,000 metres squared, this was quite a large task. Next, I looked after the wall sign-off process, checking that each wall had the correct number of light switches, electrical sockets and specialist devices. This was no easy task, as there are 1,200 rooms! Following this, I became section manager of four departments, co-ordinating and managing trades to achieve timely completion.
Each day I met with subcontractors to ensure that they were carrying out tasks in the correct sequence and working productively. I monitored progress against short-term programmes, made sure everyone was following health and safety regulations and performed risk assessments. Now I am responsible for completion of external works and ‘snagging’ – checking the site before handover.
Communication between different teams is the key to ensuring a good quality product is delivered on time and to budget.
Throughout the project I have worked closely with building services to ensure that our activities do not clash. We make sure that build elements are complete so that services can be installed and building services let us know when we can continue construction around their installations. Before handing over the building I had little connection with facilities management but we now work together to resolve any defects without interrupting hospital activities. Communication between different teams is the key to ensuring a good quality product is delivered on time and to budget, without harming anyone.
Chris Hagan is assistant site manager at Balfour Beatty Construction Ltd. He has a BA in construction project management from University of Liverpool (2004).
The graduate facilities manager
I’ve been involved in this project for two years. Initially we had a small on-site team preparing to take over the facilities management. This included transferring 43 maintenance staff into our organisation from the NHS trust and establishing procedures for managing the building for 35 years. I am now responsible for the quality and environmental management systems, so I make sure we maintain our registrations. I document procedures, arrange audits and awareness sessions and hold quick ‘toolbox talks’ to keep staff up to date and get feedback. I also oversee the external works and landscaping, which involves organising subcontractors for jobs such as gardening, window cleaning and pest control.
I’m in charge of hospital security, managing 14 staff and the associated alarm and CCTV systems. Every morning I catch up with staff and colleagues to find out about any issues that need sorting out. As the hospital is monitored 24 hours a day I always have to be contactable in case of emergencies.
My job as a facilities manager is rewarding as I know my efforts are important to patient welfare.
It’s a demanding job but that’s because a hospital is a life-or-death environment. It’s rewarding as I know that my efforts are important to patient welfare. I check the contractual documents to make sure that we are fulfilling our responsibilities and that subcontractors are doing their jobs properly. I walk around the site to check that things are being done correctly and to talk through any issues. Towards the end of each construction stage I am involved in ‘snagging’, walking through the areas with construction staff to make sure that everything has been completed properly.
Richard Bradley is a section manager at Balfour Beatty WorkPlace. He has a BA in human geography with urban studies from University of Salford (2003).
