Site Safety In Schools - Our Construction Presentations

We at Davis Construction pride ourselves on performing quality construction work in public service buildings, such as schools. While these specialist buildings offer their own unique challenges compared to residential projects, we ensure each of our builds receive the utmost care with regards to safety. You can find out more about our approach to school construction sites here.

However, this blog is highlighting a particularly important aspect of establishing safety on school sites – communication. It is common practice for construction companies to point out health and safety advice and instructions to administrators, teachers and parents. But, we are firm believers that it is just as important the students understand what is going on, no matter their age.

With schools being such a crowded environment, it is critical that the wellbeing of everyone close to the site is considered and understood. Yet, the burden of translating complicated construction jargon should not sit with the teaching staff – it is the constructor’s responsibility. Therefore, we have implemented a tailor-made presentation designed to provide schoolchildren with a comprehensive lesson in health and safety.

What makes our school presentations special?

This video offers a glimpse into our school presentations, taken from St Mary’s Prittlewell C of E Primary School. It was led by one of our experienced Site Safety Managers, Nick Sayer, offering a colourful and informative guide to students, utilising vibrant visuals, easy-to-understand language and engaging props.

There is not a one-size-fits-all approach to health and safety, which is why Davis Construction take care to adapt our presentations to the audience. Each presentation is carefully crafted to be easily digestible for children and to keep them interested throughout, as their safety is of paramount importance. The Powerpoint presentation features bright images and cartoons to add a necessary entertainment aspect, while simultaneously familiarising the children with the onsite machinery.

Once one of our experienced staff members have informed the children of what equipment is involved, the focus then shifts to safety precautions. The presentations emphasise the potential dangers and most importantly how to avoid them. It is then concluded with an interactive element, giving kids a first-hand look into what is happening during construction, which includes junior hardhats and hi-vis jackets for them all to try on. We then follow up this work with a site safety poster competition, to help demonstrate how they’ve fully got to grips with site safety and to make construction fun.

What benefits does this bring to schools and the construction industry?

The primary aim of these assemblies is to fully inform students, teachers and parents of the steps required to stay safe during construction projects. This allows school’s to rest assured that the safety of their pupils has been comprehensively covered, ensuring that as little disruption as possible is caused during the build.

This also benefits the image of the construction industry as a whole, which has been highlighted by initiatives such as the Considerate Construction Scheme. Speaking to the students directly about site safety demonstrates a willingness to go the extra mile to guarantee a safe, secure site for all involved. Through these presentations, we confirm that our team is one to be trusted and has best practice at the heart of everything we do.

Davis Construction have an extensive portfolio of school construction projects, each demonstrating our professional approach to quality builds on time and on budget. If you would like to get in touch regarding a commercial project, call us on 01702 601000 or email info@davisconstruction.co.uk.