How Welfare Hire Can Help Scottish Infrastructure Projects Build A Better Future

In a recent survey, 50% of Scottish infrastructure firms reported increases to their workload.¹ From making transport more environmentally friendly to creating sustainable energy systems, there is an enormous push to improve the country’s infrastructure.

Welfare Hire is launching a new depot in Scotland’s central belt, to take our service in providing mobile welfare units and lighting towers to the next level for these vital projects. But how will our equipment help these projects? And why is there such a large increase in demand?

WHY SCOTTISH INFRASTRUCTURE MATTERS

Better infrastructure will be at the heart of a more positive future for Scotland. From the £1.2 billion allocated to enhancing the country’s railways² to £1.5 billion for bridge and road maintenance³, these projects will help Scotland achieve net zero, promote more sustainable living and create inclusive economic growth.

In February 2021, the Scottish Government published its Infrastructure Investment Plan (IIP), committing to infrastructure projects cumulatively worth over £26 billion. Despite reported challenges such as supply chain issues, labour shortages and fears of budget changes, there are still great opportunities offered from the huge scope and ambition of the Plan. 

This could just be the start

In October of this year, the Scottish Government laid out its plans for an independent Scotland. This included the Building a Better Scotland fund, which would see £20 billion invested in improving Scotland’s infrastructure over the first decade of Scottish independence. 

While this is by no means inevitable, it once again makes clear how large – and important – future investments in Scottish infrastructure projects are likely to be.

How Welfare Hire Supports Scottish Infrastructure

Welfare Hire has supported Scottish infrastructure projects for several years, partnering with regional and national infrastructure frameworks and contractors.

With a continued growing need for specialist equipment in the market, the next phase of our investment establishes a depot in Scotland’s central belt with a dedicated team to support projects in the country.

The depot will house stock of the mobile ECO welfare units and lighting towers we supply to sectors like rail, highways, utilities and construction. This will enable us to support Scottish infrastructure projects in three key ways:

1. Reduced environmental impact

A central motivation for infrastructure spending is to make Scotland greener; the £120m pledged for greener rail is but a single example. However, net zero targets draw attention to the entire supply chain – and that includes the actual construction and maintenance work involved in creating all this green infrastructure.

Welfare Hire’s mobile welfare units and lighting towers utilise hybrid power and Smart Water systems that unlock huge reductions in onsite fuel consumption and carbon emissions.

2. Support overworked staff

While infrastructure firms plan hard to deliver the projects they commit to, 55% also say they are struggling with labour shortages. This makes life extremely tough for the workers they do have, and could lead to decreased morale, exhaustion and even mental health struggles.

Welfare Hire’s mobile welfare units are designed to tackle these problems, providing a larger, more comfortable space for workers to rest during downtime. The effect both on workers’ productivity and health can be dramatic – exactly what projects struggling with a shortage of staff need to help keep their site operatives happy and attract new hires.

3. Make sourcing equipment easier

Delays have plagued many large Scottish infrastructure projects since February 2021, even before COVID-19, with almost 50% of projects experiencing such issues. This emphasises the vital importance of reliable service and support from supply partners.

Welfare Hire’s new depot will deliver the most comprehensive support possible, ensuring projects can always access the mobile welfare units and lighting towers they need – exactly when they need them – from a specialist partner.

1.https://www.insider.co.uk/news/labour-shortages-challenge-scottish-construction-27647760
2.https://brodies.com/insights/infrastructure/scotlands-26bn-infrastructure-investment-plan-2021-22-to-2025-26/
3.https://brodies.com/insights/infrastructure/scotlands-26bn-infrastructure-investment-plan-2021-22-to-2025-26/
4.https://www.gov.scot/policies/government-finance/infrastructure-investment/
5.https://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/fears-major-infrastructure-projects-in-scotland-face-being-cut-back-3725011
6.https://www.railtechnologymagazine.com/articles/scottish-rail-see-ps120m-investment-create-greener-sector 7.https://news.stv.tv/scotland/labour-shortages-challenge-scottish-construction-firms-as-workload-grows-across-the-sector 8.https://www.itv.com/news/2019-04-23/almost-half-of-all-major-infrastructure-projects-in-scotland-delayed

Charities Lineham Farm, 4 Louis and Yorkshire Air Ambulance visit Kelling Group

Kelling Group has welcomed representatives from our three Chairman’s Charities recently, as our first year of supporting them came to a close.  We were extremely proud to be able to donate almost £27,000 to the charities from the fundraising efforts of our employees.

Chairman John Wood (centre) and CEO Stephen Moore (4th from right), with members of the Charity Board, present Kelling’s donation to Bob McGurrell (2nd from left) & Tracey McGurrell (3rd from right) of 4 Louis, Jenny Jones (3rd from left) of Lineham Farm and Vickie Bowden (2nd from right) of Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

Whilst here, the representatives chatted to members of the Kelling team to update them on the important work they do and to exchange ideas about how we can support them further in the coming year. 

“These three charities all carry out incredible work helping our communities.  They focus on different issues, but all depend entirely on donations to provide their vital services to people in need,” commented John Wood, Kelling Group Chairman.

The three charities that Kelling Group support are Lineham Farm, 4 Louis and the Yorkshire Air Ambulance:

Leeds Children’s Charity at Lineham Farm works with and supports some of the most disadvantaged children in the City, offering respite from difficult and sometimes abusive home lives. They are dedicated to brightening children’s lives by providing unforgettable breaks and valuable learning experiences in a safe and happy environment. Leeds Children’s Charity at Lineham Farm

4 Louis is a charity providing useful tools, training, and equipment free of charge to hospital units, hospices, and other professionals, which support families affected by miscarriage, stillbirth or the death of a baby or child.   Started in the Sunderland area, 4 Louis now supports families across the UK. 4Louis – Stillbirth, Childloss

Yorkshire Air Ambulance is a dedicated helicopter emergency air ambulance for the Yorkshire and Humber region. It currently operates two Airbus H145 aircrafts and relies solely on donations to keep both ambulances in the air. Yorkshire Air ambulance Charity | YAA | Donate Today

Throughout the year, Kelling Group employees undertook a wide range of activities to raise money for the charities.  These included taking part in the Yorkshire 3 peaks and Lands End to John O’Groats challenges, bake sales, raffles and football cards.  The company vending machine also raises money as does a specially branded welfare unit that is hired out to customers.

“The team here were so touched by the work that the charities do, they really got behind the drive to raise money for them,” continued John.  “There are lots of great ideas that we’re considering for the coming year, so we’ll be carrying on the effort and hope to raise even more money!”

The special charity welfare unit, which customers can hire to contribute to Kelling’s charity fundraising drive.

How Innovative Products Can Combat On-site Noise Pollution

Noisy construction sites are nothing new, but many do not realise quite how serious the consequences of all that noise can be. From compromising people’s health to harming local communities, noise pollution is estimated to cost the UK economy an eye-watering £20 billion each year.¹

Construction leaders have a responsibility to fight this, and switching to quieter equipment like eco-friendly mobile welfare units and tower lighting units is a great way of doing that.

But how much impact would they actually have? And why is it so important to reduce on-site noise?

The impact of on-site noise

According to medical studies, around 51% of construction workers have been exposed to hazardous noise.² It’s not just unpleasant; it harms their health. Roughly 14% of construction workers report hearing difficulty, and 7% suffer from tinnitus.³

This extends to the neighbours of the site, too. A recent report outlined how noise from construction sites can cause stress, poor sleep and health problems for those that live nearby; and the World Health Organisation (WHO) claims noise pollution is the second-largest environmental cause of health issues.

The message is clear: noise pollution makes communication harder, reduces wellbeing and negatively impacts people’s health.

Site Welfare Facilities

What can construction sites do?

There are a number of ways leaders can reduce the noisiness of their sites. Focusing on particularly noisy activities will help curb the social impact of construction noise.  Additionally, noise restrictions tend to be stricter in the evenings and during the night time, so reducing noise at those times becomes imperative.

Equally, the Government’s advice highlights the value of altering design processes to reduce noise and removing people from the vicinity of noisy work. It also highlights the importance of choosing quieter equipment. And that is where Welfare Hire is able to lend a hand.

How Welfare Hire combats noise pollution

Welfare Hire’s innovative lighting towers run largely by battery rather than generator power; this means they are completely silent whenever the battery is being used. The X-Eco HYBRID LITHIUM, for example, can run silently for 36 hours. This means the lighting tower can be used all night without creating any noise at all.

The battery can then be charged using a generator, but this generator time is a fraction of the time needed if this were the primary source of power to the light.  Charging can take place during the day, ensuring the impact of the noise is minimal. The unit is also fitted with smart telematics, enabling site managers to check the battery remotely and manage charging around their project’s needs.

Similarly, Welfare Hire’s ECO welfare units are powered by solar energy first, lithium battery second and generator power only as a back-up.  This Smart Power management ensures that generator use is roughly ten times less, based on a standard competitor. In the summer, they may be able to run with no generator use at all.

You can see exactly how much your project could save

If you’d like to learn more, reach out to our sales team today.

1.https://acousticscompany.com/noise-pollution-costs-the-british-economy-around-20-billion/
2.Kerns E, Masterson EA, Themann CL, Calvert GM. (2018). Cardiovascular conditions, hearing difficulty and occupational noise exposure within U.S. industries and occupations. American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 61, 477-491.
3.Kerns E, Masterson EA, Themann CL, Calvert GM. (2018). Cardiovascular conditions, hearing difficulty and occupational noise exposure within U.S. industries and occupations. American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 61, 477-491.
4.https://ww3.rics.org/uk/en/modus/built-environment/construction/noisy-neighbours–how-building-sites-are-keeping-quiet.html 5.https://www.eea.europa.eu/articles/noise-pollution-is-a-major