Author: Alex Peel

If COVID-19 taught us anything, it’s that hygiene matters.

But most construction leaders still assume on-site facilities are simply a matter of Health and Safety (H&S) – not an opportunity to create competitive advantage. 

The truth is the hygiene facilities featured in innovative mobile welfare units and welfare vans create many benefits – way beyond simply keeping your staff safe.

Here are three key ways better hygiene facilities produce a meaningful improvement to your project:

1. Improve Your ESG

On-site facilities require regular servicing to and from the site. This might not seem like much, but these are the sort of easy-to-solve carbon emitting and water wastage practices which accumulate – and end up making a dent in your ESG score.

The average chemical toilet used on construction sites requires at least one weekly service, and doesn’t use recycled water. But this isn’t construction leaders’ only option.

The unique XL Smart Water  system built into our ECOWC2 towable toilet block and other welfare units boasts more than 3x more capacity. They typically take several weeks to fill, reducing the frequency of servicing trips – and therefore the carbon emissions your site is responsible for. 

Not only that: they also harvest rainwater to create a more sustainable system. Your site is not only responsible for less water usage but you can also report on the smart initiatives taken to make these incremental savings.

2. Improved Employee Experience

Imagine it’s your first day on a construction site: you go to wash your hands, and discover there’s no hot water. It’s a small factor, but over the course of a full work day – and a complete project – this starts to have a real impact on the general mood and morale on-site. 

Better facilities that run smoothly and provide plenty of room can therefore have a dramatic impact on employee experience. It signals to staff that they are valued, helping with general wellbeing, increased retention and loyalty.Improved hygiene also reduces the spread of disease and helps keep your staff safe. 68% of workers say that poor hygiene at work has made them sick and unable to do their job¹ – meaning improved hygiene leads to fewer sick days, higher morale and a more productive workforce.

3. Cost Savings

The cumulative costs of poor hygiene are staggering. One study found that employee sickness related to poor hygiene costs UK business more than £1.5 billion each year alone². As a result, improved on-site hygiene facilities are not just a question of ethics or responsibility to your employees – they are a near-guaranteed boost to your bottom line.

Between fewer sick days from employees, less money spent on services and higher retention of staff, the cost savings attributable to improved on-site hygiene facilities start to add up. But how much could your specific site save?

Welfare Hire Measures Your Gains

Welfare Hire offers a range of innovative mobile welfare units fitted with Smart Water systems that improve you ESG, employee experience and bottom line. In fact, our Eco & Social Value Calculator allows you to estimate the exact savings you’ll make by switching to Welfare Hire products:

Want to learn how our ECOWC2 towable toilet block and other welfare units could improve your project?

Few things are more universally associated with work than coffee. Roughly two-thirds of workers regularly drink coffee at work, and coffee breaks have been a standard part of most workplaces since the early 1900s.¹

Every day, construction workers across the country climb into their mobile welfare units and drink coffee. But according to research, they’re not just enjoying the spacious setting – they’re doing something actively beneficial to your business.

Here are four ways regular coffee breaks help construction sites thrive:

1. Problem solving

We all know the feeling: you can’t figure something out, so you take a coffee break. And when you come back to the problem, the answer is suddenly just there. But there is now actual scientific evidence to support this. 

Just 10 minutes of downtime increases the likelihood an individual will come up with innovative insights². Coffee breaks give workers an opportunity to stop thinking about work, which is often when the best solutions and ideas appear.

Put simply: coffee breaks an essential tool for construction sites that need more creativity.

2. Social connections

Few things are more important for construction sites than social connections. From improving employee mental health to building better team dynamics, the benefits of increased social connection are numerous – and coffee breaks are a vital part of that. 

81% of workers say coffee breaks help them forge stronger relationships with their colleagues³. With the right mobile welfare unit to provide space and comfort, teams can share a drink and get to know each other better.

Put simply: coffee breaks are a vital social glue for construction workforces.

3. Employee health

Health and safety are among the biggest concerns for construction workers. While coffee may not appear an obvious factor here, there is a surprisingly large body of research suggesting coffee does have positive health effects.

A meta analysis from the BMJ reports that coffee is “beneficial for almost everything, as long as you’re not pregnant.⁴” Which means simply taking a few coffee breaks in a mobile welfare unit each day actually helps improve your employees’ health.

Put simply: coffee breaks help support a healthy lifestyle for construction workers.

4. Improve cognitive performance

Most coffee drinkers certainly feel their morning coffee helps them think better. But the scientific consensus suggests it’s not just drinking coffee – though that does increase alertness and physical energy. ⁵

Instead, much of the perceived benefit of drinking coffee is tied to rest. Coffee breaks allow workers to “reset”, which supports both concentration and engagement. As a result, their cognitive performance improves, productivity increases and they are less likely to make a mistake onsite.

Put simply: coffee breaks help your workers stay sharp and switched on.

Welfare Hire Supports Better Coffee Breaks

While coffee breaks are positive in-themselves, workers still need a good space to take them in. Many welfare units are simply too small to fit a full team. But with extra-large internal space and comfortable seating, Welfare Hire’s range of mobile welfare units are the perfect setting for a coffee break. We even supply the coffee with our kitchen Welcome Packs as standard too!

Want to learn how our welfare units could improve your site?

Measurement is an essential part of any effective carbon reduction strategy. From improving your ESG score to reaching net zero, leaders must know how each procurement decision impacts their environmental goals.

But what kind of data should you look for? And how can you be confident it is accurate?

At Welfare Hire, our mission is not simply to supply the best fleet of mobile ECO welfare units and tower lights – we want to build lasting relationships with our customers based on trust. And that is why we’re so excited to announce our recent accreditation from Sustainable Advantage.

An intelligent approach to Sustainable Advantage

Sustainable Advantage are industry leaders for ESG due diligence in the infrastructure, energy and waste sectors. They have particular expertise in carbon handprint reporting and data validation, assessing industry vendors’ claims about their products’ carbon emissions.

This made them the perfect candidate to independently verify Welfare Hire’s empirical data – and provide an impartial judgement for our partners to refer to.

And the verdict is…

Through a rigorous due diligence process, Sustainable Advantage analysed ​​Welfare Hire’s empirical volumetric data recorded on the performance of their mobile ECO welfare units and benchmarked it against other eco welfare units in the market. 

Here is what they had to say:

“Sustainable Advantage are pleased to be able to verify Welfare Hire’s carbon handprint. The calculations demonstrate to customers that by choosing Welfare Hire products, significant emissions are saved, resulting in a reduced environmental impact.”

Michael Warwick, Head of Net Zero

This should come as no surprise: with empirical data amassed from the recording of actual volumetric data for our units across hundreds of thousands of real project days, Welfare Hire is in a unique position to offer the most robust and qualified volumetric data in this field. But having this fact independently verified by such a respected organisation helps qualify the integrity and value in this.

Moving forward with confidence

We believe this accreditation will be a positive moment for the core infrastructure sectors we operate in. The ability to source strategic equipment like mobile welfare units and tower lights with full confidence that they will improve your ESG score should inspire more decisive action towards net zero – which is a core part of what Welfare Hire exists to deliver.

Our Eco Calculator is a vital tool for any contractors or clients looking to improve their ESG score, reduce their carbon emissions or gain clarity on what using our equipment would mean for their project:

Want to start meeting your ESG goals faster?

The window for a smooth transition to net zero is closing fast. That’s according to the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change¹, which warns that environmental risks are increasing more quickly than scientists previously expected. 

Recording-breaking weather events are becoming more common – just look at Europe’s recent spate of extreme heat waves. Such events will continue to affect supply chains and drive public demand for more decisive action. 

But what does this mean for the UK’s construction firms in the short-term?

Companies face greater scrutiny

Construction has made huge efforts in recent years. Firms have been under extreme pressure to change their operating models to reduce carbon emissions, and recent reports suggest the majority have made strong progress².

This is down to a number of key factors – from widespread efforts to increase the use of renewables to the introduction of carbon-saving strategic equipment like mobile welfare units and mobile tower lights. 

However, the revelation that climate change is accelerating can only increase the pressure on construction firms. A recent pledge to eliminate 78% of diesel from construction by 2035³ is positive news, but many argue this is not enough. One report earlier this year claimed that the UK had “lost a decade” in its battle against climate change – and construction must act fast to catch up.

Net zero goals won’t change – but firms must

The current net zero deadline of 2050 is unlikely to change. This doesn’t mean the pressure to decarbonise will not increase though. With some firms already claiming they will reach net zero in the next few years⁴, the commercial and reputational damage of not acting will soon become clear.

This could manifest in multiple ways, including:

• Losing out on government contracts, as net zero firms are treated preferentially
• Rising costs, as experts warn of future taxes on carbon emitting supply chains⁵
• Lack of investment, as measurable progress on ESG is increasingly expected

The question is no longer whether construction leaders will respond to reports of climate change acceleration – it’s how they can do so faster than competing firms.

3. Three ways to respond to climate acceleration

1. Focus on measurement

As Richard Robinson, deputy co-chair of the Construction Leadership Council, says: climate progress is made through measurement⁶. Leaders need to quantify their current emissions and understand exactly how each change to their strategic approach will affect their environmental impact. This is especially important for avoiding offshoring of emissions via tier 3 suppliers.

At Welfare Hire, we’ve created a useful tool to enable such quantification. It offers a transparent measure of the effect each of our mobile welfare units and mobile tower lights will have on your emissions:

2. Scrutinise your vendors

From the materials you use to the mobile welfare unit on your site, the supply chain is construction’s achilles heel when it comes to carbon emissions. Leaders must carefully scrutinise every vendor they work with, and ask them how they are planning to reduce their own emissions.

Wherever possible, leaders should opt to partner exclusively with companies that are able to offer clear readings on their products’ emissions. This will make planning far easier, and enable you to map out a faster path to net zero.

3. Find strategic partners

Climate change acceleration demands faster net zero efforts. But for most firms, this will only be possible with innovation. Staying on top of cutting-edge technology trends is challenging though, especially across the numerous areas that impact construction firms’ emissions. 

Strategic partners like Welfare Hire are therefore vital. We pride ourselves not only on supplying our customers with eco-friendly mobile welfare units and lighting towers, but keeping them abreast of changes in the industry – and making sure they benefit from every new innovation that comes to market.

WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT PARTNERSHIP WITH KELLING GROUP?

Imagine a friend told you they were going to lose 5 kilograms, but the following day you watched them put twelve sugars in their coffee.

Chances are, you’d have your doubts about how well their weight loss was likely to go.

It’s not that those sugars are enough to totally derail a diet; it’s that small things like this add up – and eventually turn into much bigger problems.

The same is true of construction firms’ attempts to become more sustainable.

While bold, innovative technology will play a key role in the industry’s efforts to ‘go green’, the cumulative impact of many smaller decisions will also be pivotal.

And that is why choices like which mobile lighting tower you hire are far more important than some contractors realise.

Improving ESG starts with the small stuff

There is no doubt that Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) scores are an essential part of the future of construction. 

With major construction firms trialling software that tracks tier-3 emissions by reading their invoices and a growing trend of public sector tenders requiring evidence of environmental action, forward-thinking contractors must do everything they can to clean up their supply chains – before it’s too late.

Lighting towers are a good place to start because improvements can be made immediately. You don’t have to wait for new technology to emerge; eco-friendly lighting towers already exist and could be on your site within days.

The X-Eco Hybrid Lithium tower light, for example, uses lithium hybrid technology to power six 100W LED lights. The result? 455 hours of continuous light per refuel and 80% silent running.

But will that really have a measurable impact?

There are three ways eco-friendly lighting towers will improve your ESG score:

1. Lower emissions

Tower lights are hardly likely to produce the majority of your emissions, but suddenly cutting their emissions by 94% will still have a clear effect. On a large enough project, this can translate to a very large reduction – and one that is clearly measurable for your ESG reports.

2. Less noise

Sound pollution is a growing social concern, especially as more research confirms the health hazards associated with excessive noise. With silent running tower lights, construction projects can run throughout the night without disturbing the local community – and therefore contributing to an improvement in social impact.

3. Safer sites

Given the number of accidents suffered on construction sites, firms have a clear social responsibility to keep their workers safe – and eco-friendly tower lights are, in many cases, essential to this.

From increasing visibility so that workers can see trip hazards to reducing cognitive load and headaches so that accidents are less likely, the case is clear for lighting towers as essential to every safe construction site.

How much could lighting towers improve your ESG score?

One of the most common concerns around ESG is how to measure a firm’s total impact. Fortunately, we have created an eco-calculator specifically to empower contractors to quantify the effect switching to eco-friendly tower lights will have.

Use it today to see how much better your ESG score could be using our Eco-Calculator.

The summer months are vital for the UK’s infrastructure and construction industries. Bad winter weather delays projects by up to 21%¹, leading many firms to find themselves with a large backlog by the time summer rolls around.

But how can projects make the most of these months? The answer is by utilising eco-friendly tower lights. The right lighting towers will not only help you catch up on work – they will provide a range of other benefits.

Here are three key ways tower lights improve construction and infrastructure projects during the summer:

1. Working through the night

The extra daylight during summer already makes it easier for projects to operate for longer. But working through the night is also easier when the temperature is higher and sudden rain or storms are less likely.

Tower lights enable workers to operate through the night, making up for lost time and reducing the burden of previous project delays. This is particularly important for larger projects, which routinely take 20% longer than planned.

2. Reducing productivity losses

Working through the night also helps mitigate the negative effects of extreme heat during summer. Research shows that productivity decreases up to 57% for every 1 degree rise in temperature above 28 degrees Celsius.²

Being able to adapt to these situations and work during the early hours – when temperatures are likely to dip – will both keep workers safe and ensure productivity remains high. It will also enable workers to stagger shifts, working for shorter intervals to avoid heat-related injury or harm.

3. Enabling worker flexibility

Given the prevalence of stress and mental health issues amongst construction and infrastructure workers, it’s important that staff are able to take breaks – especially summer holidays. But this creates a challenge for firms, as they already face staffing shortages.

Tower lights unlock more flexibility for workers. Because firms are able to offer more hours (by working through the night), individuals can opt to take on more shifts when they can – and take holidays without either disrupting the project or taking a pay hit.

Finding the right lighting tower hire

At Welfare Hire, we pride ourselves on helping our partners find new ways to get value out of their equipment. With our range of eco-friendly mobile tower lights, we not only provide market leading products – we offer a genuine strategic advantage that unlocks flexibility, improves productivity and creates a more positive atmosphere on-site throughout the summer.