Every second counts

On every project, every second counts. Not because people are rushing, but because things are constantly changing throughout the working day. On major energy infrastructure projects, civil engineering works, lifting operations, electrical installation, cable works, concrete operations, heavy plant movements and specialist commissioning activities can all be taking place across the site at the same time.
 

At Crossaig, BAM UK & Ireland is working alongside Siemens Energy and a wide range of specialist contractors to deliver the project on behalf of SSEN Transmission. This means different disciplines, risks and activities are constantly interacting across a large, live working environment.

That is why safety has to run through the whole day, rather than sitting separately within procedures and paperwork. The systems, planning and controls are fundamental because they create the framework that allows people to work safely. But what really makes the difference is how people work together within that structure, day to day.

Every morning starts with teams understanding the work ahead, the risks involved and what is happening across the wider site before activity begins. People need to know not only what they are doing themselves, but how their work interacts with everything else happening around them.

Once work begins across the project, things can change quickly and different activities can start to overlap. Maintaining safe operations depends on people continuing to communicate properly throughout the day and making sure everyone remains aligned as the environment changes around them.

The reality is that no individual can maintain that level of focus completely on their own, all day, every day. Unsafe acts can happen in moments. Someone becomes distracted, communication breaks down or a decision is rushed. That is why the wider culture of a project matters so much, because people rely on each other.

Supervisors, engineers, operatives, specialist contractors and project leaders all play a part in maintaining that shared awareness throughout the day. People notice when someone is tired or distracted. They check in with each other, raise concerns early and step in when something does not feel right. That is often where you see whether the culture on a project is genuinely working.

A lot of that trust is built through relationships that develop over time. Like many major energy infrastructure projects across rural Scotland, people at Crossaig are living away from home for extended periods while working on the project. This means that teams spend a significant amount of time together, both during and outside working hours. People get to know each other properly, rather than simply as job titles or trades. This helps to create an environment where people feel more comfortable speaking openly and supporting each other when there is a problem. A lot of the trust that helps us on site is built during that time.

Although the drive to Crossaig is long, the scenery through this wild part of Scotland makes the journey memorable. Living within an extended holiday park on the Kintyre Peninsula, overlooking Kilbrannan Sound towards Arran, has also given me the opportunity to experience a very different side of Scotland’s natural environment.  

Over the past 15 years, working across projects in the Middle East, the United States and the UK, I have learned that procedures create the framework for safety, but it is people, relationships and communication that sustain it throughout the day.

Then, at the end of the shift, the process starts again.

Before the next day begins, supervisors and project teams come back together to review upcoming activities, discuss simultaneous operations and make sure the work is planned safely for the following day.

You start the day safely, you support each other through it and you finish by preparing safely for the next one. That rhythm matters on projects like this.

Because every second counts.