Lanes Group named as finalist in Construction News Specialist Awards

Lanes Group has been named as a finalist in the prestigious Construction News Specialist Awards 2014.

The company’s What Good Looks Like initiative has been shortlisted in the Health and Safety Excellence category.

What Good Looks Like uses cartoon-style professional drawings to show operational teams precisely the standards and behaviours across a range of workplace scenarios.

Lanes were able to tell the judges that What Good Looks Like has now been further developed into the Lanes Essential Standards, which sets best working practice as the only acceptable standard.

What Good Looks Like has already won Lanes Group the main Construction News Award for Health and Safety Excellence 2013.

It was also selected by SBWWI, the trade association for the UK water industry supply chain, as a finalist in its annual Water Dragons Award for Innovation.

Lanes Group Technical Director Andy Brierley, who has led the team that devised What Good Looks Like, said: “Becoming a Construction News Awards finalist for the second time in a year is a tremendous boost for Lanes and its employees.

“The awards are among the most prestigious accolades in the construction industry and are seen as a benchmark of excellence in action.”

Lanes Framework Director Conrad Ashby said: “Health and Safety underpins our whole operation and is central to all our thinking. This is encapsulated in What Good Looks Like and we are delighted with this industry recognition.

“Essential Standards is a natural next step, and it will ensure that What Good Looks Like will have a real, positive and lasting impact across all aspects of our operations.”

What Good Looks Like was devised to support the implementation strategy for Lanes’ wastewater network services contract with Thames Water, which is valued at up to £330m.

This programme is now being developed to support Lanes’ maintenance contracts on London Underground, and as part of a wider roll-out across the group.

Rail Division Commercial Director Matthew Todd said: “We are excited by the opportunities What Good Looks Like and Essential Standards give our rail teams to further enhance our health and safety performance in an industry that already has some of the most exacting safety regulations in the UK.”

The illustrations, which are augmented by icon tabs inspired by care instructions used by the garment industry, include carefully created challenges that encourage engineers to think clearly about what they should do in each situation.

The images support detailed process maps. The images and process maps are now being included in a comprehensive Essential Standards guide, to be carried in all vehicles and used as a core tool for training and development.

Essential Standards is supported by other industry-leading innovations, including digital systems that allow real-time analysis and management of operations.

As finalists, a Lanes Group team will now give a presentation to the judging panel in the New Year. The overall winner will be announced at a ceremony at the London Hilton Hotel on March 19, 2014.