Name: Steve Head
Employer: Bewley Homes
Project: Tavistock Court, Caterham
Contract: In-house
Steve Head’s site had everything required to turn into a logistical disaster. The site entrance was on top of a steep hill with a one-in-four gradient, an extreme camber and the tightest of access roads, bordered by housing on both sides and often parked on by the vehicles of nearby commercial units.
And if the delivery trucks – not to mention the heavy plant and the 200 muck-away loads required for the reduce dig – actually made it, finding somewhere to store the construction materials they offloaded was never going to be easy when the build footprint covered 95% of the plot.
But Steve’s diligent site management and strict control of traffic made it all happen.
He liaised successfully with local residents to minimise the traffic impact. He invited manufacturers to site, which persuaded the concrete supplier to re-evaluate the size of deliveries, and resulted in the project shifting to cut roofs rather than trusses.
When the lorries loaded with the floor beams couldn’t negotiate the hill, he reconfigured the driveway levels just enough to make the road serviceable. He also perfectly judged his material call-offs, making optimum use of the tight storage space.
And when the forklift-only works made slow progress because of lack of access to the rear and side of the second block, Steve made the business and construction case for a crane. The crane was ordered, with an immediate and galvanising effect on production.
Even in the preplanning stage, he had made crucial contributions. His keen eye, attention to detail and cost-effective refinements brought project completion ahead of programme.
Organised and friendly, Steve communicated well with the entire site team. His professional approach to all site workers won him respect and motivated the workforce. He was approachable and willing to co-operate with subcontractors on any issues that arose.
Through meticulous timing, technical expertise and good leadership, Steve overcame the tough constraints of this site to deliver an impressive development.