New building site offers valuable lessons in safety for young children
Since work first began in April on Glasswells new 73,000 sq.ft. showroom on Orwell Retail Park, children at Ranelagh Primary School in Ipswich have been following progress with interest. Thanks to Rob Fisher of Barnes Construction, the local company building the showroom, they now know all about onsite health and safety. They’ve been shown how to adjust a hard hat, wear ear defenders and know that for their own safety, they need to stay well away from the dangers of building sites! |
The group of six-year old Year One children were taught about the building process starting with drawings and plans and including roofing structures, lighting and shop-fitting.
Paul Glasswell, managing director of Glasswells, said, “Both we, and Barnes Construction, believe that health and safety is a very important message for children. Building sites are dangerous places and they need to understand that all the professionals look after themselves whilst onsite.
“At the same time, there is a natural curiosity amongst children, and an opportunity for them to learn in a practical way. This is just the beginning of a programme of practical work we will be involved with at the school over the coming months,” he added.
Rob Fisher said, “The children’s enthusiasm to learn was inspiring. We had a wide ranging discussion about building projects – everything from brick-making through to the roles different people play on site. Several expressed an interest in going into the building trade, which is very encouraging for the future!”