ConSpare, has published its second industry white paper, addressing how operators in the concrete production industry can boost employee wellbeing through improvements made to the batch plant.
The white paper, titled “The right mix: Addressing the “S” of ESG for concrete batch plants – putting people at the centre of investment decision-making”, uses qualitative data from plant supervisors and managers to demonstrate the importance of eliminating hazards and reducing the amount of repetitive, unpleasant and unproductive tasks around the plant, and the benefits that this can bring to the industry as a whole.
With commentary from sustainability expert Dr Miles Watkins and ConSpare’s CEO James Bullock, the report illustrates the impact that a people-first approach can have on both the physical and mental health of workers, in terms of improving work-life balance, job satisfaction and overall happiness.
James Bullock said: “The concrete industry has made significant progress over the past decade in ensuring its approach to environmental, social and governance is robust, but as well as tackling sustainability challenges such as carbon reduction, it’s important that we address the people at the heart of the concrete plants themselves.
“Developing an understanding of the positive impact that batch plant performance can have on colleagues’ motivation, productivity and loyalty is important for any concrete business, particularly as site teams come into contact with hazards and undertake non-value adding tasks on a daily basis. So, it’s crucial we do everything we can to combat this issue.
“Our white paper outlines the steps that can be taken by the industry to improve the daily lives of site staff, and while these may seem like simple measures, they can have a huge impact. We’ve heard from plant supervisors and managers how much of an impact the long hours, challenging conditions and repetitive tasks often involved in concrete production can have on their wellbeing, and it’s up to us to do something about it as one collective industry.”
Dr Miles Watkins said: “In business, and indeed elsewhere, people are as fundamental to the sustainability journey as the environment and economics.
“Through demonstrated best practice, the concrete industry is well within its capabilities to put its teams at the centre of decision-making, ensuring their professional lives are enriching in every sense.
“ConSpare is making real progress in helping both its customers and the industry more broadly, and we hope that this report will build on James’ work to help to raise awareness and encourage investment decisions that will improve the safety, wellbeing and happiness of workers across the industry.”
ConSpare’s latest white paper comes after the launch of its first sustainability report last year, titled “Why Sustainability is a Concrete Matter: Reducing Carbon and Cost from Concrete Batching Plant Operations”.
