SM5 Developments at the London Expo
The SM5 Directors and staff visited the London Expo at Olympia in London. It was a great event, they made lots of new contacts, met a legend and learnt lots of new things.
Here are a few of our highlights from the two-day event:
- The Mental Health in Construction talk gave us a really good reminder of the issues we face in the Construction industry and prompted us to review our own Mental Health policy within the business and how we can best support our workforce. It also highlighted how Men are three times more likely to die by suicide than women however that figure is even higher in construction. With these heartbreaking statistics SM5 Developments are looking at charities that we can partner with to raise awareness and funds for this much needed area of mental health care.
- The Women in Construction: Building Connections by Breaking Down Walls talk gave a useful insight about how we can get more girls interested and aware of jobs in the construction industry and how we can retain them. The lack of knowledge in the education sector regarding construction related careers was discussed and how these should be talked about in the classroom from an early age. The importance of creating inclusive environments for women in the industry was also discussed and a good example was maternity PPE, noting that wearing an extra-large coat is not appropriate or safe PPE and that pregnant women should have access to safe and well-fitting PPE. It was also noted that it can be quite common for a woman to turn up on site and not find a female toilet, it sounds simple, but it is something that is easily overlooked in a male dominated industry.
- We were very interested in the talk about sustainable supply chains as the SM5 Developments Directors are very passionate about sustainability and how we can provide high quality projects whilst leaving as little a mark on the environment as possible.
- The talk discussing modern slavery was an eye opener and gave us pointers to look out for particular practices where this could be in place.
As well as the really interesting and informative talks, there were some amazing cutting-edge technologies on display including products we didn’t even know existed!! The evening networking drinks were a great way of meeting some of our suppliers and also potential partners in a more relaxed, casual setting.
Thank you to everyone who took the time to talk to us at the event and we look forward to catching up with you soon. We’re looking forward to the 2023 event!!
