Safer workers and reduced costs for Thames Tideway East

Thamed Tideway is a 25km tunnel being built under London that will protect the River Thames from further pollution. The project’s estimated total cost is around £4.2 billion and will involve 24 sites and eight construction companies over an eight year period, making it the biggest infrastructure project ever undertaken by the UK water industry.

Currently the project has been split into three sub-projects: West, Central and East. A Costain Vinci Bachy Soletanche (CVB) joint venture was created to deliver Tideway East.

A simple and easy to use competency management solution
From the start of the project planning, Andrew Brown, Tideway East Head of Safety and Wellbeing wanted CVB to be ‘well organised’ and proactive when it came to managing the site.

A simple system was needed that allowed construction managers to quickly identify if a worker had the necessary training and competence to undertake certain tasks. On a major project such as this, it has always been a challenge.

The other significant challenge was maintaining control of PPE stores, in order to prevent spiralling costs which is an industry-wide problem. Throughout the duration of the Tideway project there will be upwards of eight thousand people working across the sites.

Access only for competent workers
Biosite’s competency management system is an industry-leading database which keeps a log of workers’ competencies, providing clear visibility across a workforce as well as assessing skills gaps.

By using all the functions the system offers, CVB are able to guarantee only trained and competent people enter high risk areas such as shafts and confined spaces. Functions such as the PDA and Smartphone app allows teams to easily track tunnel workers signing for emergency evacuation equipment such as oxygen Escape Sets.

The system obtains information on individuals and issues smart cards. It can then track who is taking PPE and small tools from the stores using the Asset module. Any equipment that needs training before use can also be logged and regulated, giving the ability to trace the usage. The Asset module ensures operatives are made responsible for PPE and tools taken from stores.

“Using Mosaic we are able to keep track of all individuals’ training and qualifications on site, at any time.” 
Andrew Brown, Tideway East Head of Safety and Wellbeing

Benefits of the Biosite competency management system
Biosite’s system manages all company competencies and also flags up when courses and qualifications are due to expire, with reports that are automatically sent with whatever frequency is needed. The reporting is very flexible and saves a vast amount of the valuable time for those doing the laborious task of reporting, allowing them to focus on what they do best!

Ensuring Escape Sets are only given to those qualified has been a big help. The smart card instantly flags up if someone hasn't had the training - preventing them from going into a dangerous situation under-prepared.

The Asset module has saved Tideway East up to 25% in PPE and small tools cost in comparison to other Tideway projects not using the Asset Module.

The ability to track who has PPE and small tools is highly beneficial. If items aren't returned, it's easy to report on it and bill the supply chain.

"The Asset module has saved Tideway East up to 25% in PPE and small tools costs in comparison to other Tideway projects not using the software."
Andrew Brown, Tideway East Head of Safety and Wellbeing