We use our own and third party cookies to give you the best experience on the services we offer. To accept cookies continue browsing as normal or click Accept. For more information please check our Cookie Policy.
SAFETY, HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
Safety, health and well-being is the first and most fundamental aspect of our Right Works code of practice, which guides us in our pursuit of continuous improvement.
We make sure:
We encourage behavioural safety through the use of our Right Works Tick-it system. Tick-its are a simple means for anybody, beyond our own employees, to report incidences of good or poor practice, suggest improvements, or make other interventions to improve our safety performance and personal behaviour. Tick-its are responded to and submissions are analysed for trends and to ensure they are promptly closed out.
We encourage all our people to take the time to look out for their own and each other’s emotional and mental well-being. We are forming a work environment where taking time to check in with each other on a regular basis is standard practice, creating an opportunity for any stress or anxiety to be shared.
Our Occupational Health and Safety Management System is certified by BM Trada to ISO 45001:2018.
In recognition of our occupational health and safety performance over a period of 18 years, RoSPA has awarded Knights Brown the Order of Distinction.
COMMUNITIES
Construction communities
The project teams on our construction sites engage with communities and help to build acceptance for our presence and understanding of our work through two-way communication, the provision of relevant and timely information and raising awareness of a project’s associated benefits.
We aim to have a positive impact on the communities we’re working in, improving quality of life for people through a range of social value interventions scaled to the nature of the contract and its impact on the community. These are tailored to each project and community and seek to achieve social value outcomes linked to the central government policy issues of Covid-19 recovery, tackling economic inequality, fighting climate change, equal opportunity and physical and mental well-being.
Examples include our engagement with educational settings across the age groups on activities that bring the curriculum to life, promoting the variety and many benefits of construction careers; creating opportunities for apprenticeships and short and long term work experience placements; supporting local businesses by frequenting local shops and services, and creating temporary job opportunities; and developing project supply chains that support entrepreneurship and economic growth.
Our project teams are encouraged to use their employer supporting volunteering days to have an impact on their local area. Examples of these activities include helping in food banks and soup kitchens, maintaining and improving premises for voluntary sector organisations, and litter picking beach cleans.
Office communities
Under our employer supported volunteering scheme, every employee receives a day’s paid leave each year to volunteer in the community for a cause that is important to them. This day can be taken individually or with colleagues as a team of volunteers to work together on a community project.
Over the course of a few days, one team created a wall of poppies to be placed on the town centre roundabout that we sponsor, to commemorate the centenary of Armistice Day and highlight the Royal British Legion’s annual Poppy Appeal.
Between 2021-2022, more than 672 hours were committed to employer supported volunteering activities by our people to help local organisations and community events.
Charity partnerships
Bridges to Prosperity helps communities to build footbridges over impassable rivers enabling access to life-changing opportunities including healthcare, education and markets for isolated communities. This vital access provides a platform to relieve the poverty and disadvantage caused by rural isolation.
Since 2016, volunteers from Knights Brown and our co-sponsor Tony Gee, have helped to build five of these footbridges.
Three have taken place in Rwanda. In 2018 and 2019 our teams travelled to Uganda, extending the reach of the international charity’s essential work.
Read about the impact of our most recent project – 2023 Nyagufunzo Impact Report.
Our next bridge build is scheduled for summer 2025.
Our employees’ experiences have enriched our business, promoted personal development and relieved isolation in rural communities.
THE CLIMATE & NATURE EMERGENCY
Since 2021, when we released “Goal 13”, our first comprehensive strategy to respond to the climate and nature emergency, we have been working at pace to reduce our environmental impact in line with our stated objective:
To transition to net zero, accelerating progress to significantly reduce carbon emissions by 2030 in line with a science-based target pathway, compensating for residual emissions through potential high-impact climate and nature actions that deliver long-lasting, quality results alongside environmental and social benefits.
In this time we have effected measures that have achieved a carbon emissions reduction of 1,483.56 tCO2e, representing a 44% reduction against our 2020 baseline year.
These measures include:
Goal 13 also considers our broader environmental impacts recognising that excessive consumption of precious resources contributes to negative effects such as pollution and wildlife loss. Through our approach to creating sustainable workplaces we are making positive changes in areas including reductions in water consumption, waste and single use plastic.
Related content:
GENDER PAY GAP REPORT
Our aim in reporting our gender pay gap is to enable Knights Brown to recognise and reduce the gap, which has been a particular issue for the construction industry. A long term strategy is required to change perceptions throughout the industry and beyond and by encouraging more women to make construction their career of choice. Our diversity and inclusion programme ‘Everyone’ sets out our long term approach.
Accreditations & Awards
