EKFB brings GIRI message to its staff

More than 200 staff members at contracting joint venture EKFB were introduced to the root causes of error in the construction industry during an hour-long webinar led by GIRI this week. GIRI supporters Kier and BAM Nuttall are members of the joint venture, which also includes Eiffage and Ferrovial Construction, and are keen to bring the GIRI message to a wider audience.

They learned about the research carried out by GIRI, working with construction companies and the CITB, which found that the industry is spending between 15% and 25% of total project costs dealing with the consequences of avoidable error, and heard about GIRI initiatives to address this through providing individuals and organisations with the tools and training to get things right first time. 

The EKFB joint venture has been appointed by HS2 to deliver civil engineering works across an 80km-long section of the new high speed rail link between the Chiltern Tunnel and Long Itchington Wood. The works includes 15 viaducts, 6.9km of green tunnels, 22km of road diversions, 81 bridges and around 30 million cubic metres of excavation. 

EKFB's staff heard how the Get It Right Initiative is meeting its goals, which are to: 

• Create a culture and working environment to get it right from the start 
• Change attitudes and harness leadership responsibility to reduce error and improve quality and productivity 
• Engage all stakeholders in eliminating error from inception, through operation, to completion 
• Share knowledge about error reduction processes and systems 
• Improve skills across the sector creating a positive approach to pre-empting error