Board profile - Jack Smith

Jack Smith, development manager at Platform and member of the GIRI Building Safety Act working group, is one of three new GIRI board members. In this Q&A, he explains why he wanted to join the GIRI board and what he hopes to achieve in the position.

Why did you decide to apply for the GIRI board position?

Joining the GIRI board offers a great opportunity to become more immersed in GIRI's work, help continue its growth, and attempt to leave the industry is in a better place when I retire my position. I hope to raise the awareness of the initiative and inspire others to engage, participate and contribute.

How does your work at Platform align with GIRI's objectives?

Platform advises and delivers property development. We bring clarity and direction to projects. We became members of the Get It Right Initiative in 2019 following an introduction to Tom Barton. The objectives of GIRI immediately resonated with our approach to avoid error, improve productivity, and reduce our carbon footprint. Our philosophy is to anticipate and avoid issues whilst reserving some capacity to deal with issues should they arise. As one of the development managers, I am well placed to establish the principles of GIRI at the outset of a project and establish a collaborative culture that identifies the root causes of error and addresses them head on. 

What do you see as the top priority for GIRI over the next few years?

The initiative will be 10 years old in 2025 and has a proven concept. During the next phase of its development,  I believe GIRI should focus on refining its message, raising awareness, and increasing its membership base, data collection, and qualifying the value of its approach.

What do you see as the biggest obstacles to reducing error on a meaningful scale in the construction industry?

I believe people are both the biggest obstacle but also our greatest opportunity. The task of changing attitudes is surmountable, but it will take time and several evolutions in approach to reduce avoidable error. Other industries, such as aviation, were early adopters of a mandatory and transparent reporting of errors and have seen demonstrable improvements to safety, efficiency and subsequently profit as a result.

How do you think the industry's attitudes to error are changing and how can GIRI continue to support this?

Clients, consultants and contractors are increasingly risk averse and unwilling to take ownership of error due to the associated liabilities. We need to change our attitude to error. All parties must embrace their contribution to the cause and effect and genuinely improve ‘teamwork’ so that we collectively battle to reduce error rather than allocate blame. GIRI is well placed to help organisations become aware of the common pitfalls, which is the first step, and and continuing to grow a community of likeminded organisations is also vital.  

Jack Smith explains why communication is key to reducing error in this GIRI members' meeting presentation.