“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. Setting aside the poor grammar, that is a phrase we have all heard and most of us have probably used.
Here in the field of demolition and construction, we have a slightly different take on that phrase. “If it’s broke, don’t fix it unless there’s money to be made”. In short, failure is often more profitable than the solution.
Think about all the big issues facing the UK demolition and construction sector: accidents and fatalities; an insurmountable skills shortage; a deepening mental health crisis; an ongoing gender and racial imbalance; questionable working conditions.
None of these factors and challenges are new. In fact, accidents and fatalities, the skills shortage and sketchy working conditions have been a part of the industry furniture for as long as I or anyone else can remember.
No-one can claim a lack of awareness of any of these issues. They are discussed at length within companies, industries and trade bodies up and down the country. Some of them are the subject of regular campaigns and initiatives. Some even get their own dedicated day or week of recognition. But the problems underpinning those campaigns and initiatives remain because tolerating these issues is considerably cheaper than actually addressing them.
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