Clancy builds utility strike school with Anglian Water

Clancy is committed to zero harm, equipping teams with the right knowledge, skills and equipment to do their jobs safely.

Service strikes continue to pose a major safety risk for the construction industry. Recognising this, Clancy has developed a new service strike avoidance centre at Anglian Water’s Broadholme depot in Northamptonshire to complement its existing training programmes.

Opened in September, the bespoke facility will host sessions for Clancy teams and other businesses who value a comprehensive and immersive approach to safety training.

While classroom learning is a critical tool, construction attracts hands-on individuals. That’s why ‘Dovecote Lane’ has been designed to mimic a real-world streetscape, complete with buried infrastructure to teach safe digging practices in a variety of situations.

The facility even has a confined space training zone built into a 6m-deep shaft and a shoring and machine digging area. Dedicated trainers will provide industry-accredited certification in critical skills including cable avoidance using the latest CAT and Genny technology, asbestos awareness and emergency first aid.

Anglian Water supported the initiative by providing space for the centre within its depot. Many of Clancy’s local supervisors and teams generously volunteered their time over a period of two months to assist with construction.

Mike Hardiman – Framework Manager at Clancy, said: “We dig over 300 holes a day. Without the proper skills and knowledge, any one of those could turn into a hazardous service strike. The new training centre will help us to teach teams best practice in a safe environment that replicates the conditions they will come across in the real world.

“We’re confident that Broadholme’s immersive setting will help engage people in critical safety issues beyond what we can achieve in a classroom. Like the virtual reality training we’re pioneering with Anglian Water, it’s another way we’re harnessing innovation to work towards our goal of zero harm.”