Please take your SEATS

Inevitably, the construction industry has an impact upon the environment, both through the construction process as well as the built environment itself.  However, through sustainable methods of working, we can achieve energy efficient and eco-friendly creations. BREEAM is the world’s leading environmental assessment method for sustainable buildings. It enables designers, developers and building managers to demonstrate the environmental credentials of their buildings, against a universally recognised, benchmarked set of standards.
Osborne is committed to minimising the impact on the environment, and therefore back in 2014 started investing in training for its site management and supervisory teams, as well as employees in job roles that may benefit from environmental awareness (commercial, estimating, planning, engineering, design, and others).

The course

To date, Osborne have trained 300 staff members in Site Environmental Awareness Training Scheme (SEATS) and 180 of those are managers and supervisors. SEATS is an accredited training scheme offered by the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) and is recognised by the industry. It focuses on environmental issues on construction sites and has been developed by the CITB and Build UK (formerly known as UK Contractors Group) members. Build UK may decide in the future this course will become mandatory for site managers and supervisors employed by all their members.

Designed to improve the site management of environmental resources, the course aims to highlight the importance of informed and responsible decision-making on all construction sites.

SEATS is a one-day, managerial and supervisory level course and focuses on the practical requirements of managers and supervisors on site.  It concentrates on the implementation of pre-agreed processes, not planning them.  Each session contains practical measures, lots of “watch out for this” prompts and will is summarised with practical dos and don’ts.

The course teaches environmental best practice, covering theoretical areas (the importance of the environment), practical areas (waste, energy and water management and pollution prevention), and peripheral matters (such as statutory nuisance, communication, archaeology and heritage).

The principle

Osborne’s Basil Frostick, who has been accredited by CITB to deliver the course within the business said:

“The importance of environmental awareness cannot be emphasised enough.  The construction industry has a major impact on the environment, so the responsibility has to lie with site managers. It is a privilege to be the trainer accredited to deliver the course, and Osborne will practice what it preaches by making sure all of our site personnel with management and supervisory responsibilities attend the course.”