Safety on site starts with the right people for the job

With the start of Construction Safety Week 2024, we are reminded of the importance each person plays in any construction project.

The role of recruitment in site safety isn’t widely appreciated but we understand that to ensure projects are safe and successful, organisations need to find the right people for the job.  With the theme of ‘value every voice’, Construction Safety Week highlights the responsibility every person has to take initiative, accountability, and personal ownership in keeping their team and job site safe.

Alongside ensuring sites are safe, organisational leaders are under pressure every day to keep projects on schedule, within budget and delivered to a high quality. We know that in-house recruitment processes can take time away from these vital tasks for management teams but that a project is also only as good as the people who work on it.

So, how can organisations achieve harmony and reap the rewards of an optimised recruitment process?

An optimised recruitment process needs to create operational efficiencies for hiring managers and the wider organisation. ProGroup Recruitment was established in 2020 as a bespoke recruitment agency specialising in passive fire protection and property services and we have been securing the best talent across the UK ever since.

With over 20 years of combined recruitment experience, we have seen the recruitment pain points for managers and put in place our own processes to alleviate these. This includes a stringent screening process for all candidates as well as the training and upskilling of our recruitment consultants with sector-specific knowledge so we get it right for you first time.

ProGroup Recruitment’s candidate screening:

Different projects have different needs and we have supported clients across social housing schemes with vulnerable tenants, MoD sites, hospitals and many more. There are a series of standard checks all recruitment agencies do such as written and verbal references and, when required, DBS checks. We take this one step further with our enhanced standard checks and additional vetting process to give our clients peace of mind and ensure they only receive the best and most suitable candidates.

Enhanced standard checks:

• Right to Work checks: We are partnered with TrustID , a UK government-approved Identity Service Provider (IDSP), to capture Right to Work documents, assess authenticity and eligibility with a full Right to Work report.

• CSCS card checks: All CSCS cards are checked for authenticity through the Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) Smart Check to ensure everyone has the right card for the job they are applying for.

• FIRAS accreditation checks: All candidates applying for roles with FIRAS accreditation are validated through Warringtonfire FIRAS register.

Additional vetting process:

• Skills matrix: All tradespeople applying for a property services role are asked to complete a skills matrix which covers a variety of skills and scores from one (can’t complete/don’t have the skill) to four (fully competent and can teach others). This gives the client an indication of what the candidate can do before attending an interview.

• Technical questioning: All tradespeople applying for a fire protection role are asked a series of technical questions which allows our recruitment consultants to evaluate their suitability. These questions cover the basics of understanding fire doors and fire-stopping compliance.

Throughout this vetting process, we’re building brilliant relationships with our candidates that enables us to have access to the best people across the UK. We know that if we do a good job for our candidates, they will do a good job for you! Our involvement doesn’t just stop there as we stay in touch with clients and successful candidates throughout the placement too.

Sector-specific training for expert recruitment consultants:

Being specialists in our field, we understand the importance of securing the right skill set for the job. That is why all our recruitment consultants go through sector-specific training alongside standard induction training.

Standard induction training for all ProGroup Recruitment consultants:

• Understanding CSCS cards: The different types of card and what they mean.

• Operational certificates: Overview of different types of operational certificates and what they mean. Including, but not limited to, PASMA tickets and IPAF.

• Five-point PPE

Sector-specific training for ProGroup Recruitment consultants:

• Passive fire protection: Five hours of training with a fire safety expert through The Fire Protection Association.

• An introduction to property services delivered in-house.

Our commitment to learning extends beyond our recruitment consultants and we also offer relevant training to candidates through our learning partner, eLearning at Work . This includes asbestos awareness, manual handling, working at heights and GDPR.

Don’t just take our word for it!

With over 120 reviews on Trustpilot alone, we’re proud to be rated Excellent with 98% of our customers giving us five stars! Here’s just one review:

Fantastic Company - breath of fresh air! What a pleasant experience this was! This company stand out from the crowd with their professionalism. Unlike some of the larger impersonal recruitment agencies this company will look after you from start to finish. They'll be honest with you too and will always return your calls & respond to emails. I would highly recommend them - far better than the rest!!

And if you’re wondering what our candidates think about us, here’s one from one of our carpenters:

Worked for dozens of agencies but easily the best experience I had was with Jack at ProGroup Recruitment, job was exactly as advertised, pay was always correct and on time if not early, honestly cannot fault them.

Want to read more? Check out our Trustpilot and Google pages.

We want to work with you too!

If you’re still reading this article, it’s probably because you’re interested in working with us and we want to work with you too! Whether you’re looking for your next hire, resourcing for an upcoming project or wondering if there could be a bigger and better career opportunity for yourself – speak to us.

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