I attended the recent EDI event at the CITB NI, which was run in partnership with the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), and the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland. There was a strong panel of speakers who each brought their own ideas and suggestions on how the topic of EDI needs to progress in the construction industry in Northern Ireland. One speaker caught my attention for impact; Hollie Cregan, Head of EDI at GRAHAM, presented for around 20 minutes. A key example she gave was how GRAHAM has introduced accessible female WC/Washrooms with complimentary sanitary pads on its sites. She also advised how they now have Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) of varying sizes specifically to fit women and not just men. She mentioned how all high-visibility vests seem to come in size ‘large’ which makes women feel uncomfortable when handed one. Although these are only two simple examples of how GRAHAM has identified imbalances, importantly they have done something about it. Such small changes can be powerful if everyone makes small changes. I along with everyone left the event at the end very conscious that we all, both individually and collectively, need to start making serious changes to help address the topic of EDI.
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