Tuesday 31 July 2012
My London 2012 experience: David Hawes
A can-do attitude and mutual respect win the day
Access solution and liaison engineer David Hawes had his work quite literally cut out at the Olympic Park. He was responsible for installing the ducting and cabling they contain up to the major venues and other buildings on the park, including the blocks of apartments at the Athletes’ Village. Other Openreach engineering teams took over from then on.
Close liaison all the way
“Installing a high spec infrastructure like this demanded a great deal of planning and detailed supervision.
“Most of all, though, my role was one of liaison. Of course the duct runs and chambers had to pass a series of rigorous tests with flying colours. But the excellent working relationships we formed with the building contractors were key.
“Several different contractors were working on the park at any one time. Each had their own deadlines, security arrangements and health & safety procedures. So the logistics were always going to be challenging.
Individual method statements
“We wrote individual method statements and risk assessments for each and every plot. This was critical. If we didn’t follow each contractor’s rules to the letter, our engineers would simply not have been permitted to do their work and the fibre deployment would have been severely delayed.
Overcoming tensions
“Working in such a crowded environment often meant re-arranging the day at very short notice. A flexible, can-do approach, coupled with mutual respect, overcame the tensions that can all too easily arise when everyone is under pressure to meet tight deadlines.”
