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WM Donald Newsletter - Issue Twelve - Winter 2021
FROM THE
GROUND UP
In this Issue
W M Donald opens office in Perth
The new Perth office is already up and running, winning new work
on Tayside and beyond.
Meshes, point clouds and NURBS
The importance of 3D CAD modelling
The BIG Interview
Kevin Urquhart, Barratt & David Wilson Homes
EWAN’S WELCOME We are extremely proud of our apprenticeship and
green vest schemes, championed and developed by
Ian Gray, Rachel O’Donnell and Craig Hunter. These
Welcome to the Christmas 2021 edition of the schemes bring youngsters into construction and create a
W M Donald magazine. new dynamic and energy that the industry desperately
needs. I wish all our apprentices well as they start their
2021 has certainly been a difficult year. I am extremely formal CITB courses in December.
proud of how everyone in the business has risen to the
challenges we have faced. In 2021 we said goodbye to Dr Peter Snape who
provided occupational health services to W M Donald
Unfortunately, we have not seen the last of Covid 19
and it is likely to remain a concern for the foreseeable for over fifteen years. I’m sure you will join me in wishing
future. Post-Brexit issues are far from settled. They will him a long and happy retirement. In Peter’s place, we
continue to affect our supply chain resulting in material are delighted to welcome TAC Healthcare. Many of you
and parts shortages that will stretch through 2022 and will already have been invited for health surveillance
beyond. Despite these issues we have continued to and flu jabs administered by them.
develop our market share across our trading sectors,
We start 2022 with a healthy order book.
and our turnover has returned to pre-pandemic levels.
Operationally, our plans for 2022 include increasing
We are cautiously optimistic for continued growth in
2022. yet further the training delivered from our accredited
training centre in Netherley, supported by our training
There have been many highlights in 2021, many of partners Bon-Accord Training, C&G, and M2. We will
which feature in the magazine. We have opened an also continue to work hard to improve the sustainability
office in Perth; added a second suction excavator to and environmental aspects of our business, including
our fleet; created a second surfacing team supported increasing awareness and buy-in from our clients.
by investment in two new Volvo pavers; added a new
Cappellotto tanker to our drainage services fleet; 2022 will be a year with new challenges. However, I
celebrated Graham Bias winning Site Manager of the am confident that Team W M Donald is the strongest it
Year at the Trades Awards; and, added the Sustainability has ever been and that, collectively, we will continue ‘…
in Construction Award for good measure. to make it happen’. Thank you to everyone – employees
past and present, clients, sub-contractors, suppliers - for
During the year we have welcomed many excellent
new people to the business including John Campbell your part in establishing W M Donald as the region’s
(Surfacing Manager), Linsi Crocker (Transport civil engineering contractor of choice.
Manager), Stephen Millar (Drainage Services Be safe, stay healthy and enjoy your Christmas and
Manager) and John Wills (Site Manager). You can New Year.
learn about them in the pages of this newsletter and our
Spring 2022 edition. Ewan Riddoch - Managing Director
2
W M Donald establishes a
new office in Perth
Over its 40-plus year history, W M Donald has
regularly completed projects in the Tayside area. In
recent years this has been reflected in the ‘migration’
of its employees to the extent that around 40% of the
company’s workforce is located South of Brechin and
Montrose.
With projects being taken on in the region and even
more in the pipeline, it was decided to establish an
office in Perth. Opening in June 2021, the Perth office
will initially be home to four employees. This includes
Mark Stewart, Commercial Manager – Tayside, who,
along with Contracts Manager, Scott McDonald, has
overall responsibility for the new office and the projects James Business Centre. This will substantially reduce
in the area: our carbon emissions as we will be able to mobilise
personnel, plant and equipment locally.
‘Establishing an office in Perth made sense for so many
reasons. Two of the many projects we are currently running from
the Perth office are Balgillo Heights at Broughty Ferry
Firstly, it is a sign to our clients and potential future
and the construction of a new Starbucks and Burger
clients that we are committed to the region and willing
King in Glenrothes.
to invest in it and its people. We are looking to recruit
high-quality local tradesmen and women. As a company At Balgillo Heights we are continuing our working
we pride ourselves on our training and occupational relationship with Kirkwood Homes on phases four and
health provision, and we are particularly proud of our five of the development which will deliver a further one
apprenticeship scheme. We currently have half of the hundred new homes. As with the first three phases,
new intake of apprentices working within the Tayside W M Donald is undertaking the cut and fill earthworks,
region. infrastructure and the installation of foundations and the
floor slabs and all associated external finishings.
W M Donald is the first civil engineering contractor in
the UK to achieve carbon neutral status, and our goal We have also recently completed the installation of a
is to maintain that status which requires us to improve new access road at Broxden Industrial Estate for a new
our environmental performance year-on-year. We are client, Algo (Blairgowrie) Ltd. Hopefully, Algo is just one
currently looking to identify an operations base in the of many new clients that we will be servicing from the
area to complement the new office facility at the King new Perth office in years to come.’
3
W M Donald’s Apprentices:
Progress Report
The latest cohort of W M Donald apprentices received and accelerate their learning. It’s important for the
their induction training at the end of September. For the apprentices to appreciate that’s there’s much more to
first time this was undertaken online using Zoom. civil engineering than digging holes!’
Of the twelve recruits we have, unfortunately, lost one W M Donald is building on its Green Vest Scheme
who decided that civil engineering wasn’t for him. This which enables apprentices, and other trainees, to
is disappointing as the recruitment process was rigorous have the opportunity to gain experience of operating
and we had many more applicants than spaces. mechanical equipment on site in a tightly controlled
safety environment.
The eleven apprentices have now passed their
probation periods and appraisals have been SVQ – Scottish Vocational Qualifications
completed. At the start of December they will be SCQF – Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework
spending two weeks in Glasgow to start their SVQ
in Construction and Civil Engineering Operations.
The course is an SCQF level 5 training scheme organised
through the CITB. W M Donald’s HR Manager,
Rachel O’Donnell, will be sitting in on the course for the
first few days:
‘The plan is to understand the syllabus in depth and then
create an internal programme of training to support
4
Author Software –
Purpose, Process, People
W M Donald uses many different software
packages across its business. As the business
grows and tackles larger and more complex
projects, the use of Author software is becoming
ever more valuable.
Author* was originally developed in
Aberdeen for use in the oil industry, but the
underlying concepts are valid in all sectors.
On any given W M Donald project Author
can be used to clarify what we are doing,
how we are doing it and who is doing it.
Author is the catalyst for W M Donald to
revisit the processes it uses, the associated
documentation, and the clarity and visibility
of both to those working at the sharp end
on site. The aim is to identify blockages
and avoid duplication.
For each process, Author can be used
to identify and reference all relevant
documentation. Allocation of RACI**
roles forms a key element within the
development of each process. Author
creates simple, clear and effective
flow diagrams for each process.
When a process has been developed
and signed off it is published to html
on a Cloud platform. This makes it
accessible on any device. It also
ensures that all processes are held
in one central document register
and can be easily identified.
Scott Dickie is already in the
process of writing up the processes for Temporary
Works and uploading them to the document register. In summary,
‘Responsible’ is the individual responsible
Although Author has been used on individual projects
for task completion - there should only ever be one
in the past, ‘go live’ across all business processes is
targeted for the first quarter of 2022. ‘Responsible’; ‘Assist’ relates to those that do the work
to complete the task; ‘Consulted’ relates to those whose
*www.mandossoftware.co.uk advice and guidance is required to complete the task -
**RACI, as used by W M Donald, stands for ‘Responsible, these are often subject matter experts; ‘Informed’ details
Assist, Consulted, Informed’. It is used to assign roles and those parties who are kept up-to-date with progress but
responsibilities across a task. have no direct involvement in the task.
5
Melbourne to Ellon: a bus ride away!
Freddie Brown joined W M Donald in March 2021
as a Project Support Engineer. After completing a
Mechanical Engineering degree at Robert Gordon
University in Aberdeen, Freddie’s first job was as
a Project Manager in Melbourne (Australia, not
Derbyshire!) where he worked for two years. Freddie
returned to Aberdeen to avoid being marooned on the
other side of the world during the Covid lockdown.
Freddie is currently working on the Ellon Park & Ride
scheme which started back in June. The work improves
an existing Park & Ride site and involves the creation of
a new bus lane, bus turning circle and three new bus
stops.
The bus lane is 150m long and there is a significant
fall of 4m from the level of the parking area down to
the lane. A retaining wall has been constructed using
gabion baskets.
As well as creating the footpaths and roadworks, the
project involves the creation of a large SUDS detention
basin at the end of the turning circle, and a water
cascade feature.
Work is scheduled to complete in December 2021.
6
Lochside
of Leys
Lochside of Leys is a phased housing development in The project features two major box culverts. One culvert
Banchory from Bancon Homes. Site conditions are passes under a road to allow existing watercourses
challenging with the site located close to a burn. to continue to flow. The second culvert links the new
works with a previously developed area of the site.
Over the life of the project, W M Donald will be Both culverts are being created from two-metre sections
responsible for all groundworks, roads, culverts, plot weighing 9.5 tonnes each. In total, 20 sections will be
works (up to and including floor slabs), drainage and a required.
section of the utility install.
Historically, there had been a bridge in the area now
W M Donald is also responsible for the construction being developed. As part of the planning application,
of a wastewater pumping station. A cofferdam may the bridge has to be reinstated. W M Donald has
be required because the wet well is below the level approached CTS Bridges, based in Huddersfield,
to design a steel-framed bridge. This is currently in
of the water table. An extra-heavy emergency storage
the process of being fabricated with installation on
tank has been specified to address potential buoyancy site projected for early 2022. CTS has previously
issues. undertaken similar work for W M Donald on the Carron
The concrete walls of the access manholes are being Den site in Stonehaven.
pre-fabricated offsite to minimise construction time and Sarah Herd is W M Donald’s Technical Civil Engineer
disruption to other ongoing site activities. responsible for the works at Lochside of Leys.
7
Meshes, point clouds, and non-uniform
rational basis splines*: welcome to the
world of 3D CAD modelling
After leaving school, Gary Burnett spent eight years
as a brickie before joining W M Donald as a trainee
engineer. Initially Gary learned on the job and then
completed an HNC in Civil Engineering in Dundee.
Gary is a Site Engineer who has transferred into the
office and is now W M Donald’s lead on CAD modelling.
‘3D CAD models have become indispensable in civil
engineering and they are particularly useful as part of
the tendering process. During this process, 3D models
are made to calculate the cut/fill volumes of a site.
Traditionally, surveyors would visit site and collect a
series of survey points (topographical survey) that would
then be brought back to the office and used to create a
CSV survey file from which a 3D model could be built.
W M Donald still uses state-of-the-art surveying
technology, such as the SX10 Trimble Total Station which
can operate as a laser scanner, but the real breakthrough
has come with the use of drones to collect data.
On larger sites, a drone will make several passes to
collect data from a site. This process typically takes
only fifteen minutes or so, depending on the size of site. The model can be used as the basis for cut and fill
The data is processed overnight and is then used to build drawings and their subsequent analysis. For example,
a 3D topographical model of the site to an accuracy of data collected from site investigations and pre-start
between 10 to 30mm. surveys will indicate the depth of topsoil.
8
W M DONALD
GOES RINGSIDE
W M Donald supported Aberdeen boxer Dean
‘Deadly’ Sutherland by sponsoring a VIP ringside
table for his championship bout at the Beach Ballroom
on November 12th. Sutherland fought the Italian,
Michele Esposito, for the WBC International Silver
Welterweight Title.
Sutherland won the title with the referee stopping the
fight in the 8th round. It was the first time the Italian had
been stopped in his career. Sutherland has now won all
twelve of his professional fights to date.
As can be seen from the photo, the W M Donald ‘team’
were all in prime drinking condition.
Combined with the 3D model of the site, it is possible to
calculate how much, if any, additional cut/fill of material
will be required. Making best use of existing site-won
material is critical to minimising the environmental
footprint of our operations.
If a tender is successful, the 3D model can subsequently
be used to create machine control files for the diggers,
dozers and engineers on site.
A quick test of your boxing knowledge:
In the W M Donald office we use AutoCAD Civils 3D
complemented by N4ce geomatics** software for Rank these different weight divisions from lightest to
survey processing and point cloud modelling. N4ce has heaviest:
become particularly useful for cut/fill calculations. There
seems little doubt that on larger projects clients are A – Middleweight B – Cruiserweight
moving towards BIM (Building Information Modelling) C – Flyweight D – Welterweight
as a shared knowledge resource to manage projects E – Featherweight F – Heavyweight
and co-ordinate the site activities of multiple contractors. G – Lightweight H – Bantamweight
I – Light Heavyweight
W M Donald is monitoring developments in this space
and it is highly likely that we will be investing in AutoCAD
Revit (BIM software) in the near future. With our
extensive portfolio of design and management software
and technology across the business, W M Donald is
ideally placed to take advantage of the move to BIM.’
*NURBS is a mathematical model used in computer
graphics for representing curves and surfaces.
** Geomatics refers to the methods and
technologies used to collect, distribute, store,
analyse, process and present geographic data.
(Answer: C, H, E, G, D, A, I, B, F)
9
John Campbell,
W M Donald’s new
Surfacing Manager
In recent years, W M Donald has continued to build its
reputation for the quality of its road construction and the
laying of bituminous materials in general.
To support the growth of surfacing activities across the
Netherley, Inverness and Perth offices, W M Donald has
appointed John Campbell as Surfacing Manager.
Prior to joining W M Donald, John had spent many years
working in a similar capacity for Leiths and Breedon.
John learnt his trade in the army, serving as a Combat
Engineer for twelve years, with a further ten years in the ‘After leaving the Army, I spent many years as a scout
Army Reserves. John also spent time as an Instructor with leader and was fortunate enough to attend several World
the Royal School of Military Engineering in Chatham. Scout Jamborees. My passions outside work include
fishing and, building and racing remote controlled cars,
John’s career in the military included tours of Bosnia, some of which reach 140mph!
Kosovo and the First Gulf War. He was part of the team that
built the runway at RAF Mount Pleasant in the Falklands Since I joined W M Donald, we have set up a second
in the early 1980s. It remains the RAF’s newest purpose- surfacing squad which has effectively doubled our
built station. John also constructed a parade ground for capacity. This has been supported by investment in two
30,000 troops in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. new Volvo pavers and a bond coat sprayer.’
10Roadworks brewing in Ellon
What do a ‘Ten Ton Truck’, a ‘Fog Machine’ and a Although Brewdog is Balmacassie’s highest-profile
‘Pedal Pony’ have in common? They are all craft beers occupant, the area impacted by the surfacing works
brewed by Ellon-based Brewdog. A large proportion of also included a Tesco Superstore, a household waste
the 242 million cans shipped last year started life at the and recycling centre, and other local businesses.
Brewdog ‘Brewery HQ’ complex on the Balmacassie Phasing of the works was made more demanding due
to there being businesses with access requirements on
Industrial Estate in Ellon. Taking on the challenge of
both sides of the roads. There was also a tight timescale
resurfacing the roads and footpaths on the estate within which to complete the works.
without compromising brewing logistics was, therefore,
a major challenge for the W M Donald surfacing team. We knew before we started that the surfacing works
risked inconveniencing both pedestrians and motorists.
John Campbell is W M Donald’s Surfacing Manager: The challenge was to minimise any disruption and clearly
signpost alternative routes.
‘Communication and co-ordination are fundamental to
all successful surfacing projects, particularly one on such I’m proud of both the quality of the finished works, and
a high-profile site as Balmacassie. the way we interfaced with businesses.’
Cheers!
COMPETITION TIME
IF W M DONALD BREWED THEIR OWN
BEER WHAT WOULD IT BE CALLED?
Send your suggestion to karen@wmdonald.co.uk.
The best suggestion will receive a Brewdog
bumper beer bundle.
11The BIG
Interview
Kevin Urquhart
Kevin Urquhart is Construction Director for Barratt &
David Wilson Homes North Scotland. Kevin has worked
for Barratt since leaving school over twenty-six years
ago. He is an enthusiast and advocate for training,
personal development and careers in construction.
What made you choose to go into the building
industry when you left school?
To be fair, I didn’t really make the choice, it was largely
down to my Dad.
Like most kids, when I left school I didn’t really know
what I wanted to do. My Dad was a joiner and he
emphasised the importance of learning a trade so that I
would have something to ‘fall back on’ should I choose
As an industry, we have to get the message across that
to pursue some of my more unrealistic ‘career’ choices
there are fantastic opportunities in construction. People
such as farming. So, I joined Barratt as an apprentice
will always need houses.
joiner and have been here ever since!
Whilst I am proud of becoming a member of the
Have you always worked in the north of
Chartered Industry of Building (CIOB) and achieving
Scotland?
Chartered Construction Manager status, I still keep up
After working on the tools for several years I progressed all the various certificates I need to work onsite as a site
through the ranks at Barratt and became a site manager. Whilst I spend much of my time in offices, my
manager, contracts manager, construction manager natural home is the construction site.
and, eventually, Construction Director.
What changes have you noticed within
When the financial crisis struck at the end of the W M Donald in the time you have worked
noughties, I worked for Barratt on a project in London with them?
for a year which I really enjoyed. Other than that, I have
I suppose I’ve worked alongside W M Donald on
always worked across the north of Scotland: Inverness,
Barratt projects for around twenty years. I have to say, I
Aberdeen, Tayside, Perth and all points inbetween.
am astounded at how much the business (W M Donald)
As a member of CITB’s National Council for has changed over that period, particularly over the past
Scotland, you must have a particular interest ten years or so.
in training and skills?
From being relatively simple but effective and
Training and skills are critical to so many aspects of conscientious groundworkers, W M Donald has
the construction sector. They contribute to the delivery blossomed to become an employer of choice in the
of a quality product for house buyers, the health and region.
safety of everyone onsite and, at the individual level,
Today, I see a business that has a hunger for innovation,
to a career path within the sector for those that want it.
a change leader. It has completely overhauled its
In Barratt & David Wilson North Scotland we take on approach to site supervision, and has a clear focus on
around four apprentices every year and currently have sustainability and waste reduction. It remains, however,
a total of twenty-four. I know that W M Donald also has very much a ‘people-based’ business which clearly puts
a very active apprentices programme. the safety and welfare of its employees first.
12How has Covid impacted housebuilding? If we don’t take collective action, there is a pressing skills
shortage in the sector that could start to have a major
A key priority for Barratt was to ensure we didn’t lose
impact on construction programmes. At Barratt, we are
our skilled workforce. Across lockdown we paid all our
sponsoring schools partnerships through the ‘Build your
trades staff their average wage to ensure they weren’t
future’ programmes to give youngsters a taste of life on
out of pocket.
a building site. We also have an active armed forces
I think construction has a ‘can do’ attitude that has recruitment programme and have been impressed with
enabled it to cope better with Covid than most sectors. the skills and focus of those we have employed.
We were one of the first industries to be back at work
How do you relax away from the stresses
and W M Donald played a massive part in the restart
and strains of work?
of Barratt housebuilding sites.
My private passion is playing the bagpipes. I first
There is no doubt that Covid did initially have an impact
learned at school some thirty years ago and have
on turnover and profitability. However, as restrictions
played at a competitive level ever since in bands such
have been lifted, trading has been very strong and
as the Turriff & District and, more recently, the Portlethen
we are looking forward to a successful 2022. There is
& District. I’ve had the opportunity to play the bagpipes
clearly a pent up demand for quality new houses.
across Europe in Germany, Spain, Switzerland, Italy,
What are the biggest challenges facing the Ireland and more besides.
construction industry in 2022 and beyond?
Last year I became a ‘Covid golfer’, although there is
In the short-term, many key materials are in short supply. still huge scope for improvement!
At Barratt we have focussed on maintaining productivity
by micro-managing resources and being flexible in the
materials we choose to use.
13Geologists: gneiss*, tuff** and a little bit wacke***!
Originally from Newcastle in Australia, Chad Douglas ‘The geotechnical aspects of all civils groundworks
joined W M Donald in October 2020. Chad is an projects are varied and important, getting the right
Engineering Geologist/Geotechnical Engineer, a strategy to address the conditions is imperative to a
profession which typically carries out investigations and successful project’.
analysis to assess the ground conditions and designs
solutions to minimise geological hazards during ‘A key aspect of my role is to look at what we have to
earthworks and civil engineering construction projects. work with from a geological perspective and plan the
works to ensure we use the materials in the most efficient
After qualifying with a BSc in Geology from the manner which in turn reduces the carbon footprint of the
University of Newcastle, Chad worked in open cut coal site’.
mines and on coal seam gas projects in the Hunter
Valley, north of Sydney. This region is better known in With four children between the ages of three and
the UK for its wineries and Semillon and Shiraz grape eleven, it’s fair to say that Chad doesn’t have much
varieties. spare time to indulge his Aussie passions of surfing, dirt
bikes and cycling.
Moving to the UK in 2012 with his wife, a geologist
raised in Aberdeen, Chad continued on coal seam gas *A common and widely distributed type of
projects, this time in Stirling, Forth Valley. Chad then metamorphic rock
moved on to undertaking geological site investigations **A type of rock made of volcanic ash ejected from a
for a company in Glasgow and this was followed by vent during a volcanic eruption.
five years working in Aberdeen for a local consulting ***A variety of sandstone characterised by its
engineering firm. hardness and dark colour.
14John Petrie -
W M Donald’s new
yardsman
John Petrie has worked for W M Donald for about five
years. Prior to successfully interviewing for the job of
yardsman, John had driven one of the lorries in the
W M Donald fleet.
‘The role of the yardsman is to be the ‘oil’ that
ensures the interface between the yard, the stores and
Linsi Crocker joins
operations works effectively. The biggest challenge is to
keep on top of the job as there are so many deliveries
W M Donald as
and despatches with lots of materials in the yard at
any one time. In some cases, because of the national
Transport Manager
shortages, we have taken the precaution of stockpiling Linsi Crocker has joined W M Donald to take up the
position of Transport Manager. Linsi’s role covers a
key materials. Concrete shortages have been a really
broad spectrum of responsibilities including ensuring
big issue – pipes, kerbs etc – but this appears to be the right materials, reach the right site, at the right time.
easing off.’
Prior to moving back ‘home’ to Aberdeen, Linsi was a
In addition to deliveries and despatches, John is Transport Section Leader at Aldi’s Regional Distribution
also responsible for small offsite pre-cast concrete Centre (RDC) in Cardiff. The RDC supplied produce on
fabrications. a daily basis to around 75 stores. Linsi didn’t do this
alone, she had a team of 75 to manage!
On leaving school, Linsi first joined the Armed Forces
serving in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical
Engineers (REME). Reaching the rank of Sergeant, Linsi
was an Armourer responsible for repairing, maintaining
and adapting all weapon systems, often in difficult
and challenging conditions supporting fighting troops.
During her thirteen years in REME, Linsi spent time in
Canada, Iraq, Belize, USA, Afghanistan and Oman.
You can find out more about the role of Armourer at
https://apply.army.mod.uk/roles/royal-electrical-and-
mechanical-engineers/armourer
W M Donald’s growth in recent years means that the
fleet needs to be upgraded, which is not as simple as it
sounds:
‘The supply chain impacts of Covid mean there is a finite
amount of new vehicles available. Ideally we would like
to both replace and grow our fleet of Peugeot Partners.
Due to intensive use, we would typically look to change
out every three or four years but this is simply not
feasible at the moment.’
Since joining W M Donald, Linsi has completed
the Transport Manager Certificate of Professional
Competence (CPC) run by the Freight Transport
Association.
15Commercial Update
Recent contracts provide resilience and stability
going forward
Despite the recent turmoil in material availability and subsequent
price rises, W M Donald continues to trade positively with
our expectations for this financial year to date being met.
Also, thanks to recent contract awards through negotiation Derek Dunbar, Commercial Director
with existing clients and competitive tendering successes, our
order book now exceeds its pre-pandemic value by over 20%.
Securing these new contracts, along with other opportunities
being pursued, will ensure that our year-on-year growth targets
COINS
will be achieved. They will also contribute to W M Donald’s Around twelve months ago, it became clear that W M Donald
resilience and stability going forward, no matter what the next had outgrown its existing Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
twelve months has in store for us. software; an alternative option needed to be considered.
Capital expenditure in our Surfacing Division After researching software options, and after discussions with
our industry peers, we identified COINS* Construction ERP
Although we have enjoyed many successes over the past few
as a software package that would not only meet our current
months, one of the most notable was W M Donald’s decision
and future needs, but would also help us progress our plans to
to invest further in our Surfacing Division. This decision was
streamline the business, ensuring there are fewer process and
made in order to enable us to offer our clients a competitive
software ‘barriers’ between our internal departments.
road surfacing option across our broader geographic area
of operation while still having the resources available to Our investment in COINS will seamlessly integrate the delivery
provide a high level of service to our existing civil engineering of commercial, payroll, plant, purchase ledger, human
contracts. From the outset, the enhanced Surfacing Division resources and training activities through a single enterprise
has contributed positively to W M Donald’s overall sales and software package. All future users of COINS are currently
profitability. going through a regime of training provided by the developer.
This training is intensive, but we are all rising to the challenge.
As a result of this success we have had no hesitation in
We look forward to reaping the rewards of our investment in
sanctioning further capital expenditure in the division over the
COINS by March 2022.
next few months. We are in no doubt that this will translate into
new job opportunities in the first quarter of 2022. *Construction Industry Solutions (COINS)
Banchory Beast
In September, a crack team of W M Donald supreme
athletes were joined by Mike Meldrum and Ian Gray to
‘compete’ in the Banchory Beast Race. A 10km circuit of
torture included obstacles such as Ropey McRopeface,
Hitting the Wall, Clay Clag (ouch!) and Beast Bog
(even more ouch!).
It was an unseasonably warm day which made it all
the more exhasuting, but the team stuck together,
completed the course, and raised a fantastic £4,000
for the Grampian Autistic Society (GAS).
GAS aims to provide the best possible education,
care, support and opportunities for people of
all ages with autism in North East Scotland. You
can find out more about their amazing work at
www.grampianautisticsociety.org.uk.
16W M Donald’s Schools Initiative: the future
belongs to those who prepare for it today*
The UK construction workforce is ageing. The retirement
of skilled tradespeople reduces the pool of skilled
workers.
W M Donald recognised in 2019 that leaving ‘market
forces’ to supply the workforce of the future was a risk
too far. Consequently, it has committed to significant
ongoing investment in training and
development to assure its future
viability.
Across Brexit and Covid
W M Donald has continued to recruit
apprentices; twelve apprentices Schools Initiative
joined our apprenticeship scheme
in 2021. 10% of our site workforce is In November, W M Donald launched a new initiative to
made up of apprentices and 23% are make school students aware of the career opportunities
either an apprentice or have completed that exist within civil engineering. On 9 November,
their training within the last three years. twenty students from Banchory Academy visited the
Bancon Homes site at Lochside of Leys. The students
were fifteen and sixteen years of age and could
potentially, therefore, be interested in applying for
W M Donald’s apprenticeship programme in 2022.
Fully kitted out in helmets and hi-vis, the students
were tasked with laying foundations under
the watchful eye of Mike Meldrum, Technical
Director, and Rachel O’Donnell, HR Manager.
Two of W M Donald’s current cohort of
apprentices came along to share their
experiences of what working on site is really like.
W M Donald would like to thank Jarvie Plant, Ross Safety
and Survival, Portwest and MSA for their support on the
day.
Here is a selection of the students’ feedback:
‘Good work experience because you get a feel for the work
site and everything they do.’
‘Beautiful atmosphere. You learn about measuring and the
ipad in the digger was interesting.’
‘A very enjoyable day out. We were outside learning about
a live construction site gaining hands on experience marking
out foundations and setting concrete.’
‘I have enjoyed being outside because I like working with
machines.’
*Quote from Malcolm X, African American human rights
activitist
17The Importance of
Reporting Hazards and
Near Misses
Consistently achieving HSEQ excellence is fundamental to
W M Donald succeeding in its mission of consistently
delivering trusted, professional and innovative civil
engineering solutions for its clients.
The logic is simple. Companies which report and act
upon hazards and near misses achieve a better HSEQ
performance. Companies with a better HSEQ performance Did you know that:
are far more likely to be selected by clients to deliver their
projects. • Between 2017 and 2020 W M Donald has donated
£572 to local charities (£1 for each hazard and near miss
Hazard and near miss reports help W M Donald to: card received).
➤ Identify existing and new HSEQ hazards in our • The majority of reports we receive are in relation to the
workplaces. behaviour of other contractors with whom we share our
➤M
ake informed decisions around what (if anything) sites.
we need to do to prevent injury, ill health or an • All reports we receive are analysed, and a report is
environmental incident. submitted to the W M Donald Board every quarter.
➤S
how that we have a culture where we care about • All HSEQ reports are reviewed annually to help us to set
HSEQ issues and avoid complacency. our business improvement objectives for the year ahead.
➤S
hare valuable information across the business about
how to prevent incidents.
➤ E ngage with all staff in the shaping of our control
measures.
➤ Identify trends and challenge everyone to improve their
performance for the benefit of colleagues
W M Donald needs all employees, no matter where they
work, to report hazards and near misses. There have been
many hazards and near misses within the construction
industry that were not reported and which subsequently
resulted in serious incidents and even fatalities.
Please do the right thing by everyone and if you see it, own
it and report it.
Safety First – No Excuses!
Craig Hunter – HSEQ Manager
18W M Donald is clearly serious about the
safety and skills of its workforce
As a degree of normality has gradually returned to
the construction sector in Scotland, W M Donald has
invested heavily in training for its workforce.
C&G Safety & Training is a relatively new training
provider working primarily across North East Scotland.
Greg O’Hagan founded C&G with fellow Director,
Craig Milne. Here Greg outlines the training the
company has been undertaking for W M Donald:
‘C&G Safety & Training was formed in October 2020
and began trading in February 2021. We work across
the construction, energy and health sectors providing
training and health and safety consultancy.
W M Donald was one of our first major clients. Our
first meeting with the W M Donald management team
was at their offices and yard in Netherley. We were
impressed with the quality and breadth of the facilities.
The team was clearly serious about both the projects
they delivered and the safety and skills of their entire
workforce.
Our first opportunity came in March 2021 when we
delivered abrasive wheel training at Netherley. Since
March, we have trained around 200 employees in
various disciplines including CAT & Genny (cable
avoidance tool & signal generator), manual handling,
face fit testing, and health and safety awareness. We
Greg O’Hagan and Craig Milne
have also delivered training at W M Donald’s facilities
in Perth, Dundee and Inverness.
We hold regular meetings with the W M Donald team to
ensure training is planned and delivered to the highest
possible standard. W M Donald maintains a dynamic
training matrix which clearly identifies the required
training that employees must undertake for each role.
A key element of every training course delivered is
the feedback from the trainees. Evaluation forms are
completed and, to date, the feedback received has
been very positive.
We believe that learning should be fun and engaging
as well as serious. In our experience, this approach
reinforces learning. It’s important to recognise that
every trainee has different needs and it is a key skill of
the trainer to ensure that these are met.’
19 19Aathing from stotter Inverness*
After two years in Glasgow working for Morgan Sindall, This is an excellent opportunity to further establish the
Barry Smeaton came to his senses and returned to W M Donald name in the region.”
W M Donald in June 2021 to look after the commercial
*Aathing from stotter Inverness – Everything from
aspects of the projects run from its Inverness office. beautiful Inverness
This is Barry’s review of current activities: The following is a summary of ongoing activities on our
current projects:
“The construction market in the Inverness region continues
to be very buoyant, and this is reflected in the growing
workload of the Inverness office. Spynie, Elgin (Roberston Homes)
We have recently secured a project in Forres for a new The next phase of this project has been completed and
client, Springfield Properties. The work involves providing handed over by Robertson Homes to its client, Hanover
all the infrastructure needed to enable the construction of Housing Association. The final phase of works continues
new housing on the development. to progress with a view to completing early in 2022.
20Westercraigs (Robertson Homes) Slackbuie (Tulloch Homes)
As detailed in the previous newsletter, this site This project continues apace. We are continuing to work
presented very particular challenges with regards to the closely with Tulloch Homes to ensure their programme
remediation of contaminated ground. Through careful requirements are met for both infrastructure and plot
planning and collaboration, the first phase of the works.
project has been successfully completed and the first
home owners have moved in. The project will continue
through most of 2022 to final completion.
Culbokie (Tulloch Homes)
The site is challenging and restricted for space, but by
developing a strong relationship with the client we have
been able to meet their requirements. This is reflected
in the addition of six extra houses to the development.
Kirkhill (Tulloch Homes)
We have constructed the main sewers, off site sewers
and roads on this project. We should be vacating this
site before the end of 2021.
Footnote:
Maybe Barry’s career in civil engineering was pre-
determined? He shares his surname with John Smeaton
(1724 – 1792) who first coined the term ‘civil engineer’
to differentiate the profession from ‘military engineer’.
He is often referred to as the ‘father of civil engineering’.
John Smeaton designed the third Eddystone Lighthouse
off the coast of Cornwall, and was responsible for the
Culloden West (Scotia Homes) design and construction of bridges in Perth and Aberdeen
as well as the harbours at Banff and Peterhead.
The works on this project are continuing and are due for
completion in late 2022.
21Occupational health:
changing TAC.
After many years of providing W M Donald with
excellent occupational health support, Dr Peter Snape
has decided to hang up his stethoscope. We wish him a
long and happy retirement.
The retirement of Dr Snape and the continued growth of
W M Donald including, in recent years, the establishment
of offices in Inverness and Perth, led to a detailed
review of our occupational health provision. As a result,
W M Donald has teamed up with the TAC Healthcare
Group; TAC stands for ‘The Aberdeen Clinic’. Our
primary contact is Dr Findlay Dick.
TAC has recently completed W M Donald’s annual health
surveillance and reviews. The work was undertaken
Training at
by four qualified physicians. TAC also administered
a programme of free flu jabs for any employee that
wanted to take advantage of the opportunity.
We look forward to working with TAC in the years to
come and building on the existing health and wellbeing
programmes already in place.
W M Donald
The disruption to ‘business as usual’ caused by Covid
was the driver behind an exhaustive training audit
which covered all W M Donald team members: some
140 employees.
The outcome of the audit was an intensive ten-week
training plan delivered across W M Donald’s facilities
in Netherley (Stonehaven), Inverness and Perth.
The article on page 19 from one our training providers,
C&G Safety & Training, gives more detail on the scope
of the training undertaken. The face-fit test referred to in
the article is required to ensure respiratory protective
equipment works effectively. The test requires the
operator to be clean shaven and many members of
the workforce had grown impressive beards during
lockdown. However, I was really impressed with the
way everyone got stuck in, shaved off their whiskers
and completed the test.
A big thank you to Bon-Accord Training which was
also heavily involved in the delivery of mechanical
equipment training.
Rachel O’Donnell – HR Manager
22TRADES
AWARDS
Graham Bias – Site Manager of the Year
Congratulations to Graham Bias on winning Site
Manager of the Year at the Trades Awards 2021 in
October.
Graham is an excellent example of the career
progression that is open to W M Donald team members.
Graham has worked his way up from labourer on a
sewer squad, to Site Engineer and, eventually, Site Graham Bias
Manager; all within the space of five years.
Since 2020, Graham has been Site Manager on two
of the biggest housing developments in Aberdeen: Graham received several messages of support from
Grandhome and Countesswells. His primary role is W M Donald’s clients to support his nomination:
to manage and co-ordinate civil engineering works
‘Graham has been an integral part of the support that
on these complex and high-profile sites. This means
W M Donald provides to the Grandhome Trust.
Graham manages the works teams and the materials
on site to ensure works are completed in line with the I have always found it a pleasure working with him, he
plan agreed with the client. has a friendly and approachable manner. Graham is
constantly supportive, professional and knowledgeable
The judges were particularly impressed with Graham’s
in his field, especially with any technical or site-related
focus on the importance of teamwork, and the
queries I had.
recognition that this extends to close collaboration
with the client’s manager on site was well as the He is very diligent and has always been proactive with
W M Donald team: a teamwork ethic in his interaction with me.’
‘My aim is to build a relationship with the client site Gordon Rendall, Senior Project Manager, Turner &
manager as quickly as possible. It’s important to Townsend (on behalf of The Grandhome Trust)
understand the pressures and challenges each site
manager is facing. This is a great help when having to The last word goes to Austen Brooks, one of
address challenging situations. W M Donald’s Contract Managers:
‘What I really admire about Graham is that, even
though he met great resistance and pressure from both
the workforce and the client at the start, he continued to
do his best.
Over the last few years Graham has managed to turn
some of his harshest critics into his greatest supporters.
He is now looked upon as one of W M Donald’s most
proficient managers.’
Congratulations also go to Aaron Brebner who
was shortlisted in the ‘Rising Star’ category. Aaron
has recently achieved a Grade A in his HNC Civil
Engineering qualification. This result has provided Aaron
with the springboard and confidence to pursue his goal
of studying for an honours degree in Civil Engineering
Aaron Brebner
which he is aiming to complete by July 2024.
23Craig Hunter HSEQ Manager I consider myself fortunate because I love my job. Whilst it is not as finacially rewarding as some professions, being a HSEQ Manager gives me a feeling of satisfaction knowing that what I do prevents people getting harmed. It is not a career that I planned, far from it, and I sometime wonder how I got here! School wasn’t for me, and I left as soon as I could and went to sea as a fisherman. This also involved me going to college in Stornoway where I realised that education was fun if you enjoyed the subject. Being a fisherman is a tough way to make a living but for me, it was in my blood. Even now I sometimes miss the freedom of being at sea but getting married and starting a family isn’t suited to that lifestyle and a change was required. So, I started working as a summer seasonal Lock Keeper on the Caledonian Canal and worked with civil engineering companies through the winter months as a labourer/skilled worker. I honestly preferred the civils, but the canal offered me a full-time position where I would continue my education and I completed my HNC/HND in Management and an NVQ3 in Occupational Health & Safety. Life on the canals took me into Supervisory roles across the UK and involved a couple of moves for the family, firstly into Wiltshire and then on to Gloucestershire which is where I got into Health and Safety. 24
There was a difficult period on the canals when three
contractors were killed in two separate incidents,
this included a father and his 18-year-old son who
WHAT DO YOU
were working together. Like many other Supervisors/
Managers, I was heavily involved for about 18-months
WANT FOR
supporting these investigations. Being interviewed
by Police Detectives, Company Directors and HSE CHRISTMAS?!
Inspectors under caution and being in the dock to give
sworn evidence at the Coroners Court were experiences W M Donald will shortly be taking delivery
that I will never, ever forget. of its second suction excavator in time for
Christmas. Manufactured by MTS in Germany,
All supervisors and managers accept this responsibility
with their role but, believe me, there is absolutely the suction excavator has just completed its
nothing that can prepare you for it. journey through the MTS paint shop. When it
This experience sparked a fire in me that will never go arrives at Netherley, the suction excavator will
out, I honestly believe that all accidents are avoidable, receive its W M Donald livery.
and that no one should go home to their families
harmed. Because of my work through this time, and my Further details about the suction excavator will
desire to achieve safer workplaces, I was appointed as appear in the next edition of the newsletter.
a Health and Safety Advisor and went on to complete
the NEBOSH National Diploma and eventually become
a Chartered Member of IOSH.
The roles that I had after leaving the canals included
leading my first HS&E Team as the Health and Safety
Business Partner for Severn Trent Water and I then
became the Health and Safety Manager for South
West Water. I returned to Scotland with May Gurney
where I spent two years as their SHEQ Manager for
Scotland based over at Blackdog.
In the Northeast the draw of the Oil & Gas industry
proved to be too strong, and I started the next chapter
of my career with ASCO. I worked there for seven years
and was appointed as their Global Head of HSSEQ with
responsibility for the UK and five other countries. This
role was incredibly challenging even before
Covid-19 broke out. To get through the
pandemic, all my teams delivered when Sunset over W M Donald’s
it mattered most. Like a lot of people offices in Netherley captured
during the pandemic, I took time to reflect
on what was truly important and I realised that I
by Sarah Herd
really missed everything about civil engineering.
So, I took a very big decision to come back, and I
am extremely grateful to WM Donald Ltd for that
opportunity, and I have to say, its great to be back!
It’s just as I remembered and everyone here has been
very welcoming, shared their knowledge freely and
helped me settle in. I honestly feel like I have been here
for years!
Footnote – Craig has a passion for photography of
the great outdoors: landscapes, seascapes, flora and
fauna. Some of Craig’s images are featured alongside
his article.
25Effective
construction and
safety: the critical
importance of
temporary works
Scott Dickie is W M Donald’s Senior Technical Engineer. More recently, W M Donald installed an IDS package
In this article, Scott explains why temporary works pumping station at Ness Side for Tulloch Homes. The
are fundamental to both the successful completion of ground conditions comprised rounded cobbles (shingle).
projects and the safety of those working on them. A 7m deep excavation was required and the cofferdam
was created using sheet piles and waler frames.
During summer 2020, W M Donald completed a
major project at RAF Lossiemouth which included the The waler frame and sheet piling used to create the
installation of seven large interceptor tanks up to 30m cofferdams on these projects are known as ‘temporary
long. Sheet piles were driven into the ground using works’. The specification of equipment and the
an excavator mounted Movax side clutch vibrating installation process to construct a cofferdam is known
hammer to create a cofferdam. The top waler brace as the ‘temporary works design’.
was installed just below ground level and the inside of Temporary works is a catch-all term for anything that
the cofferdam excavated to a depth of 7m. A second isn’t permanent. BS5975:2019, the British Standard
waler brace was installed at an intermediate depth and for temporary works, defines them as ‘…those parts of
finally a concrete plug was poured once the cofferdam the works that allow or enable construction of, protect,
had been excavated to the required depth. The concrete support or provide access to, the permanent works
plug seals off the bottom of the excavation and holds and which might or might not remain in place at the
the toe of the piles. The tanks were lowered and secured completion of the works’. On W M Donald projects,
in position on the concrete plug using tie down straps. temporary works are most likely to include earthworks
The entire cofferdam was then flooded with concrete (e.g. trench support), structures (e.g. concrete formwork),
and the tanks ballasted with water at the same time to and special earthworks (e.g. crane platform).
prevent flotation and crushing of tank walls.
Temporary works even include signage, temporary security
fence support and site offices.
At W M Donald temporary works are first considered
when quoting for a project. At this stage the significant
elements of temporary works are identified and costed. On
acceptance, the temporary works requirement is reviewed,
and a design brief prepared for each element. A design
for each element is subsequently developed, checked and
signed off following an established process. Throughout the
life of a project the temporary work elements are logged
on the ‘temporary works register’ which is maintained
and updated with additional temporary works elements
identified as the project progresses.
Every W M Donald site has a Temporary Works
Co-ordinator (TWC) responsible for managing temporary
works and maintaining the temporary works register for
their sites.
26Living with
W M Donald currently has five TWC’s: Mike Meldrum,
Chad Douglas, Sarah Herd, Gary Burnett and myself. Day-
to-day temporary works management on site is typically
the responsibility of a Temporary Works Supervisor who
reports to the TWC. COVID -19
Historically, the construction industry had a poor health The COVID-19 pandemic continues to be disruptive and,
and safety record. Many of the accidents and fatalities is still affecting people’s health and placing a huge strain
were associated with poor temporary works design on the NHS.
and management or, on occasions, the omission of BecauseCOVID-19 has been with us for so long, it is easy
important temporary works such as shoring or propping to become complacent. However, despite vaccinations
altogether. The introduction of the Construction, Design and other precautions, we are not out of the woods yet.
and Management (CDM) Regulations in 1994 - and Therefore, it is important for all of us to keep following the
subsequent revisions - was the start of a greater focus on latest guidance issued by the Scottish Government.
health and safety on site and clarified responsibility for
maintaining a safe workplace. So, please continue to:
➤ Wear face coverings in all indoor settings; they can be
removed when working at your desk.
➤
Ensure that good ventilation is maintained when
working indoors.
➤ Try and achieve social distancing wherever possible.
➤ Maintain good hand hygiene and take advantage of
the hand sanitisers provided.
Always cough and sneeze into the crook of your
➤
elbow.
➤ Clean frequently touched surfaces.
➤ If you develop symptoms take a lateral flow test and
then book a PCR.
As we look ahead to 2022, everyone hopes that life will
return to normal. If we are to achieve this, it is imperative that
we all do whatever we can to turn this hope into a reality.
In simple terms, the Principal Contractor carries the liability
for the safety of the workforce on a site. Because of
W M Donald’s involvement in enabling works such as
earthworks and sewers, we commonly take the role
of Principal Contractor on site in the early days of a
project. This is why compliance with the guidance and
recommendations in BS5975: 2019 is so important.
On each site, the W M Donald team can contribute to the
development of temporary works solutions by identifying
concerns during the preparation stage of each task. The
proactive approach between the Technical Department
and site teams continues to enhance our temporary works
capabilities.
27Snippets...
Remembrance Day P&J Live
The W M Donald team on site in Glenrothes captured prior to
respecting the two minutes silence on Remembrance Day. We
will remember them.
Image supplied courtesy of P&J Live/Anthony Mooney
P&J Live is the largest event and entertainment complex in the
North of Scotland. W M Donald has taken four seats in the
showdeck and all employees are invited to enter a draw for
tickets to any of the events they would like to see.
A random number generator is used to select the two lucky
winners who each receive two tickets. Tickets have already
been allocated for Tim Minchin, Steps, Disney on Ice, Gary
Barlow and Madness. It’s an amazing opportunity to see some
of the biggest shows…for free!!
Christmas Party Watch out for the regular emails alerting you to future events.
You can also visit www.pandjlive.com/events to find out more
This year’s W M Donald Christmas Party is being held at the about what’s on.
Aberdeen Altens Hotel on Thursday 23 December. Guests to
arrive from 7.00pm with festivities starting at 7.30pm. Draws already scheduled for 2022 include:
Invitees are welcome to bring their partners to the party. Event date Event Draw takes place on
Special room rates are available for those wanting to stay over. 18th February John Bishop 20th January
To book, go to www.aberdeenaltenshotel.co.uk and enter
20th March Stereophonics 18th February
Xmas into the promo code box.
5th April Simple Minds 9th March
Further information is available from
Karen: karen@wmdonald.co.uk. 21st April Darts 23rd March
24th April Andre Rieu and the 31st March
We look forward to seeing as many of the team as possible at Johann Strauss Orchestra
the event. Happy Christmas!
NEXT EDITION...
If you have any ideas for content you would like to see featured in the next edition of the newsletter then please get in touch
with us with your ideas, we are always looking for budding contributors! Email your ideas to Karen: karen@wmdonald.co.uk
W M Donald Limited
Marrlaine, Craigwell, Netherley, Stonehaven AB39 3QN
Tel: +44 (0)1569 730590 • Email: info@wmdonald.co.uk www.wmdonald.co.uk
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