The location changed for one team member this week; the principle remained the same: plan the work, protect the important commitments, make space for wellbeing, and stay ready to adapt when the unexpected arrives.
The focus was LCS business development, alongside meeting client commitments and responding to an ever‑changing compliance landscape. Within that framework, we created space for team wellbeing through regular catch‑ups by telephone, Teams and email.
For one team member, based out of county, this meant breaking up the working day with a lunch ride on his trusty electric bike. That pause also created space for reflection, prompted by a label alongside a photograph at King Edward Mine: a reminder of the latent harm that can follow man’s invention. The Holman Rock Drill once seemed revolutionary, easing hard labour, only to be later described as “the widow maker” for the silica dust it created.
Let’s dive in
Monday — Bank Holiday
August Bank Holiday marked the end of summer and the inevitable change of season, bringing renewed challenges to our workplaces as autumn and winter approach. This isn’t our first glimpse; resilience has been gained from previous years, and preparation for the changing seasons will be done.
We often hear autumn and winter spoken of as disliked; there is no good nor bad in the changing of the seasons, they are simply part of life in the northern hemisphere. It is our perception that makes good or bad, and that is understandable. Perhaps we should spend a little more time in the present moment, appreciating the value in each season rather than wishing for the next spring or summer to start.
Tuesday — Digital Nomad
First working day from our temporary Airbnb base in Cornwall: a mix of business development, client activities and, of course, a lunch bike ride. These are well‑planned days: an early focused session, lunch with friends, then back to base for the afternoon.
Back at HQ, the team carried out CDM coordination functions for a Local Authority client, further refinements to a client’s H&S Management System, and a review of safe system of work documents for a manufacturing facility.
Wednesday — Site Tours
Continuation of out‑of‑county activities, dodging the rain and fitting in a lunch bike ride. Lunch was taken at The Croust, a fine café situated in the original King Edward Mine office, now a heritage site, in the shadows of the ruined engine houses.
On the walls are reminders of its former existence: photographs and descriptions of what is being displayed. One such reminder is the invention of the Holman Rock Drill, a revolution in production efficiency and working conditions that came at a cost: fine silica dust inhaled by countless miners at home and overseas. We now have a name for this: silicosis, an incurable disease that affects thousands worldwide. Invention and progress are often measured retrospectively. At the time, these initiatives seemed revolutionary and designed to ease the burden of hard labour; the latent effects are now known, and yet countless workers are still being exposed, and some, exploited.
We also conducted a site H&S tour of a heritage project closer to home, continued the review of safe system of work documents, and visited a project where the lightning protection system was being renovated.
Thursday — CDM Tracker Day
A mix of client team catch‑ups, reactive tasks and business development from the nomadic base in Cornwall’s former industrial heartland, alongside CDM PD duty project reviews back at HQ.
Friday — Team Day
Friday is generally reserved for vital admin functions, LCS team check‑ins and closing the week so that next week starts without too much legacy from the preceding days. It was good to welcome Sinead back from leave and to outline the planned activities for September.
Client team catch‑ups were also held, again via Teams; it would appear that one of the team is quite suited to a digital nomad lifestyle and took the time for one final bike ride and lunch.
Closing thought – The Principle remains the same
Locations will change, seasons will turn, and unexpected reflections will appear on café walls and mine sites. But the principle endures: plan the work, protect what matters, make space for people, and remain ready to adapt. In health and safety, as in life, progress is best measured not only by what we achieve today, but by what we prevent tomorrow.
