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Beware gangs of starving construction workers

No, not the next violent horror flick but a pretty good argument for ensuring that there’s food and drink available on site for when their energy starts to falter. 

With many construction sites too far from shops, or withrestricted access as a result of lengthy security measures the pressure is on the contractor to make good facilities available and keep costlyonsite canteens open during quieter periods. 

Vending machines often provide a good solution for ‘topping up’ that is perfectly acceptable to the site workers. Basically, they want cold drinks cold, hot drinks hot, and a good range of snacks, healthy and not so healthy. Today’s machines are designed for the job; robust enough to be placed outside and ideal for smaller sites that don’t have the scale at any time of day to warrant the full monty.

Dave Berman, Sales Director at VendEase, a London based vending machine business focusing on the construction sector explains, “the need to keep both office and site based teams both hydrated and full of energy has resulted in strong growth for us so far in 2014. Having this food and drink provision on site, 24/7 is an immense benefit for our clients ensuring their teams never have far to go to get what they need, even if the site canteen is closed”

VendEase hit the headlines in 2012 when they developed a PPE vending solution, only to meet strong resistance from UCATT, as Berman explains, “We had to listen to the market, we had a good idea, but pitched it at the wrong sector, so we’ve used our skills and expertise in vending to develop a zero cost snack and drink offer that is right for the construction sector. Our PPE machines are now predominantly seen in manufacturing environments”

For many catering specialists a blend of manned service with additional vending machine support is automatically part of the contract offer. Andrew Payne, Associate Director of H&W Catering, specialist construction sector caterers, said, “We have to keep our clients’ people fuelled around the clock, because that’s the way the industry works. Vending is a valuable option to keep everyone happy and the costs down.Someone just wanting a Mars bar or a can of Coke doesn’t want to stand in a queue while other people are choosing cooked food or having sandwiches made up; they want to be in and out as quickly as possible”.

Murphy have been using vending solutions at two Crossrail sites in Woolwich; Billy Killian responsible for stores and logistics at Murphy, particularly likes the flexibility this gives. “Our sites don’t always warrant a fully serviced canteen provision and the nearest shop is a 20 minute round trip, so having a vending solution on site works really well for us, particularly given we can locate the machines in outdoor locations”

David Watret, H&S Manager for Skanska, found combining both vending and ‘live’ catering works well on the Royal London Hospital project. “We managed to find a zero cost solution that offered some hearty and healthy snacks, the guys on the ground really appreciate being able to grab a quick energy boost or a cold drink without having to queue up at the canteen counter or leave site”

So, it may not be hi – vis vests and safety glasses that are being dispensed from vendors, but there certainly seems to be room for well placed vending machines in the right environment, addressing a 24/7 need that has becoming increasingly difficult to manage in an increasingly demanding construction environment. 

For further information visit www.vendease.co.uk