Below are some selected Level 6 NVQ Diploma in Construction Site Management questions and answers.
1.3 Explain the methods and techniques used and personal attributes required to encourage and maintain working relationships that promote goodwill and trust with relevant people.
Always ask how the people are and do they have everything (such as materials) and if they need help to do anything to help them carry out their work in a safe effective environment. Be very approachable and a very good listener, giving workers a chance to speak at any time of the day, either on-site or in the privacy of the office. Stand by the motto “if they help you, then help them.” Always ask politely and always thank people.
Not giving the team the relevant information will cause other people not to trust you, so give the workers the truth about when materials will turn up and the dates that are required to have things done, thereby ensuring they do not have a wasted journey. If there are any problems, deal with them as quickly as possible – in front of them or on the phone if possible to give them (hopefully) positive relevant information.
1.4 Explain the principles of equality and diversity and how to apply them when working and communicating with others.
Equality is about ‘creating a fairer workplace where everyone has equal opportunities to fulfil their potential, working within a fair and diverse environment free from prejudice and discrimination.
Employers should respect cultural and religious beliefs as well as age and gender needs. Providing opportunities for employees to give feedback and suggestions whilst providing clear and constructive feedback to the employees. Rooms can be multi-functional: for example, some workplaces have a room that doubles up as the printer room and a room to pray with disabled access. Some workplaces have a Muslim toilet on site. In some workplaces, all the signage on site is written in several different languages, especially the security signage. Some workplaces have a calendar on the display board showing the major events for each nationality.
2.2 Explain the different methods and techniques used to inform relevant people about work activities.
The methods and techniques used to inform the work activities are to offer a contractor meeting every Wednesday for an hour, which offers the chance to inform contractors of the programme and the activities needed to be completed and by when they need to do it. This gives a chance for all the trades to communicate and discuss any problems and make suggestions to run the job more effectively.
Another way is to have a daily chat with the contractor face to face and ask them to complete the work for the day, or what will be due to be done the following day.
The last technique would be to send the contractors a programme or a daily list of work they need to complete by which day.
2.3 Explain the effects of not informing relevant people with the expected level of urgency.
If the relevant people are not informed of the level of urgency required, then the project could suffer drastically. Not communicating can delay the delivery of the expected programme as people will not have finished their allocated jobs within the set time slot. This then has a knock-on effect on other trades. Some trades will be able to be moved as they only have a couple of day slots or even one day which might make it easy to shuffle around but if it is someone like utility connection then workplaces would not be able to have another appointment for maybe another two weeks.
The other effects could be a breach of health and safety as one trade might need to carry out the work to make it safe, and others cannot work until they have finished making it safe.
2.4 Explain the different types of work activity-related information and to what level of detail the following people would expect to receive:
– colleagues
– employers
– customers
– contractors
– suppliers of products and services
– other people affected by the work/project.
- Colleagues – They would need to know the day-to-day running of the site, where things are, and where they are with the programme.
- Employers – They would expect to have a client meeting once a week to give them a timescale of the project and discuss any changes or problems with the project and see if it is on time or if the budget has changed.
- Customer- They would need to know if the project is on time or if there are any changes, and if so whether this will they delay the project. They need to be informed of the stages of a build by the sales team in order to make informed choices.
- Contractor – They will need to be informed of the daily works for each day and the dates they will need to have them completed. Any changes to the project need to be communicated so they can adjust their program if need be.
- Supplier- They need to be informed when a business would like the product or service, and if there is a problem they will need to be contacted so they can adjust their programme. They will need to know they have everything in place to carry out their job e.g. if it is a service or if it is a product, they might need a fork truck to unload.
- Others – All the above information would be relevant to the others.
3.2 Explain the techniques of encouraging questions and/or requests for clarification and comments.
Always have a friendly approach to all levels of the hierarchy, being open to either email or face-to-face conversations. In the office, people can leave a question or comment in the comments box. Every day, aim to meet the workforce in the office where they sign in, allowing an opportunity to clarify the day’s work verbally. Alternatively, you can email them or to a higher level.
In the toolbox talks, always stop several times and ask if anyone has any questions. If they do not want to discuss it there and then, they should be offered an opportunity to discuss the matter after the talk.
If training another potential manager, always encourage them to ask any questions on anything, no matter how small or relevant the questions are to the job.
3.3 Explain the different ways of offering advice and help to different people about work activities, in relation to:
– progress
– results
– achievements
– occupational problems
– occupational opportunities
– health and safety requirements
– co-ordinated work.
After a co-ordination meeting with seniors, advice can be given on a programme which can be scheduled for the coming week or longer. This programme will show the progress so far and the upcoming targets and can be emailed to all the trades, pointing out that if anyone has a problem or needs some advice then you are willing to help. In some cases, an email is not sufficient, so it is appropriate to print the programme off and hand this to the contractor in person. The workforce is also briefed every morning and I will then be informed of any results, achievements, and occupational problems that might occur.
Health and safety and co-ordinated work areas should also be explained in the induction process which every person has before they can work on the site, which should last around 45 minutes and clearly explain the rules. At some workplaces, employees watch a video. All around the site, there are usually posters promoting health and safety and occupational hazards as well.
4.2 Explain the methods of clarifying alternative proposals with relevant people.
The methods of clarifying the alternative proposals include calling a meeting with the individual or the group of contractors and explaining what the proposal is. You can have a discussion of the works and see if there are going to be any problems which might occur. This often works well in a group as other contractors will be able to see the potential problems and pass them on to others, giving you the chance to iron out issues before you start. If this is not an option, then send an email explaining the proposal and invite comments and responses.
4.3 Explain the methods of suggesting alternative proposals.
You can hold a meeting and also send out an email to all the contractors requesting that they come to the site on a certain day and time, making sure that they reply to the email to enable foreknowledge of the numbers who can attend. If the numbers are low, then you could change the date or time.
When you are out on site and you have a problem either identified by yourself or the worker, then have the discussion on site with the supervisor or the person carrying out the work, suggesting how to do the work a different way ensuring, thereby ensuring it does not change the safety of the job or you would have to change the rams.
5.2 Explain the methods and techniques used to resolve differences of opinion in ways which minimise offence and maintain goodwill, trust and respect.
Listen to what the person or persons have to say, take them away from the other contractors and offer them to come to the office to discuss the problem even over a cup of tea. Reassure them that the information will be recorded and look into the reason for the differences of opinion. Try and occupy their shoes and consider how they feel and try and calm them down if they are agitated. After all the parties have discussed the issue and explained points of view, hopefully, it is possible to come to a mutual agreement. Assure the person the meeting will have been in confidence and that you are willing to discuss any future matters that arise.