mercury engineering nsgh build

BUILDING SERVICES: MERCURY ENGINEERING UK

88 BUILDING DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION MAGAZINE www.bdcmagazine.co.uk

THE HIGHEST STANDARDS


www.bdcmagazine.co.uk BUILDING DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION MAGAZINE 89

Large construction projects gen-erally make some sort ofimpression on the local areawhere they’re built. In the caseof the South Glasgow Hospital

Campus, where Mercury Engineering is themechanical, electrical and plumbing con-tractor in partnership with main contractorBrookfield Multiplex, the aim is to makethat impression more long-lasting thanmost. “When we finish and move on in ayear and a half, we will leave a legacybehind of people we have trained and setup to work in the area,” remarks ElectricalProject Manager John Fox.

The South Glasgow Hospital Campus is a newhospital complex being constructed in thegrounds of the existing Southern General

Hospital. The project is the largest construction sitein Europe and is the largest hospital ever built inScotland, with over 2,000 operatives on site at anytime. Mercury Engineering is the biggest contrac-tor, employing around 700 of those operatives,either on a full-time staff or sub-contractor basis ina contract worth £180 million and due to last fiftymonths.

The contract is being undertaken in the Governarea of Glasgow where unemployment is relativelyhigh. So one of the key aims of the project, as Johnrecounts, is to help alleviate that situation: “Weengaged with the jobs creator, Jobs and BusinessGlasgow, to provide as many jobs as we possiblycould for the long-term unemployed in the Glasgowarea. We also have a very close tie in with SECTT,which is the body that manages and operatesschemes for both apprentice and adult training. We

MERCURY IS A PRIVATELY OWNEDCOMPANY, FORMED IN1972, THAT HAS ITSHEADQUARTERS INDUBLIN, A UK OFFICEIN GLASGOW ANDOFFICES IN CENTRALAND EASTERN EUROPE,THE MIDDLE EAST ANDNORTH AFRICA

have provided somewhere in the region of fortyapprenticeships on-site, electrical and plumbing, for peo-ple who have been started specifically for the project.

“Some people will finish their time here and oth-ers will move on to other projects. We have takenon about nineteen adult trainees, predominantlyadults that have some experience in the electricalindustry working in a semi-skilled fashion. We putthem through a three year training course and, atthe end of that period, they come out as qualifiedelectricians.”

APPRENTICESHIP COMMITMENTMercury has always believed in employing a largenumber of apprentices and has a big commitment tothe apprenticeship principle. But this special focus forthe particular project aimed to provide additionalbenefits specifically to the local community and waswritten into the contract. The job targets were set byJobs and Business Glasgow but, according to John,Mercury “took that on and stretched the boundaries”and, as a result, it exceeded those targets.

The company’s commitment to improving localemployment led to success with one apprentice inparticular. “Steven Simpson was an apprentice whowe took on after he was made redundant by a previ-ous company where he had an apprenticeship butwhich went into liquidation,” recalls John. “I was con-tacted by the local SECTT Training Officer to see if wecould do anything for him. At interview, he seemedvery keen so we gave him an offer of employment,



MERCURY HAS ALWAYS BELIEVED IN EMPLOYING A LARGE NUMBER OF APPRENTICES AND HAS A BIG COMMITMENT TO THE APPRENTICESHIP PRINCIPLE

Scottish apprentice awards. From left to right: Robbie O’Donovan

(Mercury Senior Project Manager; Scott Laing and Stephen

Simpson; and John Fox (Mercury Project Manager

Scottish apprentice awards: Anne Galbraith SECTT Chief Executive, Stephen Simpson

Mercury Engineering 2nd year electrical apprentice of the year & John Fox Mercury

Engineering, electrical project manager for the New South Glasgow Hospital



which he took up, and he worked extremely wellthrough his time here. He was at Ayrshire Collegeand he won the West of Scotland Apprentice of theYear regional competition, which gave him entrythrough to the All Scottish Apprentice of the YearAward and he won that one as well. Now he’s able togo forward for the UK Skills Award.”

Mercury’s involvement at the South GlasgowHospital Campus continues its practice of working ina variety of sectors that include nuclear, petrochem-ical, data centres and pharmaceuticals as well ashealthcare. These all provide different challengesthat, according to John, the company is well able tomeet: “We have a diverse workforce where we havepeople who will specialise in healthcare and somewho specialise in data centres. We also have a coreof people who are capable of moving across thebusinesses and will work on any given constructionsite so we cover the full spectrum of the industry.”

SPECIALIST EQUIPMENTThe work typically extends to providing all theswitch gear, power cabling and the physical parts ofthe installation in a data centre but then using a spe-cialist for the data cabling. The same principleapplies in hospitals, where Mercury deals with all thecabling and controls but suppliers will install theirown specialist equipment, make the final connectionand handle the commissioning. John explains: “If aCT scanner is being installed, we will do all the workand provide everything up to the scanner, then thespecialist will fit the equipment, do the final hookups and run the scanner to make sure it’s doingwhat it’s supposed to do.

“We work in conjunction with the specialist, find-ing out exactly what they need and taking the jobto a point where they do the final hook up and com-mission the specialist equipment. Mercury will installand commission all the water services, heating services, the high voltage system, low voltage sys-tems for the fire alarms and data. We will take that to a completion and provide completion certifi-cates but, on the back of that, we have specialistvendors for x-ray, CT scanners and operating

MERCURY’S INVOLVEMENT AT THE SOUTH GLASGOW HOSPITALCAMPUS CONTINUES ITS PRACTICEOF WORKING IN A VARIETY OF SECTORS

CONTINUED ON PAGE 96 4



The project will expand and upgrade the existing maternity hospital and develop new

regional adult and children’s hospitals plus supporting facilities. It will be the largest and

most advanced single NHS development in the UK and will create one of the largest

hospital complexes in Europe at a total cost of £842 million.

The outline business case was approved by the Scottish Government in May 2008 and

was followed by contract award to Brookfield Multiplex in November 2009 and approval of

the full business case at the end of 2010. Work commenced on the new laboratory and

facilities management building in the first quarter of 2010 with the construction of the new

adult and children’s hospital starting one year later. The refurbished maternity unit opened

in 2010, the laboratory and facilities management building was completed in March 2012

while the new hospitals are due for completion in the first quarter of 2015 and should be

operational in the summer of that year.

The aim is to provide a gold standard of healthcare from the single site, which will

have the biggest critical care complex and one of the biggest emergency departments

in Scotland. The new adult hospital will provide 1,109 beds in single room, en suite

accommodation over fourteen floors plus emergency, acute receiving, critical care, thirty

operating theatres and diagnostic services.

The separate children’s hospital replaces the Royal Hospital for Sick Children and will

provide 256 beds in four-bedded and single-bedded accommodation over five floors plus

specialist services that include cardiology and cardiac surgery, renal and bone marrow

transplantation. There’s a part-covered roof garden for outdoor activities, including a stage

for theatrical productions.

The refurbished maternity unit has world-class facilities that include a new foetal

medicine department providing specialist diagnostic facilities and treatment to unborn

babies from across Scotland. It will be linked to the new adult and children’s hospitals

via a walkway bridge.

The laboratory accommodates blood sciences, pathology, genetics, microbiology,

post-mortem and mortuary services while the facilities management facility supplies the FM

management hub for the campus. They are linked to the adult and children’s hospitals by

an underground tunnel that will provide a route for automated guided vehicles to deliver

supplies and remove waste.

NEW SOUTH GLASGOW HOSPITAL CAMPUS



theatre equipment so they take over and do thefinal commissioning.”

There’s an increasingly heavy involvement inenvironmental and energy issues, with Mercurycurrently working on a thermal power station inRuncorn where waste from the local area is con-verted to energy that goes into the NationalGrid. In common with other work, that coversthe installation of cabling and controls for con-nection to the specialist equipment.

EMPLOYEE WELFAREFor all types of work, however, health and safetytakes a major role in keeping with a company

where, as on the South Glasgow HospitalCampus project, the welfare of employees haspriority. It extends to having full-time health andsafety advisors on site under the control of ahealth and safety manager and working closelywith the main contractor that has its own team.

On a big site such as the South GlasgowHospital Campus, there are around ten full-timehealth and safety advisors, who provide andenforce the procedures and safe systems for theoperatives to work with. That covers both thecompany’s own workforce as well as sub-con-tractors, who are fully vetted through itsapproved vendor system. “They have to



demonstrate their health and safety ability, theirhistory and that they are a safe working company,”comments John. “No matter what their financialcosts or how cheaply they say they can do the job,health and safety is king and if they are notdeemed a safe company, they won’t work forMercury.”

MERCURY ENGINEERING Mercury is a privately owned company, formed in1972, that has its headquarters in Dublin, a UK officein Glasgow and offices in central and eastern Europe,the Middle East and North Africa. Annual revenuesexceed €450 million and the company deliversmainly mechanical and electrical services plus fireprotection, facilities management, interior fit-outs,maintenance and IT services across a wide range ofsectors that include oil and gas, data centres, com-mercial, pharmaceuticals and manufacturing.

The company’s market-leading position inengineering solutions is built on a policy ofemploying the best people, investing heavily intheir training and education, and ensuring thehighest standards of health, safety and governanceare applied throughout the organisation. It alsouses state of the art IT systems so it can efficientlymanage its projects. Added to that is a procure-ment team that sources the best quality and mostsuitable materials and equipment from worldwidesuppliers to ensure every job is tailored to the

SCOTTISH ELECTRICAL CHARITABLE TRAINING TRUST (SECTT)

SECTT was established in 1990 to run the Scottish Joint Industry Board training schemes. They regulate

the entry conditions of service, training and education of all persons in the electrical contracting industry,

with a particular focus on apprenticeships. It was set up and is partly managed by SELECT, Scotland’s

trade association for the electrical industry, and union Unite. SECTT manages the apprentices through

their training until they become fully qualified electricians.

Jobs & Business Glasgow

Previously Glasgow’s Regeneration Agency, this arms length external organisation for Glasgow City

Council aims to help Glasgow residents into employment and training. It does this by equipping them

with the skills that employers value so they’re more competitive in the jobs market and it also helps

increase the number of starts ups and their resilience to create more jobs.

The organisation has so far created thousands of opportunities and is one of those helping to deliver

the council’s £25 million Glasgow Guarantee. This aims to make sure all Glaswegians between 16 and

24 have access to a job, training or an apprenticeship.

EMPLOYMENT PARTNERS



needs of clients, cost-effective and delivered in atimely fashion.

COMPANY VALUESMercury’s 2,000 plus skilled and professionalemployees in the UK are at the centre of its suc-cess and so the company places great emphasison their health, well-being and the furtherance oftheir careers. Safety is prioritised and is based onthe involvement of everyone so they can con-tribute ideas and feedback. High professional stan-dards are set and there’s a commitment to be thebest, with a constant investment in technology andworking practices to ensure quality in constructionand continued success.

Central to Mercury’s values is an investment intraining to deliver well-trained and knowledgeableemployees. The company provides a considerable

number of apprenticeships and adult training aswell as graduate and management developmentprogrammes. It’s spent four consecutive years inthe list of the top 100 companies graduates wantto work for, provides mentoring and executivecoaching programmes for all levels of employeesand runs an annual awards scheme that coversapprentice of the year in various categories, safetyand quality, productivity and the newcomer mak-ing the greatest impact.l

The company holds ISO 9001 and 14001, isaudited bi-annually and accredited by externalquality systems auditor BM TRADA. It has beenawarded its fifth Achilles supplier certificate andpassed all required phases with high recommen-dation and scores of 90.6% for health and safety,93.8% for environmental and 90.1% for qualityassurance.

CENTRAL TOMERCURY’S VALUES IS ANINVESTMENT IN TRAINING TO DELIVER WELL-TRAINED ANDKNOWLEDGEABLEEMPLOYEES



Mercury’s safety record has shown considerableimprovement over recent years. The number of lostwork day cases fell from 44 in 2007 to five in 2011,the number of cases with medical treatment onlyreduced from 39 to ten and there were no fatalitiesover the period.

OTHER PROJECTSA £41 million contract at the Acute Hospital,Enniskillen, lasted thirty months and provided fullM&E services for the 312-bed hospital plus A&E,theatres and other departments. The project alsoincluded the provision of a biomass CHP plant andfull electrical backup in the form of generators andUPS/IPS.

Primark in Lincoln was a £2.5 million, three-month contract to design, supply and install lighting,general services, fire alarms, telephone and data,public address systems, generator, UPS, intruderand panic alarms, access control and CCTV systems.

The contract also included power supplies to lifts,roller doors and mechanical systems.

Forest Hill Pool in London involved the designand build of M&E services for the learner and adultpools, fitness studio and offices. The project was deliv-ered to a BREEAM very good rating due to the useof good build fabrics, a CHP plant, rainwater harvest-ing and grey water for the WCs and gardening use.

Dublin Airport’s new Terminal 2 and Pier E willprovide a 21st Century gateway to Ireland. Mercurywas contracted to install complete M&E, fire protec-tion and technology services in a contract lasting 28months and worth £90 million.

A £56 million contract in Croydon for a fullturnkey system posed many challenges due to thefacility being built on a landfill site and requiringunderpinning prior to internal fit-out. The site wasalso close to housing so there were tight planningcriteria relating to noise levels, both during con-struction and afterwards.



A project in Woking involved a completeturnkey package for seventeen data halls,200,000 square feet of technical space and20,000 square feet of office space. It ran for thirtymonths and had a contract value of £96 million.

Mercury has undertaken the full electricalinstallation for an anaerobic digestion facility inCumbernauld as well as providing M&E and fireprotection for a thermal energy plant in Runcorn.A £78 million contract for a green energy centrein Birmingham requires the company to carry outfull EPCO duties for a district heating system todistribute energy around a manufacturing site.

The Corrib Field is a gas field located 60-65kilometres off the County Mayo coast. It is beingdeveloped by Shell and Mercury is installing fullM&E and instrumentation services to the newonshore terminal in a forty-month contract worth£111 million

www.mercuryeng.comTel: 0141 2040333

THE COMPANY’SMARKET-LEADINGPOSITION IN ENGINEERINGSOLUTIONS ISBUILT ON A POLICYOF EMPLOYINGTHE BEST PEOPLEAND INVESTINGHEAVILY IN THEIRTRAINING ANDEDUCATION

mercury engineering nsgh build

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