Construction of a food preparation facility in Bridgwater has commenced with TCi as the principal contractor.
The facility is to comprise a steel building structure to contain a food manufacturing plant to provide full catering requirements for a vast local development once it is operational.
As with any TCi site, safety is paramount. Operatives and visitors are given a comprehensive safety presentation as part of their induction and toolbox talks. POWRA risk assessments are in place for every task. Whilst heavy machinery is being used to prepare footings for the steel structure, a strict exclusion zone and barrier system is in place to keep operatives safe. Other examples of good practice include an excavator bucket exchange management system which separates the operator from physical hazards.
The build contract was won by TCi through competitive tender in addition to other contracts with the client. Local subcontractors and suppliers are engaged throughout the construction project, and when complete, the facility will be operated by a collection of local food and drink producers that have been brought together in order to compete for large catering contracts. The collective promotes a genuine “field to fork” philosophy, ensuring that food is sourced as locally as possible, generating a legacy for the area that will stretch well beyond the landmark construction project that the kitchen is being created for.
Contractors engaged on the site include; Harris & Harris – Civils & Drainage, Pitney Fabrication – Structural Steel, Prodeck – Mezzanine, Aspen Services – Cold Rooms & Catering Equipment.
The project is due to complete early in 2018 and the operators predict they will be using 1.5m eggs, half a million kilos of meat, fish, vegetables and fruit, 20 tonnes of cheese and 1.2m tea bags each year at peak production.
TCi construction WORKS, based in Bideford, Devon, specialises in the construction and refurbishment of clean room and GMP environments for pharmaceutical, catering and medical manufacturing industries throughout the South West.