Chapter 3 Culture and leadership in the construction industry

Back in the nineteenth century, the Forth Rail Bridge was growing across the Firth of Forth in Scotland and, in Paris, the French engineer Eiffel was erecting his Tower. Construction work at this time was a dangerous occupation; 57 people were officially accepted to have died on the Forth Rail Bridge, although unofficial figures put the number nearer 80, a tragic but unsurprising statistic for the time. However, what is surprising is that not one life was lost in the construction of the Eiffel Tower.

The key difference between the structurally similar projects was arguably in the approach of their engineers. While Sir Benjamin Baker followed normal working practices of the time, Eiffel had other views about working conditions and safety on site. He established a subsidised canteen that rose with his tower, providing healthy food for his workforce and allowing them to rest rather than make the climb up and down. He also attempted to improve working conditions with the provision of additional decking and sheeting to protect against the elements (Harvie, 2004).