Women in Construction Rasa Miknevičiūtė (IOSH)
In honour of International Women’s Day, we are shining a spotlight on some of our brilliant female employees who are in roles that may be considered as traditionally male. We have asked six of our employees about their experiences at Lancer Scott and within the construction industry in general. Here we talk to Rasa Miknevičiūtė (IOSH) who is a HSEQ Advisor with the company.
Have you always wanted to pursue a career as a H&S Advisor?
A short answer is “No”. And it’s not because I think that construction industry is something where women doesn’t belong, it’s purely because I wasn’t aware of any career opportunities in such industry. Originally I’m from Lithuania, and once I’ve finished the high school I started studying law, however, it just happened that I’ve decided to move to UK back in 2010, that’s were I thought I would continue my studies. However, a few years later, I happened to join one of the construction companies in Bristol and that’s where my journey in Health and Safety has began.
And so far, after being in the industry for some time now, I absolutely love it!
Do you feel there is still a stigma around women working within construction?
I personally don’t feel to be any different or treated differently from anyone else working in construction. However, I would be lying if I said that I’ve never experienced any inappropriate comments whilst carrying out H&S inspections on construction sites. However, over the time I have learned that it takes time for the perception of women in construction to fully change.
Tell us a little bit of what a typical day at work involves.
Lancer Scott construction projects are based across the England and Wales, so it certainly involves a lot of travelling. I would be carrying out the H&S inspections and ensuring that the high standards of H&S is met on all projects, whilst working closely with project management teams and contractors. Some days, involves accidents / incidents investigations and meetings with senior management to discuss the H&S performance on Lancer Scott sites.
Do you think more needs to be done to encourage women to pursue a career in the construction industry?
I would say yes, I do believe that there are a lot of talented young women who wouldn’t even consider to pursue a career in the construction industry, simply only because it is not advertised well enough.
What has been the most surprising part of being a woman working in construction?
A most surprising and / or favourite thing about working in construction is that there will never be a day I know everything about the industry. Every day is different and it’s never boring.