Employee Spotlight: Alex Uncles
SHEQ Manager, SHEQ Team.
Meet Alex Uncles, Maylim’s SHEQ Manager, site safety champion, retained firefighter, and lifelong horse lover.
Alex has been with us for over three years, making sure every project runs safely and that everyone goes home in one piece. Off the clock, he’s responding to 999 calls with Bedfordshire Fire & Rescue and helping keep patients stable until the ambulance arrives. Find out what drives him, what surprised us, and what he gets up to when he’s not in hi-vis.
How long you’ve been with Maylim, Alex?
3 years 2 months
So, what do you do at Maylim?
My role here at Maylim is to provide advice and guidance to the project teams, Site-, Project- and Contract Managers, and Senior Leadership Team about all things relating to the Health and Safety of our staff and all of those who may be affected by what we do (or don’t do!!).
I try to ensure that we always work safely in everything that we do, that we meet all of our Regulatory requirements, and that everyone gets to go home in at least the same condition (if not better!) that they arrived at the start of the day.
Often seen walking around site, looking into things that sometimes you might prefer I didn’t!!
What’s your background and what drives you in your work?
Over the years, I’ve worked in many different aspects of construction, and for organisations of all different sizes, with landscaping and highways being my strongest experience. I always try to balance ‘the need to get the job done’ with how we can achieve that while keeping everyone safe and working compliantly – sometimes a difficult combination to bring about.
What makes you proud to be part of Maylim?
I find it is the people in Maylim who make it what it is – the vast majority care greatly about each other and what we deliver, not only for our clients, but also for the people who will use our end-product. And what an end-product it is – we really do produce some stunning results, and I am very proud to be a part of that.
Alex, what’s something your colleagues might not know about you?
I have a long-standing love of horses and had my own Shire-X mare for ten years (until time pressures meant that I just couldn’t juggle everything any longer!). I still absolutely love being around them whenever I can (which unfortunately isn’t that often these days) but have imparted this passion into my youngest daughter as well now!
When you’re not at work, what keeps you busy?
Apart from my three kids (obviously!!), and my dog, and as many know, a lot of my ‘out of work’ time is spent as a Firefighter with Bedfordshire Fire & Rescue Service, through which I also respond for the Ambulance Service as well, responding to their emergency calls, and trying to keep patients alive until the ambulance can get to them.
The best part of this, for me, has got to be as an emergency response driver – taking an emergency vehicle, whether it is an 18-tonne fire engine or a rapid response car on blue lights through busy traffic is quite an adrenaline buzz!!
But the teamwork and camaraderie in our station is unlike anywhere else that I have ever worked…. When you’re frequently faced with life and death situations, knowing that your colleagues have your back just as you have theirs, builds quite a unique relationship.
