Celebrating the 125th anniversary of WHR's Mallaig extension
01 Apr 2026The extension opened on 1st April 1901 and contains a series of major viaducts, including the iconic Glenfinnan Viaduct
Our Three Chamberlain Square project team and local firefighters recently joined forces for a unique health and safety training day on a tower crane.
Our project team working on Three Chamberlain Square at Paradise Birmingham took great pleasure in extending an exclusive invitation to West Midlands First Service Technical Rescue Unit , offering them the opportunity to use our own tower crane on site to conduct their training exercise.
The safety of crane operations is paramount on site, especially when working on high-rise construction projects. During the training session, our team engaged with real-life simulations which involved rescuing a crane operator in distress due to illness or injury. While a dummy was used for realism and safety purposes, the exercise provided invaluable practical experience, shedding light on the complexities of crane rescues.
Read more From Andy Towers, Chief Engineer at Sir Robert McAlpineThe rescue training was a huge success, everyone that took part thoroughly enjoyed the day. This training improves the safety of everyone on our site by increasing our capabilities to rescue an injured person from a multitude of dangerous situations.
The rescue training was a huge success, everyone that took part thoroughly enjoyed the day. This training improves the safety of everyone on our site by increasing our capabilities to rescue an injured person from a multitude of dangerous situations.
We took this opportunity to offer our tower crane to West Midlands Fire Service Technical Rescue Unit, who spent the day simulating rescue scenarios from a crane on our live construction site. They said this was a rare and hugely beneficial opportunity to them.
Watch Manager Shyam Rana, of West Midlands Fire Service, said: “Our crews train and take part in exercises regularly, so we can provide the best possible response when our specialist skills are needed. We were extremely grateful for this opportunity to hone our working-at-height, rope rescue and casualty care skills, and for being made so welcome.”
Through this collaboration and sharing our tower crane, we looked to enhance health and safety, not just for construction, but also for the greater good of the community.
Well done to all participants!
The extension opened on 1st April 1901 and contains a series of major viaducts, including the iconic Glenfinnan Viaduct
The team gathered to celebrate a topping out ceremony following steels completion in late January
Last month, Rachael Smith, People and Culture Executive Director at Sir Robert McAlpine, and Katy Maloney, Trainee Quantity Surveyor, spoke at the Empowering You Conference with Forces Employment Charity.