Attending the recent graduation ceremony in Belfast, Allen McMullen recalled his CIOB memories.
CIOB past president Allen McMullen attended the recent graduation ceremony held in Belfast. President from 2005-2006, he was only the second president from Ireland, having served as chair of CIOB in Ireland for two years.
Listening to CEO Caroline Gumble speak about the value of professionalism, McMullen says he was reminded of the advice given to him in 1969 by his father (founder of the family building business J McMullen & Son): to aspire to become a member of the Institute of Building, as CIOB was known then.
“At a CIOB dinner Boris Johnson compared the mayor’s dilemma in Jaws, on whether to open the beach after the first shark attack, to contractors’ approach to health and safety.”
“He told me: ‘We builders need to get ourselves recognised and accepted as equal professionals to the architects, engineers and surveyors we work with on a daily basis.’ Little did he know then that both his sons – my brother Brian is an honorary life member – would become so heavily involved,” said McMullen.
The graduation event also reminded McMullen of the CIOB’s prestigious annual dinners – the platform where CIOB presidents would set out their objectives. At one dinner McMullen recalled a certain Boris Johnson – then shadow minister for higher education – as guest speaker. “When Boris was asked who his political hero was, he didn’t answer with Margaret Thatcher but cited Larry Vaughn, the fictional mayor of the town of Amity in the Jaws movies.
“He compared Mayor Vaughn’s dilemma, on whether or not to open the beach after the first shark attack, to contractors’ approach to the dangers of health and safety on site.
“Mr Johnson posed the question why the industry needed politicians like Mayor Vaughn to legislate more health and safety regulations. Didn’t everyone know there were dangerous ‘sharks’ lurking on construction sites [beaches] in the guise of working at height, unprotected trenches, lack of protective clothing etc?
“It was a surprising analogy, which he has used many times since. But it did confirm in my own mind that a change in culture on site in terms of health, safety and wellbeing is still the best way forward.”
