Case Studies

She also spent a few years living with her grandparents when she was young. Her grandfather was an engineer in the Royal Navy and his influence, coupled with Rebecca’s educational preferences, put her on an almost inevitable career path.

Overcoming her dyslexia, Rebecca went on to achieve a first class honours degree in Structural Engineering with Architecture in 2007. During her time at Edinburgh University she gained experience working on summer placements with building and civil engineering company Sir Robert McAlpine Ltd, where she now works full time.

Rebecca is currently a Chief Engineer, overseeing the construction of student accommodation. The work also involves demolition and the refurbishment of a listed building. She has a lot to manage, not least the safety of everyone on site.

Rebecca takes safety seriously. She’s a qualified first aider and while she’s proud of this she doesn’t want to use her first aid knowledge on site if she can help it. She wants to stop people getting hurt in the first place and describes safety as a “moral obligation”. Rebecca says safety is “probably the most important part of my job.”

A number of engineers joining Sir Robert McAlpine Ltd sit the NEBOSH National Certificate in Construction Health and Safety. It’s part of an initiative there, which sees those who qualify go on to apply their knowledge by carrying out safety inspections of other construction sites in operation. Rebecca says taking the Construction Certificate was “hugely beneficial” to her.

“It’s made a massive difference to the general safety culture of the sites I’ve worked on,” she told us. “I think it’s essential for any young engineer starting in the industry to have that knowledge so they can make informed decisions.”

Rebecca didn’t just pass her NEBOSH Construction Certificate, she received the highest mark in the 2009 - 2010 sitting. This meant she won the Ian Whittingham Award, an achievement she’s immensely proud of.

Ian Whittingham passed away in 2009 and the Award is a tribute to his contribution to construction safety. Ian fell from height while working as a roofer in 1993 - an incident which left him paralysed from the waist down. He subsequently campaigned tirelessly for improvements in construction safety and was awarded an MBE in 2003 for his health and safety work.

There’s no doubt Ian would have felt inspired by the attitude being shown towards safety by some of the new generation now entering the industry - people like Rebecca Churnside.

Site engineering is Rebecca’s passion. She can’t help but stop and gaze at completed buildings she’s worked on. It gives her a huge sense of achievement. She says she’ll always work in engineering and doesn’t plan on taking a dedicated role in health and safety. So Rebecca may not ever be a full-time health and safety professional, but she thinks like one, and that’s what matters.