Responsible Business.
How we run DDC matters as much as the work we deliver. This page sets out how we look after our people, reduce our impact on the environment and support the communities we work in.
People
People.
Equality, Diversity & Inclusion
DDC is a place where everyone, in the office or on site, is respected and can be themselves at work. We recruit on skill and attitude, offer flexible working and create routes to progress at every level. Every voice counts, regardless of background, gender, ethnicity, age, ability or belief.
That culture is led from the top. As two women leading a highways engineering business, Lisa Dummelow, Chief Executive, and Carol Han, Managing Director, know first-hand the challenges and opportunities of building a diverse, modern company in a traditionally male-dominated industry.
The evidence
National Highways invited Carol to share DDC’s EDI journey with the wider supply chain, and she has spoken on inclusive culture at a Supply Chain School keynote.
“Inclusion is something we build into every hire, every project and every conversation. Sharing that with the wider industry is how change spreads.”
Carol Han, Managing Director
Health, Safety & Wellbeing
As a Principal Contractor on the Strategic Road Network, we work on some of the busiest roads in Europe. Protecting our people, our partners and road users comes first.
Safety at DDC belongs to everyone. We follow the Hearts and Minds model adopted by National Highways, so everyone, from the leadership team to the site, takes responsibility for their own safety and the safety of those around them.
We give mental health the same priority as physical safety, with confidential helplines, awareness campaigns on mental health and hidden disabilities, and peer support from trained colleagues.
The evidence
Accredited to ISO 45001 and SSIP
A Safety Committee that brings leaders, site and office teams together to review and improve how we work
A positive interventions system, so anyone can log a risk they’ve spotted and stopped
Behavioural safety workshops across the business
Environment
Environment.
Environmental Management
Sustainability is a mindset that runs through everything we do, from our site operations to our office purchasing.
On site, that means working within ecological constraints and consents, preventing spills and runoff, segregating waste and using low-impact methods of site access and clearance.
In the office, we choose eco-certified suppliers and products wherever available, and look for ways to cut the energy we use, from lighting to heating.
We reduce, reuse and recycle before anything goes to landfill, and we train our teams to consider environmental risk at every stage.
The evidence
Accredited to ISO 14001
Regular internal audits of our environmental performance
Certified Carbon Neutral
We’re proud to be certified carbon neutral by Carbon Neutral Britain. We measure our emissions every year, reduce them wherever we can and offset what we can’t yet eliminate through verified schemes.
Each year we review our footprint to find where we can go further: investing in lower-emission vehicles and equipment, choosing suppliers and partners who share our commitment, and making carbon part of how our teams plan and deliver work. Over time, our aim is to reduce what we offset year on year.
The evidence
Certified by Carbon Neutral Britain
Certification covering Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions: our vehicles and equipment, the energy we use, and our wider value chain, including travel, waste and procurement
Community
Community.
Social Value
True value extends beyond the work we deliver on site. Through every project we aim to leave a positive legacy by funding and partnering with local organisations that inspire creativity, connection and inclusion.
The evidence
We fund an ongoing programme of art and British Sign Language sessions for adults recovering from brain injuries at West Park Hospital in Wolverhampton. The sessions are delivered by local arts organisation Real Arts Workshops (RAW), with support from Your RWTC, the charity of The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust.
Participants have made clay creations, dot paintings, optical illusion drawings and canvas tote bags, and learned BSL from Deaf tutor Gary O’Dowd.
“The workshops lifted my mood and helped me connect with others who understand my disability.”
Participant, West Park Hospital Neuro Rehabilitation Unit