8 March 2023

International Women's Day

Hutchies celebrates IWD to recognise women in the workforce, but we also support and advocate for women all year round. 

Our network of female leaders provides a platform for our women to develop experience in a diverse range of challenging roles and projects. Our learning culture provides the opportunity to develop leading edge construction knowledge with the support of some of the best across disciplines. 

Central to Hutchies’ structure is the ownership principle that demands individuals take responsibility for the part they play. We acknowledge the enormous contribution of women at Hutchies, and the positive impact they are having to the industry and communities we build.  

Our unyielding effort is to create an environment that provides individual support to all Hutchies' people. We want to foster a feeling of safety, respect and inclusion, with a stable platform to confidently build a career. 

Last year, Hutchies continued to #BreakTheBias around women in the workforce as we celebrated 25 years of membership with the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC). Further, we partnered with a range of new associations, including UNIQ You and Women in Design and Construction, to expand our organic reach and attract new female talent.  

For 2023, Hutchies will continue to #EmbraceEquity through the implementation of our newly developed female participation objectives. These will guide us to meet the needs of our people, the industry and our clients. We have also developed ‘Hutchies Hive’ as a culture hub for company members to access support and resources to suit their individual needs.  

Finally, to celebrate the achievements of women at Hutchies we have created the following IWD specific Humans of Hutchies' posters for pinning up around offices and sites.

You can find these posters and more on our Women in Construction page


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Other Recent Activities

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30 October / Quality Alert

Engineered stone ban effective 1 July 2024

ALL engineered stone regardless of the silica content percentage will be banned


Alternative products must be considered and implemented on all projects.

The industry is shifting away from engineered stone due to the risks of respirable crystalline silica, which can cause silicosis and other silica-related diseases. Although the consultations are under way and there has been no official announcement by Federal or State Governments on the issue, the health and safety risks along with the uncertainty around this issue warrants a decision to ban all engineered products entering job sites nationally. The ban will take effect on 1 July 2024 and will extend to ALL engineered stone regardless of the silica content percentage. 

An update to this alert will be provided before the end of the year when the Federal and State Governments are expected to issue a formal decision on the ban. In the meantime, to mitigate the impact of potential delays and variations, the best approach is to inform the clients of the pending ban and to propose and seek approval for an alternative product. Similarly, ensure all future estimates have the stone specification qualified and priced accordingly.

Product alternatives going forward include:

Compact Laminates

  • Under 1% silica content
  • Extremely competitive pricing
  • Only comes in 12mm thickness
  • Heat resistance is an issue
  • Product not suitable for high end applications

Porcelain Surfaces

  • Under 10% silica content
  • Price dependant of product and supplier
  • Large variety of colours and thicknesses (4, 8, 12, 20 and 30mm)
  • Great resistance to staining, scratches, UV and heat
  • Good warranty terms

Acrylic Solid Surfaces

  • 0% silica content
  • More expensive alternative
  • Limited thickness availability
  • UV stable and heat resistant but direct heat exposure not advised
  • Minimising wastage through flexibility in sheet sizing
  • Seamless joints

Natural Stone*

  • Various silica content percentages
  • Variety of products at different price points available
  • Ongoing maintenance may be an issue
  • Unlikely to satisfy specific warranty requirements

*Although this alert does not directly impact natural stone, some types have high silica content so risk of using these on projects should be considered carefully.

For an up-to-date list of available products and their usability, click here.


More information

If you need additional support, please contact the Quality Team:

Phone 1300 HUTCHIES
Email QualityTeam@hutchinsonbuilders.com.au

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10 October / Update

Make sure bin chute systems are installed correctly, following the tested systems and the manufacturers’ instructions.

Check the detailed drawings from Elephant’s Foot and Wastech for different wall types (plasterboard, shaft-liner, speed panel, concrete, Hebel, and masonry).

Any changes to the tested systems must be approved by your project certifier, signed off by the fire engineer in the fire engineering report (FER), and accepted by the relevant state / territory fire service.

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