Operations / Projects

In Théziers, a small town in the Gard region in the south of France, the landscape has changed. Site supervisor Fabrice Accardo explains: "A river, the Briançon, crosses through the center of town. The Briançon has flooded over its banks several times in the last few years, so we were asked to try and solve the problem. We did some earthworks... just like we do on other projects! " Colas cut into the embankments and widened the riverbed. The water flowed too quickly because the riverbed was in a straight line, so the teams created meanders to slow the flow. Ecological engineering at its best, and a segment in which Colas is developing its expertise. For Fabrice and his teams, who are used to working on roads, this was a first, with its share of new experiences. "We had to work around the plants that were growing on site. The aristolochia, a protected species of plant, was moved out of harm’s way and replanted at the end of the project," explains Fabrice. On the other hand, the elephant cane or arundo donax, a highly invasive species of reed, was removed, and crushed, then reused to cover the embankments. As a final touch, micro-habitats designed to accommodate small animals and insects were installed across the site whose users, unique in their own right, seem to be very happy with their new homes!
 

“I began my career as a Print technician and photoengraver. But I was fed up being shut away in an office so I retrained as a driver.” In 1991, Michel joined Colas as a Truck Driver with the Privas profit center. Since 2001, he has been an Automatic Patching Machine Operator with the Valence profit center. “I need to see the outdoors”, he explains. I love to watch the sunrise first thing in the morning when I start work! Every jobsite is different and so is every landscape.” Working in contact with all of the profit center’s teams, Michel loves to learn from them and pass on his own experience. So he jumped at the opportunity to become a Driving Instructor-Tester and Lead-Driver to train and advise drivers as well as site supervisors and foreman. “There is always something new to discover when you work with older colleagues or people doing a different job to your own”, he explains. When the Valence profit center organizes prevention initiatives, such as the “blind spot” workshops, Michel is always first in line. “I always want to learn and improve. That’s what entrepreneurial skills are all about as far as I’m concerned: lead from the front, grab opportunities, develop my capacities and those of the machine I’m operating to become more efficient and make the work easier.”
 

“I always wanted to be a construction engineer and work with France. Colas gave me the opportunity to fulfill both dreams at the same time. I studied French at high school, I love the language and the country. After completing my studies at the Poznan University of Technology, I had to choose between roads and buildings”, explains Karol. Circumstances decided for him: Colas had a profit center in his town. The student read everything he could get his hands on about Colas, his enthusiasm grew and he went for it, paving the way to a career in roads! An intern before being hired by the company in 2004 despite the fact that he had yet to complete his studies, Karol gained a variety of experience and gradually rose through the ranks: site engineer, site supervisor, project manager. Today, he is responsible for some major projects, including the construction of two 20-km sections of expressway between Poznan and Wroclaw. Depending on the project, he works in partnership with Czechs, Slovaks, Italians, etc. He thrives on the diversity of his tasks, the international dimension his job gives him, the challenge of complex negotiations… and he never forgets to head out to the jobsites. “I need to feel the atmosphere, meet the teams and keep things concrete so that I understand the problems that can arise. I still derive the same pleasure from being out in the field.”
 

During her engineering studies at the INSA engineering school in Strasbourg, Alix completed two internships: one at Colas Centre-Ouest’s Bourges profit center, as assistant project engineer, and the other in La Rochelle’s technical services department, where she helped draw up the town’s environmental standards. After graduating at the end of 2015 she applied to Colas and began a tour of France that took her around the country. “Roads and services, drainage, asphalt mixes: I took part in a variety of projects, discovered all aspects of jobsite operations and learned a lot about the technical and organizational side of profit centers. Every four months, I moved to a completely different professional and personal environment. It was a great experience.” Alix, who returned to Brittany in 2017, is now project engineer on urban development projects, including an esplanade at Rennes railway station. “This is a complex project with interface and flow management issues in an operating railway station. It is also highly qualitative, with prestigious materials like granite. Good communication with the job superintendent is the key. We work in tandem. The city and the profit center are extremely dynamic. I feel useful and am delighted to have settled in Rennes!”
 

“I have been fascinated by trucks since I was a child.” Alain has been driving trucks for more than thirty years. Even after all this time, Alain admits with a smile that he still gets “as much pleasure behind the wheel as always” After he joined the Group in 2001, he was very soon asked to train to become a workplace first-aider. “Our role is to provide first aid in the event of an accident on a jobsite and to conduct prevention initiatives, ensure site safety and raise employees’ awareness of the risks present throughout the year.” When Alain found out that Colas was looking for workplace first-aider trainers he jumped at the chance. For him, it was an opportunity to give the company something “extra”, a challenge that would help him continue to grow. “We are all responsible for our own safety and for that of others. It is something that affects us all.” The Group implements a raft of prevention initiatives and trains numerous employees. On any given jobsite, some 40% of employees present are workplace first-aiders. “This year, I’m going to take part in a training course aimed at preventing accidents caused by poor posture. I’m 55 years old and I reckon that if I have to spend less time behind the wheel of a truck, I could still remain on-site as a first-aider and a trainer!”
 

From buckwheat pancakes to public works, all it takes is one step! About 30 years ago, after having tried his hand at numerous trades, from mechanic to warehouseman, including an apprenticeship in construction at the age of 16, Alain was hired in a pancake restaurant where he worked for 6 years. But the work pace in this line of business did not give him a good work/life balance. So, he decided to hand in his apron and register with a temporary employment agency. This is how he discovered the world of public works through assignments at Screg in Nantes. He soon got caught up in the field of construction and began learning the trade on the job. In a good working environment and with varied tasks, Alain was permanently hired at Screg in 1995. Since then, he has continued to work with enthusiasm and great care on every project. He has become very self-reliant, professional and enjoys mutual trust with coworkers. Highly versatile, Alain works on projects involving earthworks, drainage, networks, curb-laying and road construction. Independent and often with the same team, he learns something every day and never gets bored. Big or small, for him the satisfaction is the same - to do work that admittedly requires a lot of effort, but is very rewarding. He hopes to pass on his love of his job, and his concern for safety, to the younger employees who sometimes accompany him. And when people ask him how he manages to work outside in the cold and in the heat, Alain answers “I love my job”!