Women in Construction: Highlighting the work of two incredible women at the heart of our team

Emma Gooding, one of our women in construction

HIGHLY-SKILLED, talented women in construction are right at the heart of Acorn Analytical Services’ success, taking on key roles within our business and leading the fight against the UK’s asbestos epidemic.

In recent years, many more women in construction have chosen to take on roles within the asbestos industry and at Acorn we do everything possible to provide everyone who works here with the skills and experience they need to build successful careers.

As part of Women in Construction Week we wanted to take the opportunity to shine a light on the achievements of two of the brilliant women who work with us, surveyor Emma Gooding and analyst, Maria Ghimpu.

At the front line in the battle against asbestos

Surveyor, Emma, joined Acorn Analytical Services in October 2020, shortly after the first Covid lockdown.

Her role at Acorn sees her travel across all four corners of the UK, where she surveys buildings, checking them for the presence of asbestos.

She said: “Recently I’ve been to Lincoln, Northern Ireland and Scotland carrying out surveys, it has certainly been very busy.

“I love working for Acorn. They are a great company and have been very supportive of me personally. They believe that women in construction can do exactly the same job as the men can – which we can.

“There are still people who are surprised when a woman turns up to carry out a survey, but it is starting to change.”

Emma is also looking forward to seeing her career develop in the months and years to come.

She said: “In the future, I would like to go into the tendering side of the business and perhaps one day become a Business Development Manager.”

The science behind the asbestos industry

Maria Ghimpu Photo 1
Maria Ghimpu who joined Acorn Analytical Services in December and is now a qualified laboratory analyst

One of the many facilities which makes Acorn Analytical Services unique is our in-house laboratory which last year handled almost 7,000 samples.

The samples are collected by our surveyors and then checked for the presence of asbestos, usually within 24 hours.

Maria Ghimpu joined Acorn Analytical Services in December as an asbestos report writer and administrator, but has since passed her P401 exam making her a qualified laboratory analyst.

She said: “I really enjoy working for Acorn. They have welcomed me and supported me through my training. This now means I can analyse the samples which come through the laboratory.”

Helping to nurture the next generation of women in construction

At Acorn we are passionate about recruiting the very best talent, helping everyone to build successful careers within the asbestos industry.

Last year, we were delighted to be named Employer of The Year at the Northamptonshire SME Awards in recognition of the work we do to support our team, creating a great place to work for everyone.

This year, our company has continued to grow, and seen us taking on many new clients. With that in mind,  we’re looking to recruit asbestos analysts, apprentices and more women in construction to join our teams based in Northampton, London and Wolverhampton.

If you think you have what it takes to join one of the most progressive, dynamic and exciting independent asbestos management consultancies in the industry, get in touch today and tell us why.

We can’t wait to hear from you and help you take the first step – or the next step – in your career. For more information about our women in construction visit www.acorn-as.com

Acorn is a professional asbestos consultancy helping organisations deal with asbestos compliance using asbestos surveysasbestos air testing, and asbestos removal management. 

Please call one of the team, or use the online form to obtain your free quotation. If you would like further information or advice on asbestos and asbestos training, contact the team on 0844 818 0895 or Contact Us

Neil Munro

I work in a dual role at Acorn Analytical Services focused primarily on growing and leading the business from our Northampton office base. My focus is on overseeing all sales, marketing and financial activities from Northampton. I assist clients with high-level asbestos management strategies and training. Together with Ian Stone I host our weekly podcast – Asbestos Knowledge Empire and I'm Co-author of Asbestos The Dark Arts and Fear and Loathing of Health and Safety.

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