This Privacy Policy applies to the website and business operations of the developer IHB Ground and the company IHB Groundworks Ltd, a groundworks and excavation firm based at 206 Wardle Road, Rochdale - OL12 9JB, United Kingdom (GB). IHB Ground builds and maintains this website and oversees the technical systems that support the firm, while IHB Groundworks Ltd carries out the digging, setting out and project delivery described across the site. Together they are referred to in this policy as the Company, we, us or our.
We respect the privacy of everyone who visits this website, rings the depot, sends an enquiry or hires a crew. Groundworks is a practical trade that depends on trust, and that trust begins with handling personal information plainly, fairly and only for reasons that a reasonable person would expect. This policy sets out in detail what we collect, why we collect it, how long we keep it and what choices you have.
If you have questions after reading this policy, you can reach us by email at grounds@ihbground.hair, by telephone on +12244881722, or by post at 206 Wardle Road, Rochdale - OL12 9JB, United Kingdom (GB). We will answer in plain English and we will not ask you to write in legal language.
This policy covers personal information processed through the pages of this website, through email and telephone enquiries about groundworks, through quotations, site walkovers, setting-out visits and project delivery, and through the records we keep after a project is finished.
This policy does not cover websites operated by other organisations that you may reach from links on our pages. Those organisations have their own privacy notices, and we encourage you to read them before sharing information with them. We do not control their content, their security practices or the way they use personal data.
Where we act as a subcontractor on a larger construction project, the main contractor may also hold personal information about you. In that situation the main contractor is responsible for its own records, and our handling of the information we receive is governed by this policy and by the terms of the subcontract.
The information we collect is limited to what a groundworks conversation and a dig project actually require. We collect the following categories.
Your name, email address, telephone number, postal address and, where relevant, the address of the plot or site where work is planned. If you contact us on behalf of a company, we may also record your job title and the name of the organisation.
The subject and body of any message you send through the contact form, by email or by telephone, including descriptions of the work, plans, sketches, photographs, access notes and any drawing you choose to share.
Notes taken during a walkover or setting-out visit, including access widths, service locations, spoil space, ground conditions, depths, dimensions and photographs of the plot. Where a photograph happens to show a person or a vehicle registration, we treat it as personal information.
Quotations, invoices, payment references, bank details supplied for payment, waste transfer notes, delivery tickets and any correspondence relating to the project. These records are kept because building work and waste movement require them by law and because warranty and defect conversations need them later.
When you load a page, our web server may record your internet protocol address, the date and time of the request, the page requested, the type of browser and the referring page. This information is used for security, for diagnosing faults and for understanding at a broad level how the site is used.
Most information comes directly from you. You may complete the contact form, send an email, telephone the depot, speak to a crew leader at a site visit or hand over a drawing in person. Each of these routes creates a record in our enquiry system.
Some information comes from third parties. A builder may pass on your details when arranging work on your property, an architect may share drawings that contain your address, or a supplier may send a delivery ticket that names the site contact. We only accept such information where the sender has a proper reason to share it, and we treat it in the same way as information you give us yourself.
A small amount of technical information is collected automatically by our web server when your browser requests a page. We do not use this information to identify you personally unless there is a security concern that requires it.
We use personal information for the following purposes, each of which is connected to the work of a groundworks firm.
We do not use personal information for any purpose that is incompatible with the reason it was collected. If a new purpose arises, for example a request to feature a finished project in a portfolio, we will ask for consent before proceeding where consent is the appropriate basis.
Data protection law in the United Kingdom requires a lawful basis for every use of personal information. We rely on the following bases.
Where you engage us to carry out work, we process your contact details, site information and project records because they are needed to perform the contract. This includes preparing the quotation, setting out the work, delivering the dig and supporting the finished job.
We keep financial records, waste transfer notes and certain project documents because the law requires it. We also respond to lawful requests from regulators, courts and tax authorities where the request is properly made.
We process enquiry information, technical logs and site photographs because we have a legitimate interest in running a safe, honest and efficient groundworks business. We balance that interest against your rights and only proceed where the balance is fair.
Where we ask you to receive occasional updates, or where we ask to feature a photograph of your property in our portfolio, we rely on consent. You can withdraw consent at any time by contacting us, and withdrawal does not affect processing carried out before that point.
A site visit is usually the first time we meet in person, and it produces useful records. The crew leader takes notes on the trench board and may photograph the plot, the access route and any existing services. These photographs help the engineer and the crew understand the ground before a machine arrives, and they form part of the project file.
We try to frame photographs around the ground rather than around people. Where a person appears in a project photograph, we either avoid publishing it or we ask for permission first. We never publish a photograph that identifies your address without your agreement. Internal photographs are kept in the project file and are accessible only to staff and, where relevant, to the engineer handling the job.
If you would prefer that no photographs are taken during a visit, tell the crew leader at the start and the request will be respected. The work can proceed without photographic records, although a written note of the visit will still be made for the safety and quality file.
Groundworks produces a paper and digital trail: peg coordinates, tape readings, bench mark levels, depth tags, invert levels and as-built sheets. Some of these records contain personal information because they carry a name, an address or a signature. They are kept together in a project file.
Project files are stored at the Rochdale depot in a locked cabinet and in a password protected digital folder. Access is limited to the people who need the record to do their work: the crew leader, the office staff who prepare quotations and invoices, and the engineer or main contractor where the project requires it.
Where a record is shared with an engineer, a building control body or a main contractor, we share only the parts that are relevant to their role. We do not send whole project files to people who only need a single level reading.
We look at aggregate counts such as how many times a page was requested and which pages are reached most often. These counts come from server logs and do not identify you. They help us decide which services deserve clearer descriptions and which pages might be confusing.
Where we use a third party measurement service in future, we will choose one that respects privacy and we will configure it to avoid collecting unnecessary identifiers. We will list the service in this policy and provide a way to opt out before it is used.
Groundworks depends on other trades. A concrete supplier needs the site address, a haulage firm needs a loading point, and a specialist drain layer may need the names of the people on site. We share the minimum information required for each of these tasks.
Subcontractors working under our control are told what they may and may not do with information they see on site. They are not permitted to use client information for their own marketing or to pass it to anyone else. Where a subcontractor works directly for you rather than for us, that firm is responsible for its own privacy notice and its own records.
Delivery tickets and waste transfer notes sometimes carry a signature and a telephone number. These documents are retained because the law requires a record of waste movement, and they are stored with the project file.
Our office, depot and records are in the United Kingdom. Most of the information we hold stays in the United Kingdom. Some technology providers may store data in other countries, and where that happens we take steps to ensure the transfer is lawful and that the information remains protected.
Where a transfer leaves the United Kingdom, we rely on an adequacy decision, an approved contract clause or another lawful mechanism. We choose providers that can explain where data is stored and that can demonstrate appropriate safeguards. You can ask us for more detail about any transfer that affects your information.
We keep information only as long as it is needed for the purpose it was collected and for any period the law requires.
We keep enquiry details for up to twelve months so that a later reply can refer to the earlier conversation. After that period the enquiry is deleted unless you have asked us to keep it.
Quotations, contracts, setting-out sheets and as-built levels are kept for the life of any warranty and for a reasonable period afterwards, normally six years from the completion date. This allows us to answer defect questions and to support the engineer if a record is needed.
Invoices, payment records and tax documents are kept for six years after the end of the accounting period to which they relate, in line with company and tax requirements.
Waste movement records are kept for the period required by environmental law, normally at least two years from the date of the transfer.
Server logs are rotated and discarded after a short period, normally no longer than ninety days, unless they are needed to investigate a security incident.
We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against loss, misuse and unauthorised access. Paper records are locked away at the depot. Digital records sit in accounts protected by strong passwords and, where available, by multi factor authentication.
Access to project folders is limited by role. Staff are told to keep records tidy, to avoid sharing passwords and to report any suspected breach immediately. Devices that hold project data are kept up to date and are wiped before they are disposed of.
No system is perfectly secure. If a breach occurs that is likely to affect your rights, we will inform the relevant regulator where required and will contact you directly if the risk to you is high. We will also review what went wrong and change our practice so that the same failure is less likely to happen again.
You have rights over the personal information we hold about you. These rights apply in most circumstances, and we will explain any limitation if one applies to a particular request.
To exercise a right, write to grounds@ihbground.hair or to 206 Wardle Road, Rochdale - OL12 9JB, United Kingdom (GB). We may ask for proof of identity to protect your information, and we will respond within one month unless the request is complex, in which case we will tell you why more time is needed. There is normally no charge for a request.
This website is intended for adults who are arranging building or groundworks services. It is not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under the age of sixteen through the site.
If you believe that a child has sent us personal information, please contact us and we will delete the record promptly. A parent or guardian can make that request on behalf of the child, and we will act on it without unnecessary delay.
We reply to enquiries because you asked us to, not because we added you to a list. We do not send newsletters unless you have asked to receive them, and we do not buy contact lists from other firms.
Where you have asked for occasional updates, every message includes a simple way to stop. If you ask us to stop marketing, we will remove your details from the marketing list and keep only the minimum needed to make sure we do not contact you again.
Project photographs and quotes used in our portfolio are published only with permission. If you later change your mind, tell us and we will remove the material from the website within a reasonable time.
We review this policy when our practice changes, when a new service is added or when the law is updated. The date at the top of the page shows when the current version took effect.
If a change materially affects how we use information already held, we will tell the people concerned directly where we can, and we will explain the effect in plain language. Continued use of the website after a change indicates acceptance of the updated policy, although you can always contact us to ask about the change.
Previous versions of this policy are kept with our records and can be provided on request.
If you are unhappy with how we have handled your information, please tell us first. Write to grounds@ihbground.hair or post a letter to 206 Wardle Road, Rochdale - OL12 9JB, United Kingdom (GB), marked for the attention of the privacy contact. We will acknowledge the complaint, investigate it and reply with our findings.
If you remain dissatisfied, you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner Office, the United Kingdom regulator for data protection. You can also complain to a supervisory authority in the country where you live if that authority accepts complaints about organisations based in the United Kingdom.
We will never penalise you for raising a concern or for exercising a privacy right.
For any question about this policy, a request about your information or a concern about privacy, use the details below.
IHB Groundworks Ltd
206 Wardle Road, Rochdale - OL12 9JB, United Kingdom (GB)
Email: grounds@ihbground.hair
Telephone: +12244881722
Our office is open Monday to Friday from 7:30 to 17:00 and Saturday mornings by arrangement. Messages sent outside those hours are read on the next working day.