Each morning I walk past a large Sir Robert McAlpine site. I’m impressed by the speed of build, the cleanliness, the apparent high safety standards and a general feel of efficiency.

This morning I missed breakfast so I stopped at a cafe to buy a snack to eat on the hoof.

A Sir Robert McAlpine traffic marshall walked in. “Can I have three lattes, please,” he asked politely as he reached into his wallet.

Was I witnessing the death of builders’ tea? A seismic shift in purchasing preference caused by growing wealth maybe?

In fact, I suspect it caught my attention because, sadly, I probably still accept unquestioned too many stereotypes of construction workers.

The lesson for me is to question the argument that it is hard to shift the culture within construction. Perhaps it is just plain wrong.