Speaking on International Women’s Day, Rhys Jones said women will help to improve onsite conditions to deliver the Olympics.

“One area that women in construction can contribute to is health and safety,” she said. “If women are faced with a dangerous situation onsite, they are more likely to tell their managers that they won’t do it.

“We need to do that with the Olympics. In building the Athens Olympic stadium, 40 people were killed and 200 injured, and we won’t know how many people have been killed building the Beijing stadium. Let’s get it right for London. We have to make construction a decent industry to work in. We need to be versatile and to be able to multi task.”

Rhys Jones said women find it difficult to enter the construction industry. “We need to improve advice for young women and support organisations that improve things for women. It’s frustrating for women who have done their NVQ Level 1 and 2 and can’t get the work onsite to get qualified.”

MR Partnership managing director Liz Cross agreed. “Whether you’re in construction, a service user or in the trades, it’s still not as even as it could be,” she said.

Blackburne House Group chief executive Claire Dove called for the construction industry to change its culture to accommodate women. “Construction has been the hardest industry for women to get into. Not because of the number of men, but because of the culture of the industry.

“There are so many reasons for women to be part of the construction industry, but it has to change and has to provide a safe environment and break the macho culture that has been part of the industry. We still have a long way to go, but we’re on the right road.”

Rhys Jones said the number of women in construction is growing faster than many other professions. “What’s interesting is that the numbers of women in other professions have levelled off or stopped rising altogether, the number of women in construction is starting to grow.

“For years I’ve been turning up to construction conferences and there have been about five women, and they haven’t been there for construction reasons. Now there is a room full of women who are all here in their own right, and don’t the gentlemen look lovely.”