Putting Safety First
Safety Stand Down – HMP Bullingdon
Last week, we delivered another leg of our Safety Stand Down tour at one of our MoJ projects with contractor Kier, followed by a safety inspection at the site with the full team. Safety is the cornerstone of our operations at Moortown, and we’re thrilled to share an update from our ongoing project with Kier Group in Bicester.
Our safety signage has been displayed clearly around site and has been greatly welcomed with the messages they echo. The morning commenced with a Tool Box Talk led by Site Manager (Serghei Caverzin) which was then expanded to a full Safety Stand Down led by our Jonathan Milnes, HSQE Director and Richard Mitchell, Operations Director. This offered higher engagement and opportunity for both teams to have in depth discussions and make any immediate actions.
“It was astonishing to hear from Guy Osborne, Kier’s Project Manager, the number of buried services located on the project to date which have incurred no damage, and not all of these were known. This is a huge credit to all our site team for following the plan, procedures and using the equipment available to prevent putting anyone at risk from the works we are undertaking”.
Jonathan Milnes, HSQE Director
From the project’s early stages, we recognised the significant risk of locating and identifying underground services. Our commitment to the safety of our hardworking team led us to invest in our new RSP Vacuum Excavator.
This strategy is essential in creating a safer environment for our operatives, providing them with the confidence and security they need to work safely around live services. While vacuum excavators are certainly not a new concept, their proven effectiveness in minimising service strike risks is a valuable asset on this project and for our future endeavours.
Regarding the ongoing and proposed works for the identification of existing services, a high level of knowledge and understanding from our management team has fed directly into the creation of thorough plans, and then communicated to the wider workforce.
Within the Prison, there was clear segregation, signage and work areas that were being well managed and demonstrated good knowledge of the ground risk and why it was sequenced in this way.
We have been delighted to hear the Safety Stand Down was very well received. Upholding a professional and strong presence is very important and these thoughts were reciprocated by Kier. A fantastic example to maintain and follow.