Safety Stand Down

We conducted a company-wide, mandatory, stand down for all Managers, Supervisors and Engineers to review our safety operations and to allow us to work through several areas that required improvement. This was held at our HQ last week, where we allocated time to host an important afternoon of presentations and feedback, focussing on addressing some key points.

Maintaining a high standard of health and safety is paramount to our business. We take responsibility to ensure our workforce is routinely educated and to always uphold the right attitude. One careless decision can lead to enormous repercussions, a simple principle which is at the forefront of our toolbox talks.

    

Led by our Operations Director, Richard Mitchell and HSQE Director, Jonathan Milnes, spoke candidly on matters regarding recent incidents in the first half of this year. Having time to reflect on our personal responsibilities and being transparent about the actions needed to move forward.

• Our procedures are in place for a reason, it is not just a ‘tick box’ exercise.
• There is a collective responsibility from everyone throughout all our sites.
• Support and leadership are essential in maintaining expectations.
• High level engagement is vital.

Last year in the UK, the following figures were reported by the HSE:

• 123workers killed in work-related accidents
• 565,000working people sustained an injury at work according to the Labour Force Survey
• 61,713injuries to employees reported under RIDDOR

    

These are still shockingly high numbers in an industry existing in a modern age. It’s hard to imagine how many of these insistences could have been avoided altogether, especially the fatalities. Heartbreakingly, this equates to one family being told every 3 days that their loved one wasn’t coming home.

It is critical that we reflect on any failings that occur to ensure standards remain high throughout our sites. We encouraged a Q&A session, allowing anybody to speak freely and share their thoughts. We take our health and safety operations very seriously, communicating that there is no room for complacency in our company culture.

We’re determined to maintain best practice procedures by showing a united effort to deliver a first-class service. It is imperative to acknowledge the current efforts that have already been demonstrated and employed by our hard-working teams who push forward everyday with the right attitude to preserve our reputation. Driven by integrity and dedication, we hope the impact of this stand down will emphasise the need to step up and reboot to ensure everybody goes home to their loved ones at the end of every day. No doubt, a hard day’s graft.