The 28th April each year marks World Health & Safety at Work Day, and with it comes an opportunity to promote safe and healthy working practices.
At Agg-Pro we believe everyone has the right to a safe working environment and that’s why our HSEQ Co-Ordinator James Garbutt has been working tirelessly to continually improve the health and safety culture within the company.
Over the past 12 months, James has helped to further evolve our positive culture, where prevention is at the forefront of all employee minds. As part of this, staff are actively encouraged to participate in creating and maintaining a safer and healthier working environment through clear responsibilities and duties.
HSEQ Co-Ordinator
Did you know – each year 6,300 people die globally as a result of occupational accidents or work-related illnesses and 317 million accidents occur on the job annually; many of these resulting in extended periods of absence. *
Improvements made over past 12 months
New ‘Control of Contractors’ procedure
Physical barriers are now in place at the main workshop entrance to ensure all guests are directed to reception, sign in, receive an induction, are issued with the correct PPE if needed and then allowed into the facility.
If working in the workshop contractors must also read, agree and sign our risk assessments and policies.
Recycling of waste pallets
Instead of being discarded into a skip and sent to landfill, as part of our environmental strategy pallets are now collected by a local pallet company and used as biomass fuel or shredded down to be used as wood chippings in playgrounds.
Introduction of recycling bins
A further development in improving our environmental footprint, this has significantly reduced the amount of cardboard and plastic waste being sent to landfill.
Ensuring all equipment continues to be safe, serviceable and compliant
This forms part of our core health and safety management system and includes all company vehicles, machines, lifting equipment, pressure vessels, Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV), Portable Appliance Testing (PAT), fire safety, first aid etc.
Upskilling of workforce
Where required, staff have undertaken standardised and industry specific training. Field Service Engineers have been upskilled to a minimum Level 3 NVQ in Plant Maintenance and all hold Gold CSCS Advanced Craft cards.
Improving facility management
By improving the standards of the facility, we’ve created a significantly better culture. Improvements such as upgraded washing facilities and replacing halogen workshop lights for high level LEDs have contributed.
Hazards that cannot be eliminated are reduced and clearly signposted. All fire safety signage has been updated to be compliant with ISO 7010, as well as being photoluminescent.
Reviewing and updating risk assessments and method statements
With valuable input from staff, all documentation now reflects the new Agg-Pro standards
Delivered risk assessments face to face
A series of ‘Toolbox Talks’ were given to staff to ensure control measures were understood and could be implemented by all engineers. This also presented an opportunity to ensure the measures worked as expected and if not could be discussed in order to move towards a safe and practical solution.
Implementation of ‘Isolation Owner’ system
An ‘Isolation Owner’ procedure is now protocol which ensures all machines must to be locked off by management prior to any staff starting work, ensuring no one enters a danger zone without effective isolation.
Regular HSEQ inspections and meetings
Bi-monthly HSEQ meetings with management and directors ensure that health and safety information is being shared business wide and any improvements can be discussed and acted on without delay.
Weekly and monthly inspections have been introduced to capture HSEQ and facility defects before they become a hazard.
