HSE International Issue 94 by HSE International Magazine

Health, Safety & Environment Worldwide

ISSUE 94 JANUARY 2015

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Contents: January 2015

News:

Leisure & Tourism: Hypogeum, Heritage Malta

Local Authorities: Allerdale Borough Council

Housing & Property: Ongo

Construction & Engineering: Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Keefe Construction Ltd

Aviation: Cobham Plc

Oil & Gas: Absoft Ltd

Oil & Gas: AIS Group

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Foreword: January 2015 This month in HSE International:

he first issue of HSE International for 2015 begins with a very special, exclusive interview with MariaElena Zammit, Curator of Prehistoric Sites & Archaeology, Heritage Malta & William Powney, Health & Safety Officer & Senior Executive, Heritage Malta, who manage and maintain the Hal Saflieni Hypogeum in Paola, Malta. This unique monument dates back to early antiquity (c.2500 BC) and is a cultural property of exceptional prehistoric value; it is the only known example of a subterranean structure of the Bronze Age. My codirector Katrina Kendrick and I were fortunate to interview MariaElena and William face to face back in November, where we discussed the health and safety management of the Hypogeum, the environmental impact of tourism, and what the future holds for this unique UNESCO world heritage site. We have recently received the results of the British Safety Council ‘Sword of Honour’ and ‘Globe of Honour’ awards. Both trophies represent the “best of the best” and winners were invited to attend the Sword and Globe of Honour Luncheon. The event was a fine dining experience, held on Friday 28th November 2014 at Draper’s Hall, London, and during the luncheon, winners were formally presented with a trophy and certificate. In this issue we speak to Rex Harrison, Health and Safety Manager at (Registered Social Landlords) Ongo, about his courageous personal journey; from the lows of an industrial accident (Rex was told he would probably have to have both legs amputated) to the soaring heights of their recent Sword of Honour success. We discuss the organisation’s partnership, drive and responsibility towards continuous, exemplary health and safety standards. As part of our continued coverage of the British Safety Council International Safety (ISA) Awards 2014, we

speak to Michael O’Keefe, SHEQUAL Director at O’Keefe Construction Ltd about the company’s recent ‘Distinction’ award success, their dedication to best practice in health and safety and how they thrive by incorporating new and innovative technologies. We also hear from Lee Markham, regional SHE advisor at Cobham Plc, who is no stranger to ISA success, having won the ‘Merit’ award in 2014 and two previous ‘Distinction’ awards in 2012 and 2011. Lee also explains how the biggest impact on his attitude towards health and safety came early on in his career, whilst reading an article in a SHE publication much like HSE International Magazine. In our ‘Local Authorities’ section we speak to Corporate Health and Safety Advisor, Barry Chambers about his roles and responsibilities at Allerdale Borough Council, and as part of our in-depth coverage of the UK Oil & Gas industry, we hear from Paul Stonebanks, Managing Director at Advanced Industrial Solutions (AIS Group) about his future vision for the oil and gas industry workforce. We round up this issue and speak to Principal Consultant and Discipline Team Leader John Meiklejohn of leading SAP consultancy, Absoft Ltd, about the company and their successful approach to safety. You can now view the HSE International Review: British Safety Council International Safety Awards 2014 at: http://www.hseinternational.co.uk/hse-internationalreview-british-safety-council-international-safetyawards-2014/ You can also view the HSE International Review: RoSPA Awards 2014 at: http://www.hseinternational.co.uk/ hse-international-review-rospa-awards-2014/

Jonathan Seale Magazine Manager

Magazine Manager: Jonathan Seale Editor: Stuart Morrison Production Manager: Rosalie Clarke Magazine Design: Samuel Walker Senior Projects Manager: Roger Harker Projects Manager: John Chambers Projects Manager: Mike Williams Contributors: Sarah Lawton Alan Fenech Katrina Kendrick William Powney Steve Wilson MariaElena Zammit For more information, please contact a member of our team at: info@hseinternational.co.uk https://twitter.com/hse_int HSE International Magazine is published by: Olympus Publishing Limited Prospect Business Centre Prospect House Prospect St Huddersfield HD1 2NU All material is the copyright of Olympus Publishing Limited. HSE International Magazine is the property of Olympus Publishing Limited. The publication may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form whole or part without the written permission of a director of Olympus Publishing Limited. Liability: While every care is taken in the preparation of this magazine, the publishers cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of information herein, or any consequence arising from it. In the case of company product reviews or comments, these have been based upon the true and honest opinion of the editor at the time of going to press.

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NEWS

Future Earth Strategic Research Agenda 2014 published Report calls for a step-change in research to address serious environmental, social and economic challenges

n 4th December 2014, Future Earth published the Strategic Research Agenda 2014, the outcome of a year-long global consultation on the priorities for global change research. Launched ahead of key 2015 policy processes on climate change and new global Sustainable Development Goals, the document calls for a step-change in research to address serious environmental, social and economic threats. It urges the private sector, governments and civil society to work with researchers to co-design and co-produce a more agile global innovation system. The plan is the outcome of an unprecedented global consultation over the past year. “Science is crucial if we are to address today’s complex, interconnected issues – achieving water, energy and food security, in the context of climate change, while decarbonising energy sources and safeguarding Earth’s life-support systems,” said Frans Berkhout, Interim Director of Future Earth. “If we are to meet society’s emerging needs, and adequately inform businesses, policymakers and practitioners with actionable knowledge, I believe that funding for solutions-oriented integrated research must increase rapidly and substantially. This must go hand in hand with a commitment from researchers and policy-makers to engage more closely to ensure the relevance of their work.” “Using sustainability challenges, societal needs and policy priorities to direct our science makes it both more relevant and accessible,” said Belinda Reyers, Vice Chair of Future Earth’s Science Committee. “And by engaging non-scientists in this process, it also shapes the outputs and their implementation to make them more relevant for society.” The Strategic Research Agenda 2014 focuses on three themes: firstly, on understanding how the planet is changing; secondly, on deploying integrated, interdisciplinary science to address urgent sustainable development needs; and thirdly, on transforming development to be more sustainable in the long term.

The eight global sustainability challenges driving this agenda focus on: • Delivering water, energy, and food for all. • Decoupling carbon emissions from economic growth. • Safeguarding land, freshwater and marine natural assets. • Building healthy, resilient and productive cities. • Promoting sustainable rural futures. • Improving human health by incorporating global change concerns. • Encouraging sustainable consumption and production patterns. • Improving governance and early warning systems to respond to complex future threats. “We must start to envision what a positive future looks like and work to make this happen” said Bob Watson, Chair of Future Earth’s Interim Engagement Committee. The plan sets out priorities to transform the science agenda by taking a systems view of global environmental challenges, integrating social and natural sciences. “The world is changing at an ever-increasing rate, and dealing with these complex problems in a business-as-usual way just won’t keep up,” said Mark Stafford Smith, Chair of Future Earth’s Science Committee. “Research desperately needs a seismic shift towards being more nimble in framing and prioritising the problems we work on, to ensure that we find concrete solutions with decision makers.” ‘The Belmont Forum calls on the global science community to engage in taking this new agenda forward and delivering on it,” said Albert van Jaarsveld, Chair of the Belmont Forum of funders. The Strategic Research Agenda was developed at the request of the Belmont Forum, part of the Science and Technology Alliance for Global Sustainability, the sponsors of Future Earth. The document is the result of a consultation process with global environmental change research communities and stakeholders from business, government and civil society, as well as an open online survey that received contributions from people in 74 countries worldwide. `

Original Source: http://www.hseinternational.co.uk/future-earth-strategic-research-agenda-2014-published/

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HSE ramping up efforts to tackle Local Authority sector’s safety record

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has indicated it will launch a number of safety initiatives in the sector, after research revealed 14% of local authorities are “non-compliant” in managing and procuring waste services

n October, safety inspector Janet Viney presented some early results of a three-year long project to a meeting of the Local Authority Recycling Advisory Committee. Inspections of 378 councils, focusing on how they managed municipal waste contracts or in-house services, found 53 were “noncompliant in relation to managing and procuring waste services as a whole”. The report also found 10% of risk assessments covering waste services – including collection routes – were either “unsatisfactory” or “unacceptable”. Inspectors issued 59 enforcement notices during the project, which lasted from October 2010 to March 2014. An HSE spokesperson said the full results would be publicised, but that a date had not yet been set. The HSE held a conference in Birmingham with around 150 waste and recycling industry representatives in November in an attempt to tackle the industry’s poor health and safety record. Delegates were given an update on the Waste Industry Safety and Health (WISH) Forum’s blueprint to reduce the number of fatalities and serious injuries in the waste and recycling sector, published in 2013. It was announced a new blueprint would be published early this year. WISH (Waste Industry Safety and Health Forum) is also setting

up its own dedicated website, autonomous of the HSE website. Rick Burnt, HSE head of waste and recycling sector, said the commitment shown from industry was encouraging but that there was still “a long way to go”. He said: “As a priority sector for HSE we will continue to work with the industry to address the poor safety record to further reduce the toll of death and injury.” Chris Jones, WISH chairman and director of risk management and compliance at Cory Environmental, said: “After 13 years of tough, challenging, but ultimately very successful WISH work programmes, it was good to see the level of passion and enthusiasm that remains in the industry to take on the next set of challenges.” Waste and recycling has been branded by the HSE as “one of Britain’s most dangerous sectors”. It accounts for only about 0.5% UK employees, but accounts for 2.6% of reported employee injuries. The head of the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland waste group recently warned it is a “matter of time” before another fatality occurs at a private waste and recycling site, following a spate of accidents in the last six months. `

Original Source: http://www.hseinternational.co.uk/ hse-ramping-up-efforts-to-tackle-local-authority-sectorssafety-record/

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NEWS HEALTH, SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENTAL EXCELLENCE BY TOP ORGANISATIONS ACROSS THE GLOBE CELEBRATED BY THE BRITISH SAFETY COUNCIL

The British Safety Council presented the prestigious Sword of Honour and Globe of Honour awards for exemplary management of health, safety and environmental risks to 55 organisations from across the world at a recent celebratory luncheon at Drapers’ Hall

he winning businesses for 2014 are drawn from countries as diverse as the UK, Austria, India and the United Arab Emirates, and were recognised for excellence in protecting people’s health and safety at work (the Sword of Honour), and exceptional environmental and sustainability performance (the Globe of Honour). Presenting the awards, Alex Botha, Chief Executive of the British Safety Council, said: “Our warmest congratulations to the 50 businesses who won the Sword of Honour and the five who won the Globe of Honour for 2014. “The winning organisations are united in their belief that everyone has a right to a safe and healthy workplace and that businesses have a duty to minimise the impact of their activities on the environment. These awards recognise and celebrate the efforts of businesses and their employees from around the world who are at the forefront of health, safety and environmental best practice. “The British Safety Council vision is that no one should be injured or made ill at work, anywhere in the world, but with over 2.3 million people still senselessly killed globally every year due to work-related injury and ill health, it is clear there is still a huge task ahead to convince all business leaders that good health and safety and environmental management is vital and makes good business sense. “I congratulate this year’s Sword of Honour and Globe of Honour winning businesses and their employees, and hope their achievements will inspire other organisations globally to strive to give workers’ health and safety the priority it deserves and to achieve sustainable business practices.” The winning organisations came from a wide range of sectors including construction, education and training, energy generation

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and distribution, financial services, food and drink, leisure, logistics, major hazards, manufacturing, motor vehicle manufacture, retail and transport. This shows that good health safety and environmental management is good for organisations in all sectors. The British Safety Council paid particular tribute to four organisations who won the ‘double’ – both the Sword of Honour and Globe of Honour. These were: Dubai Electricity and Water Authority; Unipart Consumer Logistics – Cowley; Qatargas Operating Company Limited, Commercial & Shipping Group; and Norec Ltd – Liverpool Bulk Handling Terminal. The 2014 awards mark the 35th consecutive year the British Safety Council has awarded the Sword of Honour for health and safety management excellence, and the fourth year of awarding the Globe of Honour for excellence in environmental management. The winners had all achieved the maximum five stars in the British Safety Council’s audit scheme in the period August 2013 – July 2014. They have also demonstrated to an independent panel of experts that they are excellent at managing their health and safety and/or environmental risks throughout the organisation – from the shop floor to the boardroom. The full list of winners is available at: www.britsafe.org/awards/ sword-honour-0 and https://www.britsafe.org/awards/globehonour-0 `

Original Source: https://www.britsafe.org/news/health-safetyand-environmental-excellence-top-organisations-across-globecelebrated-british#sthash.IDoKpQ8u.iYvVqUd4.dpuf

IOSH backs new Fit for Work service to help people stay in or return to work A new state-funded scheme designed to assist staff who have been off sick return to work has been broadly welcomed by the world’s largest health and safety body

he Fit for Work advice line, available online or by phone, went live on 15th December 2014, providing advice on return to work issues and preventing sickness absence. An assessment service will also be rolled out across Britain in the coming months, with dates to be announced in the New Year. Fit for Work is provided by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) in England and Wales, and by the Scottish government north of the border. There will be two facets to this voluntary scheme – the advice line and website for employers, employees and GPs to help individuals stay in or return to work and an assessment of employees by an occupational health professional. The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) has backed the new scheme as a useful starting point. Richard Jones, Head of Policy and Public Affairs for IOSH, said: “IOSH is pleased to see the introduction of the new Fit for Work service, providing advice and occupational health assessments to complement existing employer provision and fill gaps. “Good advice and the right interventions and work adjustments can help people stay in or return to work and help support healthy and successful outcomes.” Under the assessment element of the scheme, once the employee has reached, or is likely to reach, four weeks of sickness

absence, they can, with their agreement, be referred by their GP for an assessment with an occupational health professional. Issues preventing the employee from going back to work will be looked at. DWP guidance will make it clear that referrals should be the default option, unless individuals meet the criteria for when referral may be inappropriate. Following an assessment, employees will receive a return to work plan. This will contain recommendations to help them get back to their job more quickly and information on how to access appropriate interventions. It is intended that Fit for Work will complement existing occupational health provision, rather than replace it. Mr Jones added: “Supportive workplaces and well-designed return-to-work plans are important because we know that good, well-managed work can be good for health and wellbeing, whereas prolonged worklessness can be detrimental.” Fit for Work website and advice service can be found at http:// fitforwork.org/about/ `

Original Source: http://www.hseinternational.co.uk/ioshbacks-new-fit-for-work-service-to-help-people-stay-in-orreturn-to-work/ HSE INTERNATIONAL

Ä¦al Saflieni Hypogeum Testimony of The Ancients An Interview with MariaElena Zammit, Curator, Prehistoric Sites, Heritage Malta & William Powney, Health & Safety Officer & Senior Executive, Heritage Malta 10

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he Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum of Paola, Malta, is an underground prehistoric burial site; a complex made up of interconnecting rock-cut chambers set on three distinct levels. Hypogeum literally means “underground”, from Greek hypo (under) and gaia (mother earth or goddess of earth). Discovered in 1902 during construction works, the site was first excavated by Fr Emmanuel Magri between 1904 and 1906. Fr Magri died in Tunisia and his excavation notes have been mysteriously lost. Excavations were taken over by Sir Themistocles Zammit, who continued works until 1911. Earliest remains at the site date back to about 4000BC, and the complex was used for many centuries up to c. 2500 BC. The uppermost level consists of a large hollow with burial chambers on its sides. This hollow was probably originally exposed to the sky and excavations in the early 1990’s indicate that there might also have been a monumental structure marking the entrance. A doorway leads to the Middle Level, which contains some of the best known features of the Hypogeum such as the intricate red ochre wall paintings and the beautifully carved features in imitation of architectural elements common in contemporaneous Megalithic Temples. The deepest of the three levels is known as the Lower Level, which is accessed down seven steps in the chamber popularly known as the ‘Holy of Holies’. The Hypogeum was first opened to visitors in 1908 and

since then it has been visited by many thousands of people. Unfortunately, this has taken a toll on the delicate microclimate, which has affected the preservation of the site and the unique red ochre paintings. For this reason, after a conservation project which saw the site closed for 10 years between 1990 and 2000, a new system was established whereby only 10 visitors an hour are allowed access for a maximum of 8 hours a day, complemented by an environmental control system which maintains temperature and humidity at the required levels. We were lucky enough to be given the opportunity to speak in-depth about this unique site and Heritage Malta with MariaElena Zammit, Curator and William Powney, Health & Safety Officer. Roles & Responsibilities William: “I graduated from The University of Malta in Health and Safety in 1999. Since then, I have worked in Health and Safety, specialising in the private and then construction industries. I joined Heritage Malta in 2006 and was hired as

“We have to strike a balance between the ‘health’ of the site and the ‘health and safety’ issues you would normally think of” HSE INTERNATIONAL

LEISURE & TOURISM: HYPOGEUM, HERITAGE MALTA

Red ochre paintings, Hypogeum

Ä gantija Temples, Gozo

Skorba Temples, Malta

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Inset image; Ġgantija Temples, Gozo

an Executive for Health, Safety and Security. I was promoted to Senior Executive last July. “Health and safety with Heritage Malta is challenging because our sites are so unique. In terms of responsibilities, we have to strike a balance between the ‘health’ of the site and the ‘health and safety’ issues you would normally think of. For example, the Hypogeum has a very rough floor which could be dangerous to walk on directly. We can’t just simplify things and install a 2 or 3 inch concrete overlay – we’d definitely be fired if we did that! This is an example of how our sites are very challenging where balancing health and safety is concerned.” MariaElena: “I studied at the University of Malta and I’m an Archaeologist. I’m part of the prehistoric sites department and we are currently three people; my boss, the senior curator, myself and one other curator. We each have responsibilities on particular sites. Our roles mainly deal with managing the sites on a day to day basis and liaising with conservators and scientific committees to ensure the proper conservation and presentation of the sites to the public. Presentation is a very important element as we also view it from a conservation point of view. We believe that each and every visitor to any of our sites leaves an impact, whether they meant to or not. One of the ways where we can mitigate visitor impact is by providing adequate information detailing what is important about that site. Then at least, visitors take home more information about the site and are able to relate to it in a better way than before they had visited. Hopefully also as a result, they will also appreciate cultural heritage in other places and other sites as well. Even though that is the interpretation side of the job, we link it very directly with conservation issues and this is one of my key responsibilities.”

“At the Hypogeum, we have the opportunity to see the spaces still decorated in the same manner as they were originally”

History & Background of Heritage Malta and the Hypogeum MariaElena: “Heritage Malta is the national agency for museums, archaeological sites, conservation practice, and cultural heritage. It was formed in 2002 following a change in the law whereby the Culture and Heritage Act replaced the Antiquities Act, which had been in place since 1925. Heritage Malta used to be the museums department, which was in 2002, divided into the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage and Heritage Malta. The Superintendence regulates archaeological practice and Heritage Malta manages a number of the sites. The sites range from different time periods, are not limited to prehistoric sites and also include sites from the Phoenician, Roman and the Knights of Saint John periods. “The Hypogeum is contemporary to the megalithic temples above ground (there are several such sites dotted around Malta and the neighbouring island of Gozo). Roughly, the site is dated to c. 3600BC and was in use until c. 2500BC; a long time, spanning several generations. At its deepest, the site has a depth of around 11m below ground level and it is almost completely carved into the living rock. This for me, is one of its more interesting features. The Hypogeum was carved into the rock using only stone and bone tools as metal hadn’t been discovered at the time. It shows extremely skilled workmanship and is very detailed. The fact that it’s still here is testament to the level of skill of these ancient people. There are clear indicators, together with the megalithic temples above ground, that these prehistoric communities knew very well how to use the natural resources that were available. They knew how to work with these resources to achieve the results that they wanted. At the Hypogeum, they looked for natural faults in the rock and used those fault lines to make it easier to carve flat, finished walls, which are visible in practically all the rooms. “The roof in the inner most room of the Hypogeum is also carved and you can see that it has rings of stone which project inwards. This is one of the clues which indicates that the megalithic temples had roofs when they were still complete structures. “The site is also significant because of its rock paintings as they are the only prehistoric paintings that we know of on the Maltese islands. One of our biggest challenges is to protect these paintings because they are so unique. The Hypogeum

Ġgantija Temples, Gozo

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Hypogeum has also been recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage site, so we also have the responsibility to protect the paintings for the international community as well as for localsâ&#x20AC;?

LEISURE & TOURISM: HYPOGEUM, HERITAGE MALTA

has also been recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage site, so we also have the responsibility to protect the paintings for the international community as well as for locals. “Another important feature about the site is that it gives us an idea of how the megalithic temples may have looked from the inside. Nowadays, the other temples are just stone buildings and are virtually bare. We did however, find some traces of plaster with red ochre paint at the Ġgantija Temples in Gozo and with traces of yellow ochre paint at Skorba Temples, so we cannot exclude that the megalithic temples were also painted in some way or another. At the Hypogeum, we have the opportunity to see the spaces still decorated in the same manner as they were originally. “There are several elements which make this site so important.” ‘The Oracle Room’ One of the most famous areas within the Hypogeum is popularly known as ‘The Oracle Room’. This room is where the red ochre wall paintings have been best preserved at the site. Within the room there is also a very famous feature – a niche in the wall. When a person with a very deep voice speaks into the niche, the sound reverberates across the site and the deeper the voice is the more it resounds. We do not know whether this was created on purpose or whether the acoustic properties were only noted after the room was carved. The niche itself contains 3 painted disks, so one would presume some sort of significance as a space and feature. If the room was carved without this acoustic property in mind, it is possible that the space became important by coincidence. Tourism Impact, pre 1990’s One very visible, direct impact of tourism occurred in ‘The Oracle Chamber’ during the years before the closure of the site in the 90’s. People would put their hands on the sides of the niche, put their faces inside and speak into the chamber. You can see the stains from so many people putting their hands on the walls. Also before the 90’s project, there were a large number of biological growths across the walls of the site which had even started to cover some the paintings. This was an indirect consequence of tourism because the site had to be lit for the people visiting. The light levels caused the biological growths to thrive. There were also the impacts of footfall in some areas and these were the major reasons why the decision was taken to close off the site and undertake a conservation project. Conservation and Environmental Control Systems during the 1990’s Before the 90’s, the site was freely accessible to everyone who wanted to visit; you didn’t have to book in advance like today. There were hundreds of people visiting every day and although there were a few experiments with trying to limit visitor numbers, it wasn’t properly regulated. As part of the preparations for the Maltese application to UNESCO for the

“We need to make sure that everyone, workers and visitors, arrive home safely” 16

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site to be inscribed on the World Heritage list, a number of advisory missions were carried out with UNESCO assistance. These missions gave advice on how to better manage the site, to ensure that it would be preserved for future generations. UNESCO gave a number of recommendations which in a nutshell, consisted of controlling visitor numbers, managing those visitors and controlling their path. Walkways were installed so visitors would not tread directly on the prehistoric surfaces which in turn, made it safer for both the people visiting and the site itself. Very importantly, the control of intensity and duration of light on the site was revised, as this was a major contributing factor to the biological growths that were being observed at the time. Initial action for the project was the purchasing (by the government) of 4 houses which were directly above the site. The houses were dismantled and removed, and the upper level was exposed for the first time. Before this, the only access to the site was through the spiral staircase which today, is how you exit the site. Originally, both entry and exit were at the same point. MariaElena continued to explain the project in detail: “Walkways were installed and a lighting programme was also devised (both are still in place today), so that the only room lit is that which is being visited. The main reason for this was for conservation but it also had spin-off benefits. For example, if visitors are listening to the audio guide telling them about a specific feature and it is the only thing which is lit, then you know where you have to look to find what the guide is describing. “The site couldn’t be left uncovered as that would have caused havoc! As part of the 90’s project, a light structure was built above and the floor is suspended to reduce impact on the site. The roof is also light and built on a steel structure. The glass partitions are actually a glass curtain which is hanging from this steel structure. It was built in this way so that we wouldn’t have a weighty load directly on the site – this was why the houses were removed; to eliminate any pressure. “Also during 90’s closure, an environmental control system was installed, mainly to control the temperature of the air reaching the site. It is a system of 3 independent spaces which are linked. There is the exhibition area, then the audio-visual area and then the site itself. The idea for the system is that the air is conditioned into the exhibition area. When the doors open, the conditioned air goes into the audio-visual area and from there, it goes on into the site itself. The site has one ventilation shaft with an extractor fan, so by removing the air, fresh air is allowed into the site. This system was a major part of the project. “At that time however, the people who were involved were already aware that this couldn’t be the final project. If you leave something on its own, in time it will always need revision.” Hypogeum Tours and Visitor Numbers Only 10 visitors an hour are now allowed inside the Hypogeum for a maximum of 8 tours per day and with the current plans, it will probably remain the same. Since the closure and reopening of the site in 2000, following the protective measures that were undertaken, the conditions have improved. “We are confident that with the recent measures in place, if we stick to 10 people per hour, the site will remain happy,” MariaElena explained. “Obviously we are continuously monitoring, so if we note that some areas require particular attention and we can directly link

it to visitors, then we will review and revise the systems in place. “We also have a scientific group on board called the Hypogeum Environmental Management Investigation Group. This group includes members from the University of Malta, different conservators, scientists, archaeologists etc. and we meet regularly to discuss any issues. We’re monitoring practically all the time, so as long as we keep that up and running, we know exactly what is happening each step of the way. Maintenance and access at the Hypogeum William: “Once the site is closed, security take over and during the night no one is allowed in. Cleaning is an ongoing process during the day but if, for example, there is extraordinary cleaning, it will be carried out once the site is closed. Security will be made aware of what is going to happen and the procedures that will take place. For maintenance, generally speaking, it is done outside opening hours. Whether the activity is cleaning or maintenance though, there will still be no more than 10 people involved. It is very important to keep those regulations in place because of the potential carbon dioxide levels on site from more people. MariaElena: “This is the regular maintenance and the regular jobs we’re speaking of. If we’re planning a big infrastructural project like what we’re planning for next year, then the site will be completely closed to the tourists, like in the 90’s, so we will have more flexibility to be able to carry out the works. “Strict numbers on site is also important so that people are safe. We don’t want people to be there when, for example, works on the roof are taking place. “A study project which has just started instructs that the team can either work before or after public opening hours. We don’t allow more than 10 people at any point on site. When we have these works going on, they are always monitored by one of us. Current Projects MariaElena: “We are currently working on several projects and there are two main developments taking place though

Norwegian funds. Firstly, we took 3D recordings and for the first time, we now have a full record of the site and the different rooms including the areas which are not accessible to the public. “Secondly, there is extensive and intensive monitoring which has been ongoing since 2011, when this project was first implemented. It is extensive because it covers practically every room of the site and intensive because it gathers data every 10 minutes. We’re collecting data relating to room temperature, surface temperature of the stone, humidity, air velocity, carbon dioxide levels, VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) and light levels. We’re gathering a lot of data to allow us to get to know the site better in terms of the environmental conditions. We can then also plan a new environmental control system to replace the current system which is 20 years old. This monitoring is an important project and is ongoing because we’re still gathering data. “This current system has worked fine but we’re now in the process of revising it. The new system will probably be similar to the old but with the advancements in technology, it will hopefully be more efficient. “We’re also introducing new elements to improve the insulation of the site itself so it will be less dependent on an active system. To do this, we be replacing the roof. We’ll still use the same material but a thicker variety which will help us achieve better insulation. Other than the roof, we’re looking into better ways to insulate the site, particularly for the long wall at the back of the site which is exposed to the street. We’re planning to eliminate carpeting and looking into more inert materials to use for the wall panelling and floor, to continue to reduce the

“We are confident that with the recent measures in place, if we stick to 10 people per hour, the site will remain happy”

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“We’re exploring more technological ways to increase accessibility, such as using the 3D model” possibility of biological growths. It’s not easy finding the correct material as we want something which is still absorbent. We have a lot of heated discussions about what material would be best! The building materials play an important role to ensure that the environment of the site is maintained. Health and Safety on site Health and safety is of paramount importance in any industry. William and MariaElena explained the current health and safety programmes in place at Heritage Malta and how health and safety standards are maintained on site: William: “We take health and safety very seriously. We need to make sure that everyone, workers and visitors, arrive home safely. When Heritage Malta hires new employees, they undertake basic health and safety training. We make sure that we have a qualified first aider on every site and twice a year we carry out training on fire awareness. Retraining and recertification is done every 3 years, so each site is covered when it comes to first aid and fire safety. For security, we make sure they are briefed in health and safety and it is mentioned in their contracts. “As health and safety is always progressing, even when it comes to certification, we are obliged to keep in line with legislation. Depending on the type and amount of work, we also have to keep in mind that we must work to the parameters stipulated by the government with, for example, quotations and public tenders. We also investigate these things with our contractors by making sure all works are covered with risk assessment, which then has to be endorsed by our department. Contractors are obliged to respect to their own workers and also have to mind our workers and the visitors. “We look at health and safety for our visitors which number from 1.2-1.5 million a year across the sites of Heritage Malta and we refer with consultants to make sure everything is in line. For example, at the Hypogeum we carry out sampling for bacteria and spores and other dangerous gases we might encounter. We have to make sure that companies carrying out this kind of work are experts in their field. Along those lines, there are other things like tendering of asbestos. We’ve had to deal with asbestos on 2 sites including with artefacts. We had to bring in competent professionals to deal with the problem and it was managed very well. We always look for experts for each specific line of work. “With contractors for example, the Health and Safety Officer must be registered with Occupational Health & Safety Authority. Unfortunately there are too many people nowadays calling themselves Health and Safety Officers, but many of them are not registered with the local authority. If this is the case, they would not be allowed to carry out the job as Health and Safety Officer on our sites. “The same thing happens with consultants relating to conservation. The studies mentioned earlier are mostly being subcontracted. We follow public procurement regulations, so in the case of the studies, we issue a public tender and with each tender there are specific requirements, qualifications and expertise for the persons to meet to carry out the work. “On the site itself the audio guide tells you at each and specific place ‘please mind your head’. We cannot have signs telling you mind your head, so using the audio guides

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LEISURE & TOURISM: HYPOGEUM, HERITAGE MALTA

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“We have our own unedited HD footage which is available to those who require it but we do not allow filming on site” is necessary. For the floor; it is a very slippery place and unfortunately we can’t get rid of the water. Environmentally speaking, we need the site to be humid, so we continuously remind people of this due to health and safety concerns. “The hand rail is continuous throughout the site. If, for example, there is a power cut, you can follow the hand rail which leads to the exit. Also, the emergency lights on the walkways are always on throughout the whole site, even when the tour guide lights are off.” Future Plans for the Hypogeum MariaElena: “We’re working on a project which is supported by the EEA Grants 2009 – 2014 that has various different elements. As mentioned earlier, we would like to make the site more accessible. We did install walkways but unfortunately we can’t remove the stairs. The site is not accessible for people using wheelchairs or pushchairs, or for those who having walking difficulties or young children. Both hands have to be free so one that hand can hold the hand rail and the other can hold the audio guide. We’re exploring more technological ways to increase accessibility, such as using the 3D model. We’re currently experimenting with this in schools as logistically, it is difficult to get a whole class on site with the 10 people per hour rule. We’ve visited schools and taken the model, enabling full classes to experience the site. “The desk based work for the closure next year has already started and we expect to see works on site happening very soon. “In terms of practical studies, we’ll be reviewing the environmental control system with the inclusion of better insulation of the building as mentioned earlier. There will be a condition assessment of the site and we have a team conservators who’ll look at the stone surfaces and record any observations and alterations. We also want to do a biological survey. Characterisation of biological growths has never really been done in detail on site and if we know exactly what is growing, we’ll know how to best tackle it. We’ll be testing the rate of deterioration of the stone on site to know how it is

proceeding through time. We also want to look into the geology of the area. “With filming and photography, we don’t know the full effects of flash photography or video recording. We have our own unedited HD footage which is available to those who require it but we do not allow filming on site. Until we know exactly what the effects of such activities are, we’d rather take precautions, so no photography or filming is allowed for the moment. If eventually we research, have scientific data and are confident that it will not damage or put the site at risk, then we may reconsider. “A further, very important plan is in terms of our knowledge, and we will review the interpretation of the Hypogeum. Since the 90’s we’ve learnt more about the site through excavations on comparable sites. One particular site located in Gozo is also an underground burial, temple period cemetery. It was excavated in the 1980’s and there, we had the opportunity to study the skeletal remains. We learnt a lot from this site and the burial practices of that time. We want to revise the stories that we’re telling the public and provide as much information as we can. “We’re planning to close the site from August 2015 and tickets are already blocked from August onwards. We’re aiming to finish the project by mid-2016. This is why the planning is taking much longer so that we can close the site for the least amount of time as possible. One of our missions is to make our heritage accessible to the public, so it is important not to have it closed unnecessarily. Achievements, Awards and Ethos The hypogeum is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and recently it was awarded the Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence. More important is the fact that again and again it is chosen by funding bodies, as MariaElena explained: “We apply for funding to carry out projects and we are granted. This shows that the funding bodies acknowledge the importance of the site and the work we’re doing. With the current and upcoming projects for example, there are 2 funding programmes involved. The Norway Grants funded the environmental monitoring programme and the 3D recording and EEA Grants are now continuing to sustain us (http://heritagemalta.org/projects/other-projects/). Their funding has enabled the implementation of our projects and to us, this is what’s most encouraging. The funding bodies realise that the projects they have funded are successful and they agree to continue to sustain our work on this particular site. For us, rather than awards or having a title or trophy, the acknowledgement which supports and enables the investment, protection and preservation of this remarkable site is what’s most important.”

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LOCAL AUTHORITIES: ALLERDALE BOROUGH COUNCIL

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Making Allerdale a great place to live, work & visit Steve Wilson spoke to Corporate Health and Safety Advisor Barry Chambers about his roles and responsibilities at Allerdale Borough Council

llerdale Borough Council is located in West Cumbria. It borders the Solway Firth and Irish Sea as well as Carlisle and three district councils. The Borough has a population of approximately 96,000 and is predominantly rural in nature. The south east quarter of the Borough is covered by the Lake District National Park. Settlements in the north of the Borough are small and dispersed while the south contains the main urban centres. Approximately two thirds of the population live within the several large settlements of Workington, Maryport, Cockermouth, Wigton, Aspatria, Keswick and Silloth. Allerdale Borough Council’s vision is to make Allerdale “a great place to live, work and visit.” As part of the effort to make this vision a reality, the Council is committed to regenerating the area’s economy and its communities. The Council is concentrating on five main priorities such as their Reducing Poverty Strategy for narrowing inequality between places and supporting vulnerable people. It aims to increase economic development through building a strong, sustainable and vibrant local economy. There are plans to focus on thriving town centres to ensure they remain attractive and welcoming as well as a commitment to providing affordable access to Sports, Arts and Leisure

“By working together and taking pride in our achievements, we can create a better culture for everyone working in the Council and better serve our customers”

facilities for everyone. The Council expects to provide high performing services that meet community needs while delivering value for money. Allerdale Borough Council has a set of values that are adopted by every member of staff, and they are committed to leading by example and valuing one another. “By working together and taking pride in our achievements, we can create a better culture for everyone working in the Council and better serve our customers,” said Barry Chambers, the Council’s Corporate Health and Safety Advisor.

arry provides guidance to the Chief Executive, Directors and Officers of the Council regarding all health and safety issues in accordance with relevant legislation. He assists managers in establishing policies, procedures and risk assessments. He carries out accident/incident investigation on behalf of Council staff and members of the public, and helps to raise awareness of the authority’s risks and

Tel: 07810 540 602 Email: d.wood965@btinternet.com Dale View, Bridgefoot, Workington, Cumbria CA14 1SX

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LOCAL AUTHORITIES: ALLERDALE BOROUGH COUNCIL

“The Council ensures safe and healthy working conditions, equipment and systems of work for all employees”

“Health and safety isn’t a program at Feltech, it’s a way of life”

responsibilities while monitoring compliance within all health and safety systems. Periodically, Barry undertakes audits to recognise deficiencies. He identifies all health and safety training requirements for the authority as well as monitoring and auditing all contractors and partner organisations. He is in charge of implementing a Health and Safety Management System and is the responsible person for Harrington Harbour. A series of concise Corporate Health and Safety Policies have been initiated by Barry and rolled out to all members of the Council. He has also established a Health and Safety Committee involving various disciplines. These include staff, members of the Council and Union Officials. Barry has established Health and Safety Management Systems for both the Carnegie Theatre and the Bereavement Services owned and operated by the Council. He is also responsible for emergency planning, ensuring that the Council can provide and maintain emergency status throughout any emergency and carry on operating from any location in the Borough. Emergency scenarios are carried out throughout the year and he has to make sure the Council operates within designated guidelines. The Council has contracted out its waste service to FCC Environment for all street and house waste collections. Barry’s role is to ensure that the contractor operates safely and carries out all collections in line with their safe systems of work. Allerdale’s Green Landscape services are contracted to ISS, with Barry overseeing all health and safety aspects of the contract service.

arry started work at the age of 16 as an Apprentice Electrician, working in the mining industry in Derbyshire. He carried out a four year apprenticeship then stayed at college for a further three years, gaining higher qualifications in mining, geology and electrical engineering. After leaving college, Barry worked at British Coal for 10 years. He then left and worked for private contractors to the mining industry for another 15 years, giving him a total of 25 years mining industry experience. “Due to the dangerous life down the mines, I have always worked at the forefront of health and safety,” Barry commented. After working as an Electrical Engineer, Project Manager and Safety Engineer for Skanska Construction, Barry worked for a total of 3 local authorities as a Corporate Health and Safety Advisor. Allerdale Borough Council recognises and accepts that it has a legal and moral duty to provide for the health, safety and wellbeing of all its employees and any other person who may be affected by Council activities. It aims to develop a culture where all managers and employees feel they can make a positive contribution towards improving their working conditions.

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The Council ensures safe and healthy working conditions, equipment and systems of work for all employees. It provides such information, training and supervision as required to fulfil roles and responsibilities. Continuous improvement in health and safety is ensured with effective communication and consultation processes. These processes work in conjunction with unions, employees and safety representatives. The Council also ensures that suitable risk assessments are in place for all work areas and that it has a Health and Safety Management system that is fit for purpose.

“Working in partnership to make Allerdale a great place to live, work and visit”

arry transferred to Allerdale from Cumbria County Council 3 years ago. He realised that there were areas within the Council’s corporate health and safety function that required upgrading and revising. He wrote a new Health and Safety Policy and statement of intent and got “buy in” from the CEO, leader of the Council and portfolio holder for health and safety (something that had never happened before). Barry also wrote a new Driving at Work Policy and changed insurance forms for staff that drive for Council business. There were issues around working alone, so Barry wrote and introduced a Lone Working Policy. He also introduced a new procedure and documentation for carrying out detailed fire risk assessments and carried these out for all Council owned buildings. Alongside this, new COSHH procedures and risk assessments were introduced. Barry totally revised the Council’s intranet and its health and safety section. He also obtained approval from the CEO and Directors to hold a specific safety committee involving appropriate members of the Council. An altered system for holding events on Allerdale land was introduced, making it more fit for purpose, alongside a totally new stress risk assessment system. An annual health and safety report of all work activities was introduced and publicised to the Senior Management Team. The DSE assessment protocol was altered and carried

“Continuous improvement in health and safety is ensured with effective communication and consultation processes”

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out for members as and when required. Protocols were also introduced for various friends groups who operate on Allerdale land (such as open spaces and around ponds). On the important safety initiatives he has introduced, Barry explained: “As the responsible person for Harrington Harbour, I have introduced a full Health and Safety Management System, management plan and associated risk assessments. I have also devised my own internal audit program based on OHSAS 18001 and the Port Marine Safety Code and audited the activities of the harbour. “I have trained various staff in first aid and fire warden training that had elapsed. I have also arranged for a defibrillator to be bought and held in our main office. I entered the North West Ambulance Service awards and

Harrington Harbour

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23 25

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“Under Barry’s direction, the Council is honouring its commitment to increasing health and wellbeing and reducing poverty” Allerdale was the first Council in the country to win. We won the Silver Award. Since then, I have arranged for a second defibrillator to be brought to one of our locations in Workington.”

Inset Image: Carnegie Theatre

n issue that often affects organisations is the tendency to “shout safety but whisper health.” Under Barry’s direction, the Council is honouring its commitment to increasing health and wellbeing and reducing poverty. The Council has appointed a Health and Wellbeing Manager and has just held its first seminar/ health summit with various external speakers from the County Council and the NHS. On discussing the biggest lesson he has learnt and the reason he moved solely into health and safety, Barry explained: “I was project managing a £10 million contract near Birmingham for one of the world’s largest construction companies. We were trialling a new concept of spraying shotcrete underground that was batched on the surface and transferred by a mine shaft to a tunnel 5 miles below ground. “One night a shotcrete hose became blocked. While staff were unblocking it, it whiplashed and hit an operative on the head, taking away part of his skull. He received severe injuries and spent months in hospital. He was also a very good friend of mine. “The Safety Engineer had introduced risk assessments that required totally reviewing. The company redeployed this person and I was given the additional job. This is where I involved the workforce in developing “fit for purpose” safe systems of work and we turned the site around. We were eventually applauded for achieving 365 accident free days.

From there I was sent to Southern Ireland, to the largest lead zinc mine in the world where I was the Safety Engineer. It was a 6 week contract but I stayed for 18 months.” The Council has major partner organisations that deliver various functions. Strict monitoring regimes have been introduced to continually monitor, audit and review their performance including their Health and Safety Management Systems. Regular OMT health and safety meetings monitor the service of all accidents, incidents or near misses, which are then brought to Barry’s attention. Barry is keen to dispel the many myths and misconceptions associated with health and safety. “Like most professionals, I get annoyed when people try to use the health and safety stick as a deterrent to avoid doing something. People should never use health and safety as reasons to suit themselves. All this does is dilute the viable and important work we are all trying to do,” he said.

or 2015, Barry’s goals are to further enhance the Council’s policies and procedures. He aims to introduce more bespoke risk assessments and new systems for auditing partner organisations. He will work more on health and wellbeing issues for staff including stress. Barry has also been given additional responsibilities for emergency planning for the authority. His aim is to increase his awareness and introduce systems that will put Allerdale Borough Council at the top of its field. Barry is committed to giving 100% in whatever he does, making sure the delivery is always fit for purpose and makes a difference. He concluded: “I am never too busy to help individuals or listen to anyone who has a problem. I never back away and I will take anything on board that is asked of me. I feel proud when I can say that I have made a difference or I have made someone’s life a little less stressful.” It is this experience, expertise and dedication combined with the systems, both present and planned for the future, which ensure a commitment to realising Allerdale Borough Council’s vision of making Allerdale “a great place to live, work and visit.” `

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HOUSING & PROPERTY: ONGO

The Social Landlord with the Sword of Honour Rex Harrison, Health and Safety Manager, Ongo and Neal Stone, Policy and Communications Director, British Safety Council

HSE International spoke to Rex Harrison, Health and Safety Manager at Ongo about the organisation’s award winning success and its partnership, drive and responsibility towards continuous, exemplary health and safety standards

ngo is a partnership of organisations which works to create vibrant communities, by providing homes for rent and support services to help people into employment and training. The key function is that of a Registered Social Landlord, with about 10,000 homes for rent through its company North Lincolnshire Homes. The partnership also comprises two other subsidiaries: a community arm that supports social enterprises and includes an employment agency, and a commercial business which generates profit for reinvestment into homes and communities. As Health and Safety Manager, Rex Harrison’s role is to create a culture where H&S is fully integrated into business processes and ‘just happens’. He has an open remit to develop Ongo so it achieves its goals by focusing on both systems and people in equal measures. History & Background Rex: “I first worked in production within printing and publishing. At 21 I was involved in an industrial accident and was told I would probably have to have both legs amputated and spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair. I dug deep and fought hard and after 14 months of effort (and a first class NHS health service), I fully recovered. But as happens with many accidents, other people are affected. The shock of the accident led to the death of my mother. “Following the incident I moved into management with responsibilities for SHE, Business Resilience and Quality Management Systems. I achieved a First Class BSc in Safety and Environmental Management at Hull University and became a

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NEBOSH Examiner. “Following redundancy, I held a position for a number of years with a small training and consultancy business, which exposed me to different SHE strategies within companies in various sectors such as defence, aerospace, heavy engineering, logistics, pharmaceuticals and construction. From there, I moved into housing as H&S Manager for North Lincolnshire Homes, now part of Ongo.” Safety, Health and Environmental Strategy Ongo’s strategic approach to health and safety starts at the top, is supported by their company values, and empowers every employee to plan and take personal responsibility for their own H&S and that of other’s. Staff work within a defined framework and embrace the concept of dynamic risk assessments, which are at the heart of their system. Strategy, policy and culture is led from the top and filtered down through management levels with the H&S Committee taking a key role. Management systems focus on an Executive Management Team H&S 5 pt Plan (aka The EMT Plan), which sets out responsibilities and authorities, and includes generic organisational risk assessments. The plan is delivered and monitored by their Heads of Service team, who have their own H&S 5 pt Plans – one for each area of the business.

“Counselling services are provided and the company actively works and adopts flexible working practices, to ensure staff can enjoy a rich and balanced work / home life”

“We are very proud that we are a Top 100 Sunday Times best company” The Plans are drawn up around general principles that ensure each service area embeds H&S in its core decision making and operational reviews. The Heads of Service make sure this actually happens. Monitoring and performance measurement is very transparent and reported clearly at all levels. Paper work is kept to a minimum; if it does not affect positive change then it is not being effective, and controlling liability as part of broader business risk focuses on reducing and minimising instances of loss, not by creating reams of documentation which the courts generally see straight through. “We like to think we retain flexibility to expand and change, but that operationally we enjoy a ‘can do’ attitude that still puts H&S at the forefront of thoughts,” Rex explained. As part of publishing and promoting H&S with their customers, the subject is not a standalone element within Ongo’s website. “We don’t believe it should ever be seen as that,” Rex clarified. “The best chance of customers getting H&S guidance is by weaving it into the subjects they access, and that are important for them, and us,” he continued. Key information is included in areas where it is easily and readily accessible. If, for example, a customer requires information regarding asbestos in their home, they will look for it in the part of the website that focuses on their home. Internally, Ongo has an intranet which does have a focused H&S site that includes links to all elements of the H&S management system, performance indicators, risk assessments, meeting records and documentation. Icon links make it easy for staff to find what they want and to bring H&S into their day to day work.

bsence through measuring days lost has resulted in Ongo understanding that health and wellbeing issues result in over 99% of unplanned time off. All absences are reported via their absence reporting system, and back to work interviews

and personal interventions help reduce time off. H&S and HR work closely to reduce illness and promote a healthy workforce. A ‘ME’ campaign, led by HR, raises awareness to personal and mental health issues through various events and is ongoing. Free fruit is delivered weekly to all staff. Counselling services are provided and the company actively works and adopts flexible working practices, to ensure staff can enjoy a rich and balanced

Almerico Ltd is a multi-trade contractor based in Hull, covering all of Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire. We employ 22 skilled tradesmen including Joiners, Builders, Plasterers, Plumbing & Heating engineers, Electricians and Decorators, all of whom are uniformed and carry ID cards. Specialising in maintenance repairs and refurbishment works for: Housing Associations Local Authorities Insurance Companies Property Management Agents Healthcare & Education Sectors

Proud to work in association with Ongo – a more than worthy winner of the Sword of Honour Award.

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HOUSING & PROPERTY: ONGO

“Embracing sustainable solutions and limiting their environmental impact is an operational priority for Ongo” work / home life. ‘Happy at home, happy at work’ is a theme and family life is taken very seriously, with staff encouraged to not work beyond their allotted working hours where possible. Ongo even have ‘Bring Your Kids to Work’ days. Mental Health and First Aid courses* are also delivered for staff. Much effort is put into making the organisation a happy place to work, which includes holding regular sports and social events. Ongo check staff engagement annually through a Best Companies survey. “We are very proud that we are a Top 100 Sunday Times best company.” Embracing sustainable solutions and limiting their environmental impact is an operational priority for Ongo. Rex: “We have launched programmes to install Combi-Smart valves to 2,500 boilers in our rented homes, reducing wasted water and cutting tenant’s bills by about £100 per year. “We have completed a five-year regeneration programme to install new windows, heating and roofing to most of our 10,000 homes and are installing external wall insulation to 2,500 homes. “Where we can, we have implemented the latest technology in air source heat pumps and have installed solar voltaic panels to 277 homes. Moving forward, we have a commitment from our Board to roll out the solar heating programme further, to over 2,000 additional homes. “In limiting our environmental impact, we recycle furniture and household items through our Choose to Reuse furniture shop, significantly reducing the amount we send to land-fill.” Challenge, Success and Exemplary Standards Rex: “We are very much the result of our experiences. The

rich variety of organisations I have come into contact with and the people I have met along the way have embedded strong personal principles within me. A key conversation I remember from years ago was with an ‘Operational Director’. The subject was about H&S and, in summary, resulted in the director saying, ‘If I take everyone’s H&S very seriously, what should I do? Shut the firm down and put everyone in the job centre, they’ll be very safe there’. This really made me focus on the rich and complicated pressures that often make it difficult for senior managers to be believed that they care about the H&S of their staff. This statement alone drove me to believe that the way to implement a culture of H&S engagement with staff has to incorporate making their day to day lives easier, more efficient and effective.” There are many issues facing social housing, particularly the inherited legacy of asbestos being used as a construction material. For Ongo, monitoring the locations and condition of asbestos in their homes, and managing its safe removal where necessary, has been a real challenge. Rex: “On the face of it, it should not be a difficult task however, improving quality control in the asbestos removal industry and the complexities of gaining access to over 10,000 rented homes brings real practical problems. The introduction of compliance checks and partnership working with other agencies, including the HSE (Health & Safety Executive), is critical, as is the identification of poor work practices and putting measures in place to ensure removal is done healthily and safely.”

ngo recently won a prestigious Sword of Honour Award for their outstanding approach to health and safety. The award is the highest accolade internationally and is presented by the British Safety Council to just 50 organisations worldwide, for their excellence in the management of health and

safety. Rex: “Our philosophy is we aspire to ‘get it right, first time, every time’. If you can guarantee to ‘get the job done right, first time, every time’ then travel risks are cut, time on tools are cut, tasks become more efficient and safe, waste is minimised, costs are reduced and staffing is minimised. It’s a win, win situation. “This means that we adopt a quality approach to managing H&S. Management systems and processes, such as risk

*Editors Note: Mental Health First Aid are courses aimed at reducing instances, and mitigating instances of mental health. They are different to First aid courses.

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Moore Facilities Management Ltd

Tel: 01652 659111 Fax: 01652 659 222 Email: joy.moore@btconnect.com

Moore Facilities Management Ltd has been operating in North Lincolnshire for 17 years Specialist services include: New Home Building Responsive Roof Repairs Insurance works Additional services include: kitchen refurbishment, building alterations & fencing “We are delighted to be appointed in partnership with MerryVale Developments for the building of 14 new homes in Scunthorpe”

“Good H&S is not about policies and procedures, but about making it happen” assessments, are used to ensure that the job is done correctly and consistently and that H&S, the environment and other factors are considered as part of normal planning activity. “Just as 18001 developed from quality management principles, H&S should be based on delivering quality. A good QMS requires the identification and implementation of processes which meet statutory and regulatory requirements. This must include customer requirements, which include ethical considerations and compliance. “We developed our group-wide Ongo brand around our company values of ‘partnership, drive and responsibility’, and we encouraged a ‘can do, will do’ attitude into the minds of staff. “We do this by developing innovative events and initiatives, which are generated through our H&S Committee – a group made up of staff reps from every part of the business. “Achieving 5 stars from the British Safety Council and achieving 18001 were part of our operational plan and directly linked to staff receiving an annual dividend payment. “The committee aims to make H&S engaging and inclusive too, through special H&S weeks. As part of the most recent H&S week, many events were held, including the mock up, by the Fire and Rescue Service, of a fatal road traffic incident, presented as seen through the eyes of loved ones. We held staff competitions (which included their children too), self-defence classes, exhibitions and a staff vs. management H&S quiz. The finale was a fire walk where all 300 staff were invited to take part. “The fire walk was an inspiration to many. Even a key H&S

sponsor would not take part when invited to due to perceived risks, but the event was a milestone in our cultural H&S acceptance. “This high hazard, low risk activity was tied in with risk assessment training to ensure that staff understood the difference between competence and confidence. The best thing about this was it helped staff accept the concept that H&S can never be used as a reason for not doing something. Manage the risk, and you can do most things, even those things that appear risky.”

isk and reward (as shown with the corporate fire walk) are considered together as part of Ongo’s risk tolerance. They take on challenges and deliver what in some H&S commentators eyes, should not be done. This approach enables creativity and drive, and ensures that objectives are appropriately planned and all aspects, including H&S, are fully considered as part of a ‘can do, will do’ attitude.

Martin Phillips, Development Manager at North Lincolnshire Homes

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HOUSING & PROPERTY: ONGO

Confrontation Workshop

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Fire Extinguisher Training

“Health and safety, is often short hand for ‘no you can’t’ or ‘boring’. Be fun, make people smile and help them do what they want” Spending over £185m on home refurbishment and delivering their decent homes programme safely has meant that Ongo have had to have successful relationships with their contractors. Rex: “We have been fortunate, through selective procurement practices and the formation of a contractor framework, to have worked with some very good construction partners; many with superb H&S practices. “That said, in several instances, contractors are driven to engage sub-contractors. This can invite reduced control and increased risk. To ensure everyone delivering our programmes and services meet Ongo requirements, we expect them to comply with our H&S standards. Project managers and operational managers monitor performance, carry out compliance inspections and liaise with contractors regularly. A no tolerance approach is led by our managers and construction partners, and staff or companies caught violating H&S rules (such as throwing of items from scaffolds) face instant dismissal or the severance of contracts. Unfortunately, this has been enforced a few times. “This has, however, resulted in a focussed, agreed and unified partnership approach with our contractors in delivering a quality and H&S focussed job.

o maintain their excellent level of commitment and success, Ongo must continue to focus on all aspects of health and safety practice: Rex: “Moving forward, we need to focus on a few core themes and health is one of those key themes. Reducing poor health and wellbeing is very challenging and we should tackle this head on. Whether it’s controlling exposure to hazardous substances such as asbestos, or changing and improving lifestyles, we need to ensure we are making an impact on people. “H&S does not stop at work. We need to ensure that H&S is adopted at home too – whether it be with a bit of DIY or gardening. Achieve this and we will have created a paradigm shift in views, which could transfer to other areas, such as health.” Advice Rex concluded with the following advice for new and fellow health and safety professionals: “H&S is a superb and rich profession, and when done correctly, it adds value. However, to be accepted and respected isn’t something that happens overnight. For those starting out, I would give a few nuggets of advice that have put me in good stead:“Absorb, analyse and decide: The world is full of self-certified experts. Listen to what people say, and do not take it as fact until you have established that it is based on sound evidence. Research, ask questions and form your own views. If you are not confident that what you say is proven fact and you would not be prepared to put your job on it, then do not deliver it as fact, but opinion. “Keep it simple: Good H&S is not about policies and procedures, but about making it happen.

TEL: 01652 640006

E: enquiries@lytec.co.uk

Lighting Surveys Exterior Lighting Designers & Installers LED Energy Saving Solutions. Street Lighting & Traffic Sign Erectors Hybrid Solar Wind Off Grid Exterior Lighting Columns Electrical Condition Reporting Electrical Contractors Lighting Column Stockists Lytec Limited, Cleatham Road, Cleatham, North Lincolnshire. DN21 4JR

“A perfectly written occupational health and safety management system can look like a work of art and read like a volume of the Encyclopaedia Britannica, but if it isn’t brought to the masses, it is worthless. It is better to have 90% compliance with a simple system that brings value but has room to improve, than 10% compliance with a system that goes to the nth degree. “Make it fun: Health and safety, is often short hand for ‘no you can’t’ or ‘boring’. Be fun, make people smile and help them do what they want. “Work as a team: As an individual, you will not make H&S work alone. After all, it is those we are aiming to protect whose actions need to be safe. Only by working with other people, in helping them and adding value through a team approach, will you affect positively on a wide spread basis. Learn: Every day is a learning day. Learn about H&S, but learn about people, how companies work, what drives them, what influences them, and what makes people tick. By knowing the people, you will know H&S.” `

Rex Harrison, Health and Safety Manager at Ongo

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BUILDING & CONSTRUCTION: O’KEEFE CONSTRUCTION LTD

Mark of Distinction HSE International spoke to Michael O’Keefe, SHEQUAL Director at O’Keefe Construction Ltd about the company’s award winning dedication to best practice in Health and Safety and how they thrive by incorporating new and innovative technologies

s winners of a Distinction Award at the 2014 British Safety Council International Safety Awards, O’Keefe Construction have delivered an outstanding service to the Retail, Education, Leisure, Residential, Industrial & Commercial Market sectors for over 44 years as both Principle and Specialist Contractor. With an employment base of 350 people (plus sub-contractors), they work in partnership with all the major construction companies delivering a quality service to safely meet the demands of today’s construction marketplace. The company are specialists; from the demolition of existing buildings and structures, to soil remediation, stabilisation and ground engineering. They also carry out ground works, drainage, construction of building foundations and external works. Divisions within the company construct reinforced concrete packages including RC frames, cores and toppings, and their Utilities division specialise in award winning soil recycling technologies. As the SHEQUAL Director, Michael O’Keefe provides strategic leadership, development and co-ordination of the Group’s HSE agenda and requisite behaviours across the business. This position requires Michael to implement all Health, Safety, Environment and Quality strategies, policies

SHEQUAL Director Michael O’Keefe

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“O’Keefe is still very much a family business with family values and their highest priority is the welfare of their workforce” and procedures to ensure best practice is implemented across the business and compliance is at its highest possible level. He is also accountable for acting as an advisor and champion for HSE, from corporate level through to the grass roots. History & Background Michael: “My father, Patrick O’Keefe Snr. started the company in 1970, and I joined in 1982 and trained as a plant fitter. In the ensuing years, I rose to become a foreman, gaining ‘hands on’ experience of the company’s operations, and in 1992, I was appointed as the company Health and Safety Officer. In 1998 I joined the board as a Director (SHEQUAL). “During this time I have attended numerous training courses and have attained Fellow of the International Institute of Risk and Safety Management (FIIRSM), Graduate Member of the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (GradIOSH) and a Member of the Institute of Industrial Accident Investigators (MIIAI).” O’Keefe is still very much a family business with family values and their highest priority is the welfare of their workforce. Whilst legislative, contractual and financial needs are a given, all policies are directed to ensure that no harm will come to their own people and others. Michael continued: “In addition to the Company’s own Health & Safety Training Policies we have successfully worked with a number of clients who implement their own policies including London Underground, British Airports Authority and Railtrack; thus ensuring a nucleus of specifically trained staff who enhance our standards of Health & Safety on site.”

Communication in Construction With the current trend of growth in the construction industry and a labour base that is becoming more transient each year, a particular challenge that O’Keefe have encountered is effective communication. “As with all our colleagues in the construction industry, communication with persons whose first language is not English is a major challenge,” Michael explained, “and understanding the working culture of people from all groups is becoming more important,” he continued. “We’ve also identified that as a result of this, it is particularly hard to maintain individual’s skills and knowledge levels. This does bring up issues such as training and the need to constantly instil the same attitudes, standards and approach to health and safety as the existing workforce. Only with this understanding can you start to positively affect behaviours. “To address these issues we’ve developed an interactive website that delivers on-line training in 13 different languages, from site induction to skill/knowledge upgrading. “On joining O’Keefe, everyone completes a skills assessment based on the company training matrix and an individual training plan is developed. Each person is allocated a series of training programmes that they must complete which is monitored centrally. “All courses undertaken are assessed through questions and answers and the individual cannot progress until a pass is achieved. This gives us the ability not only to train our workforce in the language most acceptable to them but also to carry out proactive training prior to

“They work in partnership with all the major construction companies, delivering a quality service to safely meet the demands of today’s construction marketplace” deployment onto specific sites.” This system is now in the testing phase and full deployment is expected by March/April 2015. As well as providing this online training, O’Keefe’s health and safety section has a prominent position on their website and details currant RIDDOR statistics, company CSCS/CPCS and other competency status and contact details for the health and safety team. Health & Safety A common idea, particularly within the construction industry is that ‘we shout safety but whisper health’. Michael detailed some of the dangers company workers face and the procedures in place at O’Keefe that ensure a safe, healthy and happy workforce: “By the very nature of the type of work we are engaged in, our workforce is exposed to the hazards of dust and hand arm vibration. To ensure we minimise the effect of exposure we allocate a high level of resource into proactive measures. This includes our procurement team constantly consulting with specialist

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BUILDING & CONSTRUCTION: O’KEEFE CONSTRUCTION LTD

“Our procurement team constantly consult with specialist groups and suppliers, to eliminate hazards by investigating new or improved products and equipment”

groups and suppliers to eliminate these types of hazards by investigating new or improved products and equipment. “All our employees are also required to undertake training in the control of dust. By ‘dust’ we mean all ‘airborne particles’ from cutting stone, drilling concrete, laying gravels and stone, sawing wood and from asbestos fibers exposed in demolition and refurbishment work. “The company also employs the services of an occupational health nurse, who is responsible for visiting sites and undertaking health screening and giving advice on healthy living and well-being.” Environment & Sustainability Programmes O’Keefe have designed and developed a bespoke operation that recycles utility and construction waste into British Standard compliant products for use in highway reinstatement and pavement applications. The process involves segregation, screening, grading and manufacturing of industry standard and bespoke Hydraulically Bound Materials (HBMs). SMARTR® is an acronym that aptly describes the production process for HBMs that are suitable for use as base and sub-base material in carriageways, footways, car parks, and other pavement applications. Products are manufactured from trench arisings and other recovered soils that once regraded and treated, can be used as alternatives to Road Base and Non-structural Concrete as well as being a replacement for Type 1 and other types of fill. The environmental advantages are enhanced when spoil arising from a site can be diverted from landfill to the SMARTR® process and upcycled into the required aggregate, to be returned to the same site for re-use, with a reduction in the number of vehicles traversing the vicinity of the site. With forthcoming changes to the codes for sustainable construction, the recovery rates offered by the SMARTR® process will assist in achieving higher sustainability targets and greater BREEAM ratings. Experience, Expertise and Expectations A major advantage to working as a specialised contractor on major projects is the exposure O’Keefe receive to large companies working as a Principle Contractor. These types of companies have established management systems, policies

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Final HSE Advert 82 x 125 mm.pdf 1 10/12/2014 11:33:29

and procedures that O’Keefe are eager to learn from. “The majority of these larger sized companies operate their own health, safety and welfare initiatives that we embrace and learn from. We take the best from each that assist in us developing our own practices,” Michael explained. “We had the privilege of working on the Olympic Park project where we learnt the importance of including the ‘Health and Welfare’ into our SHE management systems. Another very important lesson we took from the Olympic Park was the need to change our management style from an autocratic to a consultative approach, engaging more with the workforce,” he continued. All of the suppliers engaged by O’Keefe must first be enrolled on their ‘preferred supplier list’. This involves initial evaluation including the input from their procurement, commercial and health and safety teams. When working on site, all sub-contractors must agree to work to the company standards on Health, Safety and Quality and with regards to training and consultation, are treated the same as directly employed staff. O’Keefe’s expectation is that all suppliers must follow their mantra of: • Health and Safety (first and foremost) • Quality • Productivity • Commercial Once employed, a sub-contractor’s performance is under close monitoring which could lead to a suspension or removal from the list for non-conformance.

From concept to completion - your major projects specialist

CMY

Working in partnership with O’Keefe Construction 0845 741 3040

www.mabeyhire.co.uk

Technology and Innovation For 2015, O’Keefe are very excited to introduce their newest acquisition of BIM software. BIM is an acronym for Building Information Modelling, or Building Information Model and describes the process of designing a building collaboratively, using one coherent system of computer models rather than separate sets of drawings. Michael explained how O’Keefe are utilising the software and the challenges involved for the future: “Our in house modelling team use the 2D drawings, specification and schedules to generate these models into a 5D construction project. The models can be used to simulate the construction and operation of a project using up to date information gathered on site to forecast resources and health and safety requirements. Information can be extracted as a possible tool which may help to improve worker health and safety by including safety training, design for safety and safety planning (job hazard analysis and pre-task planning).” Currently, O’Keefe are the only ground working company in the UK utilising the full benefits of BIM. Adopting BIM involves much more than simply changing the software that the company uses, and the main aim for 2015 is for O’Keefe to learn to work in new ways to achieve all the benefits BIM has to offer. Michael concluded: “Visual representation of projects will enable each phase to be planned in detail with measures in place to mitigate risks in a more proactive manner.”

“The SMARTR® process will assist in achieving higher sustainability targets and greater BREEAM ratings” HSE INTERNATIONAL

AVIATION: COBHAM PLC

AVIATION SERVICES

80 Years of Innovation Lee Markham at Cobham Plc spoke to HSE International about his role and responsibilities as regional SHE Advisor and his approach towards achieving excellence in health, safety and environmental practice

obham Plc is a global company employing more than 12,000 people across five continents, with market leading positions in; wireless, audio, video and data communications, including satellite communications; defence electronics; air to air refuelling; aviation services; life support and mission systems. Cobham has three divisions, one of which is Mission Systems Division. Within this division, Cobham SHE Advisor Lee Markham design, develop and manufacture critical technology for Air to Air Refuelling (providing 95% of refuelling systems worldwide for both tanker and receiver aircraft); Life Support and Explosive Ordinance Disposal robot applications. It operates and maintains more than 150 aircraft on specialist flight operations around the world. Cobham Aviation Services UK (within the Mission Systems division), provide services to the UK’s Royal Air Force and Royal Navy in the form of electronic warfare training and target towing utilising their own fleet of Falcon Aircraft. Additionally Cobham Aviation Services UK offer Helicopter Pilot training and maintenance, Airfield Calibration Services and, as part of the Joint Sentry Support Team (JSST) (which includes Northrop Grumman, BAE Systems and AAR International), provide inspection, maintenance, repair and modification of the Royal Air Force’s

“Strong leadership and management commitment is a core element of the policy with the aim of meeting standards set beyond that of legal obligations” 38

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fleet of Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) Boeing aircraft known as Sentry E3D. Role & Responsibilities As regional SHE Advisor, Lee Markham is responsible for ensuring compliance and support to a number of allocated business units within Cobham Aviation Services UK. His duties include offering support, advice and ensuring adequate time and resource is being applied by the local management on issues relating to health, safety and the environment. Lee continued: “I’m responsible for informing, promoting and checking that the Occupational Health & Safety Management is being followed, conducting audits and inspections and providing approved SHE training, instruction and information. I identify, collate and communicate SHE metrics, conduct risk assessment workshops, assist and lead accident investigations, and promote and advise best practice across BU sites. “My role is varied, for example, at one location there are predominately aircraft deep strip maintenance activities. Another location is mainly flying (electronic warfare training) activities and a third provides airfield calibration services to airports and military airfields both in and outside of the UK. From an SHE perspective my role covers a spectrum of hazards; from Biological and Confined Spaces (working inside aircraft fuel tanks) to Radiation, Working at Height and Young workers.”

ee came in to Health & Safety following the completion of his RAF Service (where he was an aircraft engineer) at the start of his second career in civilian life. It wasn’t a conscious choice, as he initially joined Cobham as a Training and Compliance Coordinator on the Joint Sentry Support Team. A few months into this post, Lee was asked if he would take on the additional role of Cobham’s Health & Safety advisor for the site. Never one to turn down a challenge (and not wanting to upset his new employers!), he agreed and so began his journey into SHE. “I undertook the two week NEBOSH General Certificate course, along with some additional short courses that were pertinent to the maintenance environment I worked in, including manual handling, working at height and risk assessment,” Lee explained.

“Like any organisation, company or individual who wants to be at the top of their game, continual improvement, application and commitment is required” “Having got a taste for H&S and having a good mentor behind me, I undertook NVQ Level 4 in Occupational Health & Safety (now NVQ level 5). This, coupled with learning on the job with fellow SHE professionals resulted in gaining CMIOSH three years after first dipping my toes into the H&S water,” he continued. “When the opportunity came along to apply to be a full time SHE adviser in the company, I jumped at the chance and was fortunate enough to be awarded the position. To bolster the E part of SHE, I undertook a short Environmental Management Systems course through Bristol University, and this year I have completed the Lead Auditors course for OHSAS 18001” Heath, Safety & Environmental Achievement & Commitment As with most organisations, the fundamentals of Cobham’s H&S Policy is to comply with legislation to prevent injury and harm to people and the environment as a result of their operations and activities. Lee continued: “We operate under a Zero Harm methodology, we have and promote a Just Culture and empower company personnel to take responsibility for SHE with respect to their own, their colleagues’ and their local communities’ wellbeing. “Strong leadership and management commitment is a core element of the policy with the aim of meeting standards set beyond that of legal obligations.”

of IEMA and I aim to move to the next step up of Associate member by the end of 2015.” In terms of health and wellbeing, Cobham operate a free Employee Care Scheme which provides employees and their immediate family members, access to a confidential counselling and advice service, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The service helps with a wide range of personal and work related problems in various areas, including stress, bereavement, bullying, loss of confidence, anxiety and depression and workplace issues. This service offers a short term focused approach to managing dilemmas and resolving problems; it offers the time to talk through the person’s concerns and feelings, help clarify practical and emotional issues, and provides supportive information when appropriate. Experience, Expertise and Expectations For Lee, the biggest impact on his attitude towards health and safety came early on in his career whilst reading an article in a SHE publication much like this one. The SHE professional spoke about risk assessments, and Lee explained: “The article talked about the belief and approach by some SHE professionals, including myself (I was fairly new to the SHE world at the time), to

eing part of a joint organisation on JSST, Cobham wanted a means to promote their health and safety commitment and ethos to all employees, team members and key stakeholders involved in the maintenance of the Sentry aircraft. Firstly, to measure themselves against their peers in industry and to show their commitment towards H&S, in 2011 Cobham applied for the British Safety Council International Safety Awards. On this first application they were awarded the top mark of Distinction. Lee explained: “This achievement was extremely satisfying and proved we were doing something right! Using this award as a spring board (and with confidence in our OH SMS) Cobham, as part of JSST, undertook the process to become BS OHSAS18001 certified as a standalone site. We were awarded OHSAS 18001 Certification in November 2012 and also in 2012, for the second time running, achieved a British Safety Council International Safety Award of Distinction. “On our last application for the BSC International Safety Awards, we fell four marks short of achieving Distinction for the third time, being awarded Merit. Although initially disappointed, this award emphasised that once an organisation has achieved a very high level in the management and application of safety, it cannot rest on its laurels. Like any organisation, company or individual who wants to be at the top of their game, continual improvement, application and commitment is required. “My personal goal for 2015 is to attain the same level and knowledge of understanding with regards to the Environment as I do with Health and Safety. I’m currently an affiliate member

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AVIATION: COBHAM PLC

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eliminate all and every hazard in the workplace and environment. The author wrote that there are and will be occasions that no matter what you do (unless you have infinite time, money and resources), risks and hazards will remain to some extent. At some point, you have to accept this. To me, this article changed my way of thinking of trying to apply the Rolls-Royce solution to every risk identified, it very much clarified the ‘reasonable practicable’ approach which is effectively apply common sense.” Cobham adopt a transparent approach when looking for suitable suppliers and subcontractors. “Quite simply, we look for the same standards that we have ourselves,” Lee explained. “That doesn’t mean that we only accept contractors that hold OHSAS 18001 or ISO14001 though. We look for companies that can show commitment towards SHE, that have an OH SMS that is affective to the size and scope and of company/organisation that can communicate SHE to their employees, customers and stakeholders,” he continued. “Obviously, we also look at their competency for what there’re being employed for and do this via questionnaires, evidence of membership organisations, training certificates, accident stats and even prosecutions.” Ongoing Challenges and Systematic Solutions Lee: “On a personal front there are aspects of H&S in my present role that I very rarely if ever come into contact with. A key example of this is CDM (Construction, Design and Management Regulations), and I try to stay aware of these through regular reviews and updates on various websites and in SHE publications.” For the JSST site, the challenge is one of increased maintenance coupled with the addition of a temporary second site some distance from the main place of operation. Here, communication and cooperation is the key. By working closely with their partners within JSST and identifying and addressing the increased hazards that have been generated by the increase workload and personnel, Cobham will ensure that work commitments and contracts are not only met, but met safely. The safety aspect is tackled through implementing the Occupational Health and Safety Management System currently employed on JSST, which is written to be transferable and applied between sites with a minimum amount of change.

rom a company perspective, Lee explained the challenge of the ESOS (Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme): “We are tackling this particular legislation corporately and have recently held meetings with all of the SHE advisors from across the divisions in the UK to discuss the best approach, whether that be by implementation of ISO50001, use of external auditors or external agencies or indeed, by looking at becoming self-sufficient and having the talent already within the company trained.” A misconception that Lee would like challenge is the idea that “Health & Safety is a dirty word, that it is a hindrance to work, that it slows the job down or gets in the way of work.” For Lee: “A good and effective safety management system is one where people go to work and come home at the end of the day without injury or harm, with no near misses or cause to say ‘Phew! That was close!’

HHW provides a range of services to employers that are cost effective, time-efficient & that offer you peace of mind in relation to meeting your moral & legal occupational health & safety responsibilities. The team at HHW works in partnership with our clients, building on existing occupational health & safety provisions & helping to find flexible & bespoke solutions These include: Strategic planning & creative vision Audit & review of occupational H&S management systems Occupational health provision & assistance with service procurement or recruitment Risk based health surveillance & screening for safety critical work Safety advice, risk assessments & training Attendance management & ill-health capability support Ergonomic workstation assessments & much more…

‘HHW congratulates Cobham Aviation Services on reaching their 80th anniversary & in achieving these prestigious awards which recognise high standards in their approach to managing risk in both the occupational health & safety fields’

Email: catherine@harmonyhw.com

Tel: +44 (0)7730 985926

www.harmonyhw.com

“Health and Safety has never had a positive press in the UK. Today, we’re not only seeing the popular media giving us a hard time, but we now have central government making statements which lead the public to think that what we do is a waste of their time. This attitude blocks the industry wheels from turning. “If I were to get on my soap box it would be to shout ‘Stop using Health & Safety as an excuse to do or not do something, to save or make money or, in the case of some newspapers, to sell headlines.” Lee concluded with advice for new professionals coming into the industry: • Write your documentation simply but effectively. • Make your documents easy to apply and aimed at operational management • Never bog down your management team with regulation references • Never take the “I told you so” philosophy

“Cobham will ensure that work commitments and contracts are not only met, but met safely” HSE INTERNATIONAL

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Advanced Thinking Advanced Industrial Solutions (AIS Group) is an award winning manufacturer and serviceprovider to the global offshore, wind energy and industrial sectors. Paul Stonebanks, Managing Director at Advanced Industrial Solutions (AIS Group) shared his future vision for the oil and gas industry workforce with Sarah Lawton

IS was founded by Managing Director Paul Stonebanks in 2007. With solid roots as an insulation and passive fire protection provider to the oil & gas industry, AIS traded on its specialist expertise and diversified into software, project management and engineering, recruitment and training. As Managing Director, Stonebanks is very hands on. Responsible for staffing and ensuring employees, guidance and communications, he also sets corporate objectives to include health, safety, environment and quality goals and targets. His executive management team then takes care of the various business functions. The key to enabling easy access and management of key performance indicators (KPIs) across the AIS Group, is a bespoke software management system that provides Stonebanks with real-time, desktop access to data and management of all essential services and systems, from timesheets to training schedules and sales figures to energy efficiencies. Enhanced performance for energy managers The AIS internal team of engineers began developing tailor-made, modular analytical software in 2009 to simplify internal processes, analyse performance and manage staffing and assets. This enables tracking, analysis and control of manufacturing, commercial, health, safety,

“The AIS Training division delivers world-class training accredited by the world’s leading bodies including OPITO”

environment, quality and training data. All tracking processes are streamlined onto a single dashboard and support enhanced efficiency and profitability. Having developed this software solution to use in-house, AIS has recently launched a training management system (TMS) for sale to other offshore and energy management companies. This initial release includes: • A business management module to track KPIs against health, safety, environment and quality • A training manager module to track timesheets and the personal development of team members • An energy management module to manage lighting and energy usage • A campaign analyser to track all aspects of business in realtime. AIS engineers will optimise these modules to suit the exact requirements and processes of the purchaser. Incorporating ‘lean management’ principles, this system was designed from the ground up to be self-contained, simple to use and fit-for-purpose. Developing the next generation of offshore energy experts As a result of the AIS software lean management system, Stonebanks now has the time to focus on his long-term vision, to stay ahead of the game and to build on the company’s already impressive training portfolio, even while remaining in touch with

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OIL & GAS: AIS GROUP

“Trainees come from all over the world, attracted by AIS’s world-class standards and specialised courses” day-to-day business targets. His next project aims to create a complete training academy.

redominantly based in the north east of England, the AIS Training division delivers world-class training accredited by the world’s leading bodies including IRATA, OPITO, SPRAT, MCA, IOSH, GWO and Renewable UK, to thousands of delegates each year. With 13 training centres on a single tailor-built complex in North Tyneside (UK), AIS also has strategically placed satellite centres in Trinidad & Tobago, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and many European countries. Offering 90 skills and competency courses delivered by expert instructors, the AIS training portfolio covers courses in offshore survival, rigging, rope access, blasting and painting, PFP fire protection, CompEx electrical and mechanical engineering and mechanical joint integrity, as well as a raft of other safety and industrial training courses. To cope with the growing demand for safety training courses from the offshore industry, AIS Training built a 20,000 sq ft, state of the art Offshore Survival Centre alongside AIS’s headquarters on the Tyne Tunnel Trading Estate. This new facility complements the company’s existing 120,000 sq ft learning village facilities, as well as its impressive new emergency response and fire-fighting facility at Newcastle International Airport. The AIS Training complex includes a large number of classrooms and meeting rooms, changing facilities, and a restaurant in addition to an environmental swimming pool, fire training centre and lifeboat and davit system. The UK training complex delivers courses for over 1,000 delegates a month. Trainees come from all over the world, attracted by AIS’s world-class standards and specialised courses. This is made as easy as possible for them with airport pickups and an onsite hotel with gym and cinema room.

tonebanks outlined his vision for the future: “I am aiming to develop an AIS training academy that will include partnerships with colleges and universities. Candidates will be offered a complete training program, from A to Z, to include all our specialist industrial courses wrapped into an overall education relevant to the offshore and energy industries.” “We hope to enable the incoming generations, from 11 to 12 year olds, to envision a future career within these industry sectors and offer a clear educational pathway with diplomas and higher education options. We shall tie in the needs of the current and future workforce and build a foundation that includes a culture of engagement with health, safety, environment and quality matters. I believe individual employee engagement in these issues is an essential ingredient to the future success of any business. As such, individuals offering this mentality will become invaluable. Ultimately, the growth of our industry and our national economy will benefit.”

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oilandgasskillsnavigator.co.uk Untitled-1 1 A dedicated workforce is key to success Stonebanks is highly dedicated to his company, working 1416 hour days. He believes in hard work and bringing aboard the right people. Those he hires are equally dedicated. “A business isn’t really any good without the right people,” he explained. “Developing those people, giving them trust, and communicating with them is essential. They must understand that as the business grows, so they must grow too. This ethos has allowed this business to blossom. AIS employees’ training, salaries and packages all reflect their hard work and dedication. “I tend to recruit people I already have experience working with. For example, many of our sales people sold to me over the years and our commercial manager used to be our bank manager. Having got to know them and by understanding their work ethic, it is easier to select the right people for the business. As a result, I can genuinely say the vast majority of our workforce is absolutely focused on taking our business forward.” By retaining a tight-knit, family-type environment, the AIS Group maintains very high standards of excellence. Prior to setting up AIS, Stonebanks worked as an offshore

“We hope to enable the incoming generations, from 11 to 12 year olds, to envision a future career within these industry sectors and offer a clear educational pathway”

08/12/2014 11:47 project manager. He oversaw global teams of several hundred and for the majority of time was away from home. By the time he was thirty, Stonebanks had a family, and the urge to return home in the evenings to see them was the drive he needed. Full of ideas based on personal experience, he set up AIS from his home conservatory and the business quickly grew, relocating into offices and moving from strength to strength.

Five ingredients to business success When asked what advice he would give to other managers trying to maintain high standards of health, safety and environment, Stonebanks said: “There is help out there. If an organisation is struggling to develop the internal skill set required to maintain standards then they can look to companies such as ourselves, to have their current systems reviewed and to get advice on training requirements. There is also funding available and smaller businesses can get support towards training. “My advice to grow any business is to ensure that you have all five key ingredients in place; commercial, health, safety, environment and quality. Everything else is connected to this core and if any one of these is missing the business will not be successful. “By offering our new software system, we hope to make control of these five key ingredients easier. If, for example, you have a member of staff who is off every Friday, this would

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OIL & GAS: AIS GROUP

“By retaining a tight-knit, family-type environment, the AIS Group maintains very high standards of excellence” become quickly obvious within the system. With access to all the data across the business, it becomes possible to analyse potential environmental influences on their work patterns. You might, for example, discover that they sit next to an extraction system that generates fumes and causes them to be poorly every Friday. This type of cause and effect only becomes possible to realise with access to this data.” Supplier relationships and staff development By attending to details, facilitated by the AIS management software system, Stonebanks is able to maintain efficiency across all aspects of his business, from the quality of food served in the company restaurant to relationships with suppliers. The AIS Group works closely with many suppliers, consultants and subcontractors. To ensure all business partners meet its high standards across all five key ingredients, AIS employs a compliance questionnaire. These are fed into the software system for approvals. Of course, AIS completes similar questionnaires as a provider for other large organisations. All AIS staff are required to attend a full portfolio of AIS training courses. As such, they benefit from first-hand knowledge in the company product and an overview of the industry. This also ensures that AIS staff are imbued with the culture and mentality of engagement across Stonebanks’ five key ingredients for business success, along with every other AIS trainee. Career opportunities The offshore sector is currently booming and desperately needs skilled personnel. There are numerous job opportunities available for competent individuals with the right qualifications. AIS has an excellent track record of getting people into jobs by equipping them with high employability skills. As well as providing expert instruction and practical advice, the company also offers a unique online career planning service that enables delegates to manage their training programme, upload certificates, plan their career path and create an excellent CV, all at the click of a button. An AIS trainee case study: New offshore career for former bricklayer Former bricklayer, Lee Fish, is enjoying a lucrative new career in the oil and gas industry thanks to AIS Training. The 30-year-old from Ashington trained as a bricklayer after leaving school and went on to work in the construction industry for several large contractors. After 13-years, Lee was keen to build a better life for his family – partner Claire and their 6-year-old son Ben – and felt it was time for a career change. When the chance of taking redundancy from his job came along, Lee decided to take the plunge and retrain for a new career in the booming offshore energy sector. “With a young family to support it was a big decision to

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give up my job and go into something completely different but I knew I had to give it a go”, Lee said. “A few of my friends work offshore earning really good money and it was something I’d always fancied but didn’t know where to start. “I’d heard about AIS Training’s new state-of-the-art offshore training complex in North Shields so contacted them for advice on how to get an offshore job and which training courses make you most employable. As well as all the mandatory offshore courses such as offshore sea survival and basic medical and safety training, I went on to complete blaster / painter and fire proofing courses. “But it wasn’t just the training - AIS helped me structure my CV to make it stand out to offshore employers, and also put me in touch with a number of companies who were looking for new personnel. Within just eight weeks, I’d secured my first job as a fire proofer and blaster working on an oil rig off the coast of Scotland. “The job is fantastic - I’m earning four times as much as I was before and I get to spend one week in three off with my family which gives us lots of quality time together. There are loads of job opportunities for blaster painters offshore and I can see a clear career path moving forward. Re-training has definitely been the best decision for me and I can’t thank AIS Training enough for helping to get me where I am today.” Stonebanks and his team at AIS hope that this type of success will act as inspiration to encourage others to consider working within the ever expanding oil and gas industry as an alternative career pathway. ` If you wish to discover more about AIS visit www.aisgroup.co.uk. Alternatively call 0844 800 1810.

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“We shall build a foundation that includes a culture of engagement with health, safety, environment and quality matters”

Paul Stonebanks, Managing Director at Advanced Industrial Solutions (AIS Group)

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OIL & GAS: ABSOFT LTD

Discipline Team Leader John Meiklejohn

Driving operational excellence and enhanced business performance through ® SAP best practice Absoft Ltd are one of the UK’s leading SAP consultancies. Steve Wilson spoke to their Principal Consultant and Discipline Team Leader John Meiklejohn about the company and their successful approach to safety

bsoft Ltd are an accredited SAP® Partner and have been providing dedicated SAP software and business consultancy services since 1991. They specialise in the upstream Oil & Gas industry, helping clients implement and maintain best practice SAP solutions along with supporting business processes. The company also provide Integrated SAP Support services (either on site or remotely) for many industry sectors and public organisations across the UK. Their capabilities span both technical and functional disciplines within SAP and they are Partner Centre of Expertise accredited. Absoft design, implement and maintain best practice SAP systems for specific company requirements. This includes managing data requirements for M&A activity, reinvigorating older systems and processes to meet evolving business needs and utilise evolving technology, such as user friendly mobile applications, or providing bespoke SAP training.

Absoft’s specialist consultants cover all functional needs from finance and HR to supply chain, logistics and maintenance. They have delivered thousands of upstream projects in the North Sea and Europe, with wider project execution over 40 countries to date. The Integrated SAP Support side of the business, however, is purely focused on the UK market. Absoft serve customers from their offices in Aberdeen and London, covering all parts of the country. None of the support service is outsourced and dedicated support consultants get to know their customers in depth. Beyond functional support, the company provide all necessary technical support. This covers ABAP (Advanced Business Application Programming) development, NetWeaver, hardware and upgrade services. Absoft serve SAP users in any industry but they have a strong background in Oil & Gas, manufacturing and local councils alongside higher education and transport.

s a Principal Consultant and Discipline Team Leader, John Meiklejohn is responsible for supply chain and logistical project teams. His roles and responsibilities cover all aspects of service delivery. These range from preparing proposals and project scopes to overseeing the quality of other consultants’ work and delivering projects.

“Our mission is to drive operational excellence and enhanced business performance through SAP best practice” 48

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John has undergone a range of training backed up by 20 years’ experience implementing SAP, enabling him to support customers and other Absoft consultants to a highly specialised level. This includes configuring Materials Management, Inventory Management and Plant Maintenance modules, among others. John has detailed experience of the requirements for the Management of Maintenance in the North Sea, supporting a range of legislative standards including ISO 14224 and NORSOK Z008.

bsoft is focused on helping its customers put in place and maintain SAP systems that enable operational compliance with health and safety programs, whether internally or externally driven. John said: “We work with clients to manage and report on inspection and preventative maintenance of Safety Critical equipment. We provide a means of planning work, registering results, comparing with agreed standards and indicating if the results are acceptable, putting in place actions to rectify equipment failing to meet the required standards.” It is essential that all Safety Critical equipment is managed and maintained to the highest level, especially in high risk Oil & Gas operations. Absoft can provide the functionality to assess the potential for failures before they occur. This ensures that the correct mitigating actions can be put in place at the optimal point in time. As a consequence of implementing safety critical processes, safety critical stock can also be easily reviewed, as John explained: “We enable organisations to register materials and ensure their

supply chain processes are sufficiently aligned to meet the demands of both planned and corrective maintenance. This results in a reduced risk of stock outs or unavailability of critical components.” Beyond operational safety, Absoft help companies ensure they are in compliance with their HR, payroll, logistics and accounting processes using SAP. Absoft work with operating drilling and oilfields service companies of all sizes and offer fixed date project delivery as well as ongoing support. Clients include Total E&P, Apache, Halliburton, Petrofac, Chevron and Philips among many others.

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OIL & GAS: ABSOFT LTD

John had the following advice for organisations struggling to meet exemplary standards of safety: “Speak to us. We have a strong track record with many clients across the Upstream Oil & Gas sector. We assist with improvements to business processes and data systems in order to help operating, drilling and service companies meet and prove compliance with all applicable safety standards. And as an added bonus, we can improve your efficiency and profitability in the process”

bsoft pride themselves on providing excellent customer service, which is achieved through committed, trained and competent employees. “Our Absoft Centre of Excellence drives all operations within our business,” John explained. “It is how we deliver company values on a daily basis. Our mission is to drive operational excellence and enhanced business performance through SAP best practice.” Absoft are members of the Achilles Group, including First Point Assessment Ltd (FPAL), JQS and Sellihca. They are also members of the Bright Green Business Network, Oil & Gas UK, Norway2UK, SBN Norway and the Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce. “These memberships are useful in not only helping us to network with our peers within the industry, but also making sure we keep up to date with the challenges our clients are facing,” John said. The company hold the SAP Active Quality Management Accreditation. Awarded in 2012, this is SAP’s global quality

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“The company excel at maintaining strong relationships with their clients and 80% of their business comes from existing customers” accreditation program, of which Absoft were delighted to become certified members. They were awarded the SAP Partner Centre of Excellence (PCoE) certification in the same year. The award verifies that Absoft provide support to their customers in accordance with SAP’s current technical and organisational standards. It follows an extensive audit by SAP of their support service. Several of Absoft’s consultants are ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) trained and the company’s market-leading SAP Support Service is aligned with ITIL. They are also well versed in utilising the Prince 2 methodology and principles within their SAP implementation projects alongside ASAP. Several of their project managers are Prince 2 certified. Absoft were proud to gain a One Star Best Companies accreditation in 2013. The award further acknowledges their commitment to excellence. The company currently hold two ISO standards. They were extremely pleased to have attained the ISO/IEC 20000-1:2011 (IT Service Management Service System) certification in January 2013, and also the ISO/IEC 27001: 2005 (Information Security Management) certification in December 2012. The company excel at maintaining strong relationships with their clients and 80% of their business comes from existing customers. John said: “What sets our service apart is the very specialist expertise we have developed along with the flexible approach we take to service delivery. “On the Oil and Gas side of the business, we have dealt with every type of scenario over the last 20 years. We know how to help clients achieve their goals through use of best fit SAP solutions and business processes. “In our Integrated SAP Support business, we can offer any range of service to exactly fit a customer’s internal capacities. That may mean providing a complete and proactive managed service or just a few hours a month to help with occasional higher level technical issues. We don’t lock our customers into inflexible contracts. “Absoft is happy to be your chosen SAP partner, or just there to help with the more challenging areas.” For more information about any of Absoft’s services, please contact Jonny Godson on +44 (0)1224 707088 or email jgodson@ absoft.co.uk `

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