HSE International Issue 99

Page 1

Health, Safety & Environment Worldwide

ISSUE 99 DECEMBER 2015

Safety & Workplace Supplies PLATINUM FACILITIES & Maintenance Services Ltd

ROSPA AWARDS 2015 REVIEW

Also including: RoSPA Awards Review 2015, SPE Offshore Europe 2015, ABB Consulting, Alexandra, UKDN Waterflow (LG) Ltd, NBC Group


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International Safety Awards 2016

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Gain recognition of your health and safety management and demonstrate your commitment to occupational health and safety. Top reasons to apply: • Show your employees that their health and safety is a top priority • Gain endorsement of your workplace health and safety • Demonstrate to your clients that you are a safety conscious organisation.

The award really keys the importance of safety into people’s minds. It also helps with internal promotion of safety and creates a buzz around the sites if we are successful. We have yet to find a downside to applying. Paul Nowell Operations and Health and Safety Director Total Foodservice Solutions

Be recognised as the best in your sector by our independent adjudicators. Simply include your sector when you submit your application to be included in the selection process.

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Contents: December 2015

Foreword: December 2015 This month in HSE International:

News:

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Facilities & Property Management:

Alexandra

RoSPA Awards 2015 Review:

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18

RoSPA: NBC Group

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RoSPA: UKDN Waterflow (LG) Ltd

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Oil & Gas:

30

SPE Offshore Europe 2015

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ABB Consulting

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Safety Products:

Bunzl Greenham

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s 2015 draws to a close we present our final issue of the year. Our cover story this month focusses on Bunzl Greenham, leaders in the supply of Personal Protection Equipment (PPE), Cleaning and Hygiene Supplies and Contractors’ Site Equipment. HSE International spoke to Jon Mellor, Technical Support Manager at Bunzl Greenham to discuss their proactive approach to the quality, performance and safety of their products; minimising their environmental impact and ensuring your safety at all times. In our dedicated ‘Facilities & Property Management’ section we speak to David Harmer, Head of Category Management at Alexandra, a leading international provider of workwear, corporate clothing and uniforms to a wide range of business sectors. Continuing our coverage of the 2015 RoSPA awards, we include a review of the awards ceremonies earlier this year and editorial features with 2015 winners UKDN Waterflow (LG) Ltd and NBC Group. In addition to their RoSPA awards success, NBC recently made a donation to the British Heart Foundation for purchasing

defibrillators in the Gravesham area. Two weeks later, one of these defibrillators saved a local man’s life after suffering a heart attack whilst out buying a birthday present for his Granddaughter. Jag Sidhu, Director commented: “He said, ‘If it wasn’t for your defibrillators, I wouldn’t have made her birthdayʼ. He had tears of joy and said thank you for keeping me alive. I mean, it’s a lot of money but what is it worth when you can save a life? That is priceless.” In our dedicated ‘Oil & Gas’ section, we review SPE Offshore Europe 2015, which took place in Aberdeen on 8-11 September. Offshore Europe is a biennial conference and exhibition and is one of the UK’s largest E&P (exploration & production) events, dedicated solely to the Oil & Gas industry. As usual, we round out this issue with the latest news and views helping you keep up to date with all the latest developments. Finally, I’d like to wish our readers and clients all the very best during the festive period and a happy, prosperous and safe 2016.

RoSPA SPE Offshore Europe

Jonathan Seale Magazine Manager

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ALTON TOWERS SMILER RIDE CRASH DUE TO ‘HUMAN ERROR’

NEWS

HUGE INCREASE IN COMPANY FINES FOR HEALTH AND SAFETY OFFENCES

Human error caused the Alton Towers rollercoaster crash in June that seriously injured five people, the Staffordshire theme park has said.

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wo women – Victoria Balch and Leah Washington – had legs amputated after the Smiler ride hit an empty carriage on 2 June. Staff misunderstood a shutdown message and wrongly restarted the ride, an investigation by the park confirmed. No technical or mechanical issues were found with the ride itself. The ride, which has been closed since the crash, will reopen next year with improved safety measures. “A ride shutdown message was misunderstood by staff at the ride,” an Alton Towers spokeswoman said. “This led to a decision to manually restart the ride, overriding the control system without appropriate safety protocols being followed correctly.” A total of 16 people were injured when the carriage they were in collided with an empty one that had come to a halt ahead of them. Merlin Entertainment, which owns Alton Towers, previously said all 16 would receive compensation.

New sentencing guidelines for courts dealing with corporate manslaughter, health and safety, and food safety offences were published recently.

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causing an outbreak of food poisoning due to a lack of proper hygiene at a food processing plant neglecting residents at a residential care home inadequate risk assessments on a building site where someone subsequently suffers an injury.

Previously, only corporate manslaughter and health and safety offences causing death were covered by specific guidelines and there was a sense that the process of calculating fines was insufficiently rigorous. Also, because courts do not deal regularly with health and safety matters, there was a lack of consistency in sentencing. In addition, there was concern that fines, particularly for larger organisations, did not fulfil the purposes of sentencing (punishment, deterrence, and public protection) and sometimes failed to reflect the seriousness of the harm caused and/or the culpability of the offender. The most significant aspect of the new guidelines is a huge increase in fines for companies that are successfully prosecuted. In the past, fines for corporate manslaughter offences started at £500,000 and could go up to millions of pounds (the amount was unspecified); fines for health and safety offences causing death were £100,000 and upwards. In fact, fines rarely reached these minimums. The new guidelines provide a much more detailed calculation

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Source: http://www.hseinternational.co.uk/alton-towers-smiler-ride-crash-

due-to-human-error/

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mechanism. For the most serious forms of corporate manslaughter committed by large organisations, for example, fines may be as great as £20 million. The most important aspect of a company’s finances for the purposes of calculating any fine is turnover, rather than profit. The stated intention of such fines is to have a “real economic impact” and, in some cases, put a convicted organisation out of business. So it is important that any organisation considers its health and safety obligations properly. Under the new guidelines, a convicted organisation must provide comprehensive accounting information to the court so that its financial status can be accurately assessed. If the court is not satisfied that sufficient reliable information has been provided, it may infer that the organisation can pay a fine of any size. So company directors (and, by extension, HR) will want to ensure that all requisite data is provided. Sentencing guidelines only take effect once the worst has happened: a breach of health and safety legislation leading to prosecution and conviction. The aim of any organisation should, of course, be to avoid such situations. Whether the new penalty levels will prove an effective incentive to avoid prosecution is open to question. Statistics show workplace accidents and deaths are actually falling year on year. The number of organisations sentenced for health and safety and food safety offences has been decreasing since 2012 and the number of corporate manslaughter convictions is so small, it has barely reached double figures since the legislation came into force in 2008. It may be that better training or other measures might have a greater influence on compliance with legislation rather than ever harsher sentencing.

Source: http://www.hseinternational.co.uk/huge-increase-in-company-fines-for-health-and-safety-offences/

hey will mean significantly higher fines for any case sentenced on or after 1 February 2016. Any HR professionals responsible for health and safety legislation compliance in their organisation, for example, those working in SMEs without dedicated health and safety departments, should be aware of the potentially devastating commercial consequences of future prosecutions. The guidelines cover a huge range of offences. Examples of conduct which might expose an organisation to criminal sanctions include:

Crash errors Four people sitting in the front row were among those most seriously hurt. The Health and Safety Executive said its own investigation was “still ongoing”. Alton Towers said it had followed “standard HR procedures and taken the appropriate action” when dealing with the staff whose errors caused the crash. A spokeswoman said: “The outcome of this however remains a private matter between us and any individual concerned.” Merlin Entertainments said significantly lower numbers of visitors to Alton Towers over the summer had prompted a restructuring of the business which could see 190 job losses following an 11.4% fall in revenues. When the Smiler reopens next year, it will feature an additional level of authorisation so no manual override can happen without a senior member of staff, the theme park said. “We are confident that lessons have been learned and that appropriate action has been taken to address all the issues raised by our investigation.”

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NEWS

POUNDWORLD FINED £63,000 FOR SELLING NON-REFLECTIVE HIVIS VESTS BA PASSENGER Poundworld has been fined over £63,000 after it sold non reflective hi-vis jackets, with the logo ‘be safe, be seen’.

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A British Airways passenger waiting for take-off at Heathrow Airport was rushed to hospital after a bag fell on him from the plane’s overhead lockers. As cabin crew prepared the jet for its departure to Bangkok, witnesses reportedly heard a “terrible sound” as the item of hand luggage struck the man’s head. According to The Sun, the passenger “collapsed” after he was hit. London Ambulance Service said it treated a man for a head injury at the scene before taking him to Hillingdon Hospital as a priority. A source told The Independent the incident took place while the plane was still in its stand at Heathrow, rather than while taxiing down the runway or – as is often warned about – after bags have moved around in lockers during the flight. BA allows more hand luggage on board its flights than most of its commercial competitors, permitting each passenger one cabin bag up to 23kg, plus an additional handbag or laptop bag, regardless of ticket class. The incident involving the Heathrow-Bangkok flight took place on the evening of Monday 14 December, and the man was discharged from Hillingdon on Tuesday 15. Undeterred, the man is believed to have since made his flight to Thailand. In a statement, the airline said: “We take the health and safety of our customers very seriously and our cabin crew receive extensive training to deal with incidents on board. “Our crew cared for a customer who was injured after boarding the aircraft. He was taken to a local hospital and we wish him a speedy recovery.”

Source: http://www.hseinternational.co.uk/ba-passenger-hospitalised-after-bag-falls-on-his-head-from-overhead-locker-at-heathrow/

Source: http://www.hseinternational.co.uk/poundworld-fined-63000-for-selling-non-reflective-hi-vis-vests/

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ore than 95,000 of the vests had been sold for £1, but tests carried out by trading standards revealed that the reflective nature of the jackets was no more than 2.4 per cent of what it should have been. Joe Tyler, Hertfordshire Trading Standards, bought the jacket from Poundworld on Watford High Street. He said: “Whilst the produce purported to be a high visibility safety vest, it was in fact no such thing. It was little more than an item of clothing. “Neither the fluorescent yellow background material or the retro-reflective strips were of a standard anywhere near that which was necessary to ensure the visibility of the user.” In response to Trading Standards’ questions, Poundworld said the vest that was tested was part of a batch of 7,200, but over a period beginning in January 2010 it had imported and sold 95,700. The company, which has its HQ in Normanton, West Yorkshire, appeared for sentence on Friday, having pleaded guilty to two offences of engaging in misleading commercial practice at an earlier hearing. Stan Reiz, defending, said the Chinese manufacturers had provided test certificates that were misleading to Poundworld . He said there had been no complaints or safety incidents reported. But he said: “The company admits it fell short of due diligence. It has now changed its policies and has increased its UK test centres.” Judge John Plumstead fined Poundworld £15,000 and ordered it to pay £42,395.10 in an agreed confiscation order as well as £6,123.16 prosecution costs. He said: “People would have gone out of the shop believing they had improved the safety of their children or themselves when out after dark on foot or on a bicycle. “The fine demonstrates the court’s disapproval of those who put on the market safety aids that are not safety aids at all.” The jacket was withdrawn from sale on June 5 2014 and the national recall took place in January this year.

HOSPITALISED AFTER BAG FALLS ON HIS HEAD FROM OVERHEAD LOCKER AT HEATHROW

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Facilities & Property Management: Alexandra

FIT FOR PURPOSE WORKWEAR Alexandra is a leading international provider of workwear, corporate clothing and uniforms to a wide range of business sectors. David Harmer, Head of Category Management spoke to HSE International about how listening to customers’ requirements and utilising responsible manufacturing processes are key to their success as the largest single supplier to all sectors of industry, offering high levels of safety, quality and comfort.

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ince 1854, Alexandra has been at the forefront of designing and producing workwear. From the voluntary nurses and munitions workers of the First and Second World Wars to the healthcare professionals, chefs, engineers, retailers, scientists and business people of today, Alexandra continues to deliver high quality workwear. Alexandra remains the largest single supplier to all sectors of industry, both public and private, offering a comprehensive range of workwear – all in one place. Their expert design and manufacturing teams are able to source the latest fabric and technology to provide solutions that are also perfectly matched to the needs of the job, as well as being durable and comfortable to wear. With offices in the UK, Holland, France and the US, Alexandra has a long-established global manufacturing and procurement capability offering continuity and control of the supply-chain. In turn, this commands competitive prices from suppliers and enables the passing on of best value to benefit their clients. Alexandra supply over 45,000 businesses every year, with an extensive range of workwear from their UK warehouses. Over 20,000 garments are fully stocked, offering a consistent 95% availability for the most popular lines. As a group, they despatch over 19 million garments

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throughout the UK, Europe and across the globe. For clients requiring a bespoke look for their brand, Alexandra offer a range of customisation, design and production options available on request. DAVID HARMER, HEAD OF CATEGORY MANAGEMENT “My role as Head of Category Management for Alexandra is to oversee all of the products that we sell via our catalogue and digital platforms. I ensure that our products are designed perfectly for the modern professional, commercially suitable for the business and most importantly, that they are compliant (in terms of specification i.e. from use by the actual wearer rather than purchaser or customer.) PRODUCT FOCUS The product range at Alexandra is the largest in the UK and covers every business sector via their catalogue. The categories of the catalogue are split into 9 of the largest sectors with Healthcare as their largest grossing category. “We are the UKs market leader for healthcare garments and associated products,” David commented. Alexandra’s catalogue covers Facilities Management sectors such as Hospitality, Workwear, PPE, Footwear, Beauty and Spa Outerwear, as well as a Maternity range.

“Our range is enormous and outside of Healthcare, the Hospitality, Workwear and PPE categories are our largest, where we offer a huge range of protective products including official items of PPE and more traditional garments that you’d expect to see operatives wearing within the field of Facilities Management,” David continued. “Our PPE offering is a curated range as we don’t feel that is necessary to offer absolutely every brand. We’ve collated our specific range based on the knowledge and professionalism that we’ve experienced in dealing with some of our larger customers in the UK. We know that there are a lot of other brand names out there, but we’re here to listen to customers’ requirements and to give advice and guidance. We’re able to provide the best products that service their specific needs. “The Maternity range is of increasing importance to Alexandra. Traditionally, this not been strong area for us; we hadn’t acknowledged the importance of providing garments for pregnant professionals having to work throughout their whole pregnancy, for example. “We’re now trying to ensure that we have more maternity offerings in place so that everybody can remain looking a part of their team. We understand that pregnant women probably wouldn’t want and certainly shouldn’t have to wear something completely different to everyone

KEY CREDENTIALS • • • • • • •

UK’s No.1 provider of workwear, established for 160 years. Head-to-toe solutions - with over 20,000 fully stocked catalogue lines. Excellent availability throughout the year. 2 year quality guarantee on all Alexandra branded products. Fast, high quality personalisation service delivered within 7 - 10 working days. FREE postage and packaging on all orders over £50 ex VAT. Simple returns service with refund within 10 working days.

else, so this is an area we’re very much focusing on. “When it comes to Workwear (the more generic industrial and trades workwear), over the past 3 years, we’ve undertaken a huge amount of work in developing our Tungsten Brand; an excellent range of polycotton styles which have all of the quality and functionality that trades’ professionals expect, combined with a simplicity of design that appeals to businesses looking to promote their own brand.

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Facilities & Property Management: Alexandra

“In terms of Facilities Management and the products which would be suitable for engineers, service and maintenance workers, estates teams, gardeners etc., our offering has been a big success. Over the past 12 months, we’ve had some large scale adopters from within our own SME sales channel, proving the relevance of our offer and particular style of products to FM professionals. “Another key area is footwear and in particular the slip resistant styles. With the increase of risk assessments for job roles, there is a drive to ensure that all professionals are wearing the correct product. We’ve noticed that with increasing risk assessments, the need for slip resistant footwear is more frequently being noted. We have an excellent range of slip resistant footwear at various different price points available that appeals to different sectors.”

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lexandra produce safety products all over the world: “In terms of the manufacturers that produce our specific garments, we’re ETI compliant and we make sure to carry out all our factory audits. In doing so, we can ensure that all employees within those facilities are not at risk, are paid fairly and that the conditions they’re working within are good, safe, proper and what you’d expect yourself to be able to comfortably work in. That is at the heart of our manufacturing,” David explained. “For a company that manufacture their own product that we resell, Alexandra is always looking out for a high degree of innovation. Commerciality is also key as we want to ensure that we’re passing on commercially viable products

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“For a company that manufacture their own product that we resell, Alexandra is always looking out for a high degree of innovation. Commerciality is also key as we want to ensure that we’re passing on commercially viable products to our customer base” to our customer base. “High supply frequency and stock availability is incredibly important because we appreciate that a lot of our customers are expecting a quick turnaround. “HB Protective Clothing is an avenue of development within Alexandra that we’ve been looking to progress. When I first joined the company, we had a very basic entry range of PPE; fire retardant for example, where we had a couple of coveralls which wasn’t sufficient. We partnered with HB in order to bring all of their quality and knowledge and design knowhow to an area which Alexandra has expertise in. Although we have manufactured these garments previously, when you have an operation such as HB that

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Facilities & Property Management: Alexandra

HB Protective Clothing: Safety is paramount

Hazards are omnipresent in many production processes, but today’s production plants boast considerably higher safety levels in comparison to previous decades. Today, ensuring maximum safety for all workers in a workplace is paramount. That is why new protective clothing is required that supports the workers’ well-being at any time. HB Protective Clothing Ltd, a subsidiary of HB Schutzbekleidung from Germany, is the competent partner for all companies looking for clothing that is completely safe, comfortable to wear and fashionable. Today, HB is the name to remember, as it offers high-quality protective clothing that stands out in the market. “It pays off to concentrate on safety,” says Director Sales Sven Holst, who is all too aware that safety is not to be neglected by production companies. “Even in the most hazardous working environments, the issue of safety comes first. We offer the right clothing to withstand extreme working environments.” Tailored to meet customer demands And it is this specialization in protective clothing in clearly defined working areas that has contributed greatly to the upsurge of HB in the global market. Two years ago, the company was able to celebrate its 50th anniversary, and it grasped the chance to look back to its past development. “Since our foundation by Herbert Berthold in 1952, we have always worked extremely hard to safeguard our high quality standards in order to guarantee clothing with a high sense of safety for the wearer,” points out Eddie Impey, Key Account Manager United Kingdom and Ireland. Over the past decades, HB has recorded above-average growth, as personal protective equipment has become a

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true growth market in general. Another advantage for the positive corporate development has been the company’s specialization in the fields of chemicals, fire and electricity, offering clothing that are tailored to meet the demands of workers in these markets. “Among our customers are power utilities, industrial production plants, refineries, the chemical and electrical industries, foundries and steel plants as well as the automotive industry,” states Sven Holst.

focuses on this area day in day out, we’re happy to embrace their innovation and leadership. In doing so, we bring their design, development and knowhow to the UK. Alexandra is the UK’s main outlet for HB styles. “Magnum Boots – We’ve chosen to partner with Magnum for their tactical security footwear. There is a strong requirement for footwear, particularly within the security and also ambulance sectors, for ex service professionals who take on those roles after they come out of the forces. They want a product that they know and can rely on. Magnum is an ideal product for this role. They’ve also evolved their product offering into more trades professional footwear, with some excellent industrial footwear designs which we’ve included in our catalogue. They offer excellent customer support as well. “Toffeln are a fantastically pioneering company. They’re relatively small in terms of the global picture of footwear and clothing suppliers, but they produce a fantastic high quality product that is innovative with great comfort. Their main product is clogs and if I could work a trade show in a pair of those all day long, I’d be a very happy man! It would prevent ‘exhibition foot’ as I refer to it! Toffeln products are perfect for professionals who are on their feet all day. “Rodo have helped us transform our footwear range via the inclusion of their Blackrock brand of safety footwear. This brand stands at an excellent price point with a good quality level and fantastic stock support and service. Since starting working with them approximately 4 years ago, they’ve helped to transform the offering that we have in place. Supertouch have supported us in developing a broad range of hi-visibility garments that offer an outstanding balance of value and quality. Their service level and

account management are excellent and alongside a steady flow of new product developments, this makes Supertouch an ideal partner. HEALTH AND SAFETY EXTERNAL FOCUS The Design and Development, Technical and Products teams at Alexandra are always available to work with any customers, both prospective and current, who identify that they have a potential risk within their workplace. David commented: “I personally have been out to various different businesses to aid health and safety officers when assessing a risk. I identify a suitable product that we could supply from our catalogue, or a new potential product that we might need to introduce. We’re not averse to assisting in this way because we appreciate that whilst we’ve got our strong catalogue range, the opportunity to enhance the offering is something that should not be ignored. We’re open to working on or sourcing new products specifically to our customers’ needs. “I think that we’re now in a position where we need to listen in incredible detail to every kind of health and safety issue; the safety of each individual employee is paramount. Unfortunately, during the recession, it seemed that the focus was not on the wearer and their comfort and safety but rather on budgets sheets. Thankfully, things have changed now and from an economic point of view, the industry is in a brighter financial position, so the wearer’s safety and health is in full focus for each and every company that we deal with. “We try and instil that health and safety is of paramount importance, regardless of which product we’re developing or whether it is identified as an item of PPE or not. The 

Superb protective characteristics For its comprehensive customer base, HB offers a broad range of protective clothing for working in the areas of arc and energy, heat, flame and splashes, weather, chemicals, cleanroom and dust, and electrostatic discharge. In 2014, HB has been awarded ‘Best Occasional PPE’ at the British Professional Clothing Awards. Against the backdrop of a high-tech product portfolio, consultancy and development know-how are important features that have helped bring the company to the top in protective clothing. “We ensure that our garments incorporate superb protective characteristics in all ranges. We cooperate closely with our production partners to guarantee these extremely high safety levels,” adds Eddie Impey. “As we have specialized in certain industries, information is essential for customers here. All our products require complex and time-consuming consultation, but we have at hand the right staff members who know all about customer-oriented consulting services.” For more information, please contact Eddie Impey, Key Account Manager United Kingdom and Ireland, telephone +44 7415 120079.

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Facilities & Property Management: Alexandra health and safety factors of our entire offering is always what we focus on. “Additionally, a key element of our offer is to provide high levels of safety along with high levels of quality and comfort. For example, in the Beauty and Spa industry, nail technicians and salon specialists will wear our tunics because not only does this create a uniformed presentation of their business, it also covers the body in a manner which is protective. When dealing with potential chemicals, though essentially the tunic isn’t necessarily a chemical resistant garment, it will still stop splashes from touching the skin of the wearer.” INTERNAL FOCUS The Health and Safety of the Internal Focus at Alexandra is treated in the same respect as its External Focus. David continued: “We must practice what we preach externally, internally. We give employees within various teams garments from our own collection to ensure they are suitably protected when doing their jobs. Our IT team wear the Alexandra Tungsten range when they’re working on the physical IT infrastructure throughout our buildings for example; professional, durable, comfortable, and modern garments. “We also trial products not just with our customers but also with our own staff as both are fantastic sources of review and feedback. Our Tungsten range was trialled throughout our own warehouses and we received great feedback in terms of the flex and the movement of the garments in relation to the demanding and physical roles for which they were worn. Health and safety really is top within our focus.”

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lexandra takes its responsibility to care for the environment, their staff and clients very seriously. They strive continuously to ensure that the following objectives are met:

The ETI base code demands: • Employment is freely chosen • Freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining are respected • Working conditions are safe and hygienic • Child labour shall not be used • Living wages are paid • Working hours are not excessive • No discrimination is practiced • Regular employment is provided • No harsh or inhumane treatment is allowed

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• • • • •

Adequate resource to ensure the proper provision for the implementation of and compliance with current Health and Safety legislation and latest adopted guidance. Plant, work equipment and systems operations are safe and without risk to health. Arrange for the safe use, handling, storage and transport of all components of their work and to minimise the environmental impact of such processes. Supply such information, instruction, training, supervision and consultation as is necessary to protect the health and safety of the people who work for them; staff and clients. Information, advice, facilities and products to promote the economic minimisation of energy used and waste produced.

David commented: “We are a member of Sedex®, the world’s largest collaborative platform for driving ethical improvements in global supply and manufacturing chains. Sedex® help ensure clear principles of environmental sustainability, labour conditions and welfare are upheld by our suppliers.”

PROTECTING THE PROTECTORS STEALTH FORCE 6.0 COMPOSITE TOE & PLATE

S3 WATER RESISTANT

COMPOSITE TOE & PLATE

ANTI STATIC

S3 CERTIFICATION

HRO SRC HRO CERTIFICATION

SRC CERTIFICATION

WWW.MAGNUMBOOTS.COM

“Our Tungsten range was trialled throughout our own warehouses and we received great feedback in terms of the flex and the movement of the garments in relation to the demanding and physical roles for which they were worn. Health and safety really is top within our focus.” Alexandra are also a members of the Ethical Trading Initiative - an alliance of companies, trade unions and NGOs that work collaboratively to promote respect for workers’ rights around the world. As members since 2007, Alexandra are committed to improve the working conditions and labour practices under which their facilities and suppliers operate. The company has adopted the ETI’s Base Code and Principles of Implementation, which set out the expectations of their conduct.

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Facilities & Property Management: Alexandra

“Currently there are numerous positions open at Alexandra due to their very ambitious expansion plans.”

ISO STANDARDS AND AWARDS Alexandra strives to achieve continuous improvement and innovation through the implementation of formal accreditations. They are certified under the Quality Management System EN ISO 9001:2008 for the design, procurement and warehousing of corporate wear for distribution by third parties, and BS EN ISO 14001: 2004 for the storage of corporate wear for distribution by third parties. In 2014, Alexandra received certification for Information Security Management System ISO/IEC 27001:2005 across all of their sites, which included the hosting and protection of client information and the provision of business services to commercial and public sectors. “A lot is driven as a result of dealing with the largest blue chip names across the whole of our group. There are certain requirements for information, security in particular, from BAs for example, who obviously have a huge amount of very sensitive information that they expect to be kept in a very restricted and secure manner. We take the lead from our big customers on that and if we’re advised that we need to take part in another accreditation, we will do so,” David commented. “When we began working with HB, shortly after putting their range in our catalogue for the first time, one of the products - the Orange-Red Hi-Vision Parka, won the award for Best Innovation in Occupational PPE at the 2014 SATRA awards,” he added. CAREERS Currently there are numerous positions open at Alexandra due to their very ambitious expansion plans. “We’re recruiting right across the board and we’re focusing both internally and externally. It is very important to acknowledge the efforts of people that join us and work their way up within the company. We offer continuous progression for our workers and have staff who’ve been with the business in excess of 20 years. “I’ve been with Alexandra for four and a half years and previously, I didn’t work within this particular industry. I brought to the company a wealth of experience from my previous roles in a variety of sectors. Whilst it is very important that a company has knowledge internally, you must always look to enhance and embellish. We look outside of the business to bring additional views, thoughts and experiences from other industry sectors. This allows us to incorporate different ways of thinking to ensure that we are continually improving and evolving for the better.” FIT FOR PURPOSE “When we’re putting our ranges and products together, we take numerous factors into account. We have no interest in being driven solely by trying to offer a cheap solution. We’ve got the wearer at our heart and we make sure that we are designing and developing for them. That’s why we go to the extent of the wearer trials, to make sure that our customers are pulled closer and closer to us. You’ve only got to look at the number of customers that have been with us in excess of 4 years – you don’t stay with a supplier for this length of time if they’re not looking after you or they’re not listening to you. That is one of the strongest messages

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Proud to work in partnership with Alexandra

Supertouch® is one of the UK’s leading PPE brands, with products ranging from premium FR clothing to disposable gloves. We provide quality products at competitive prices, with excellent availability. Tel: 0845 130 99 22 E-mail: sales@supertouch.com Web: www.supertouch.com

Safety Footwear, Protective Equipment & Workwear for Industry

WWW.BLACKROCKWORKWEAR.CO.UK

from within this business - we have a huge customer loyalty and brand loyalty you can’t just create in a couple of years. “When you take a look through the 3-year New Product Development pipeline that my team and I manage, you’ll see where we’re looking to evolve our classic styles that have been around for many years and are synonymous with our business and brand. The balance of developing these classic styles alongside new and completely innovative products is very important and we must focus on our full range to cater for every level of supply. “As a business, it is an exciting time for us and a very exciting time to work both with us and for us. The suppliers that we work with benefit from a very strong, open and progressive relationship. We’re not a business that looks to change relationships because we can get something cheaper elsewhere. “Through building and maintaining customer and client relationships, strength and depth will inevitably come through and benefit you longer term. This is what at Alexandra, we continue to build upon. “We’ve been trading for over 160 years and we know what our wearers expect and how to evolve our products. We keep a close eye on the wearer and at the same time understand that commerciality and affordability are vital, without compromising health and safety.” For more information, please visit: www.alexandra.com

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RoSPA RoSPA AWARDS AWARDS 2015 2015: REVIEW SENTINEL HOUSING ASSOCIATION

RoSPA Occupational Health and Safety Awards 2015 The annual RoSPA Occupational Health and Safety Awards is one of the most prestigious events in the UK health and safety calendar. Dating back 59 years, the awards scheme is the largest and longest-running programme of its kind in the UK; acknowledging outstanding achievement in health and safety that is internationally recognised as a standard of excellence across all industry sectors. HSE International discovers more about this year’s ceremony and the organisation’s history.

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he Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) is a registered charity that has been at the heart of accident prevention in the UK and around the world for almost a hundred years. Across the UK, there are over 14,000 deaths per year caused by accidents plus millions of other injuries; many of which are preventable. From the compulsory wearing of seatbelts and a campaign to stop drink driving, to the Cycling Proficiency Test and the ban on handheld mobile phones behind the wheel, RoSPA has been instrumental in shaping our society for the better; preventing millions of deaths and serious injuries along the way. The organisation’s mission is simple: To save lives and reduce injuries. The organisation was created after a public meeting at Caxton Hall in 1916. It was decided that a London “Safety First” council should be elected to tackle the unacceptably high number of road accidents in the city (which were directly linked to the imposition of wartime black outs). The safety council evolved into the organisation that would become known as RoSPA. RoSPA has a long history of successful campaigning on issues which have the potential to save lives and reduce injuries. From awareness campaigns which highlight how people are killed and injured in accidents and how

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such accidents can be prevented, to calling for legislative change, RoSPA is committed to speaking up for safety. Examples of the many high profile safety campaigns that have been directed by RoSPA over the years include: producing a series of workplace safety posters during World War II, aimed at improving worker safety in the industrial factories and workshops supplying the war effort; the formation of the Tufty Club in 1961, a road safety club for the under-fives featuring the cartoon character Tufty Fluffytail (created in 1953 by the late Elsie Mills MBE). RoSPA tirelessly campaigned throughout the 1970’s to make car seatbelt use compulsory in the UK - a goal that was finally achieved in 1981 after years of delays and procedural setbacks. Other important landmarks in the organisation’s history include the introduction of The Highway Code in 1931, with RoSPA represented on the committee that compiled it and the publication of the first issue of Occupational Safety & Health in 1971. In 1991 after a RoSPA five year campaign, the government agreed to make it mandatory for all electrical appliances to be sold with fitted plugs and in 2001, RoSPA lobbied for a European directive of pedestrian-friendly fronts for new cars. RoSPA commented: “Our campaigning spirit

“Our campaigning spirit has been evident since our earliest days. In 1917, a campaign for pedestrians to walk facing oncoming traffic led to a 70 per cent fall in road deaths.”

has been evident since our earliest days. In 1917, a campaign for pedestrians to walk facing oncoming traffic led to a 70 per cent fall in road deaths. We were instrumental in the introduction of the first seat belt law in 1983, with the compulsory wearing of seatbelts thought to have saved 60,000 lives. More recently, we called for the use of mobile phones while driving to be banned, with the use of hand-held phones at the wheel subsequently made illegal in 2003.” The organisation believes in the importance of using evidence so accident prevention issues can be identified, campaigns prioritised and the impact of campaigns and interventions measured. RoSPA also believes that prevention should be in proportion to the risk. Campaigns RoSPA has or is currently involved in include: Blind Cord Safety, Electric Gates, Lighter Evenings, Young Drivers and Injury Data. RoSPA is also a leading provider of safety training courses. It offers courses covering a diverse range of health and safety requirements including professional level NEBOSH and IOSH accredited courses.

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RoSPA AWARDS 2015 2015:REVIEW SENTINEL HOUSING ASSOCIATION

RoSPA Occupational Health and Safety Awards 2015

Cynthia Barlow OBE is presented with her Archangel Award by Lord Brougham and Vaux, president of Safety Groups UK (left), and RoSPA chief executive Tom Mullarkey (right). Cynthia Barlow OBE is presented with her Archangel Award by Lord Brougham and Vaux, president of Safety Groups UK (left), and RoSPA chief executive Tom Mullarkey (right).

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ighly respected and recognised throughout the world, the RoSPA Health and Safety Awards set the benchmark for exceptional health and safety practice across a wide variety of industries. To be considered for an award, companies must meet rigorous judging criteria by demonstrating their approach to improving health and safety management and creating an environment that enhances the wellbeing of its employees, as well as benefitting stakeholders. On Tuesday and Wednesday, July 14 and 15, over 2,000 people from numerous organisations across the globe descended on the Hilton Birmingham Metropole to celebrate the RoSPA Awards 2015; the biggest event in the health and safety calendar. Hundreds of awards had been handed out on June 16 to those striving to make their workplaces the safest in the world in a ceremony at London’s ExCeL, with an additional ceremony held on September 17 at the Hilton, Glasgow. The RoSPA Awards programme recognises commitment to accident and ill health prevention and is open to businesses and organisations of all types and sizes from across the UK and overseas. It looks at entrants’ overarching health and safety management systems,

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including practices such as leadership and workforce involvement. Tom Mullarkey, RoSPA’s Chief Executive, said: “The RoSPA Awards are a key fixture in the health and safety calendar and showcase organisations’ ongoing commitment to maintaining a glowing health and safety record and culture.” “Our awards encourage the raising of accident and ill health prevention standards across the board and those who have gained recognition for their achievements, particularly during tough economic conditions, raise the bar for other organisations to follow, inspiring them to do likewise.” RoSPA awards mark achievement at Merit, Bronze, Silver and Gold levels. Organisations maintaining high standards can win Gold Medals, President’s Awards and Orders of Distinction. Presentations are also made for more than 20 sector-specific awards, which recognise excellence in specialist areas such as the management of occupational road risk (MORR). RoSPA also honoured its Guardian Angels - individuals who go above and beyond to improve the safety of others. Headline sponsor for the awards was NEBOSH - the National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health, who for the tenth consecutive year, has supported

the event for the tremendous contribution they feel it makes to improving health and safety standards.

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his year, the UK’s leading forestry and timber harvesting firm Tilhill Forestry Ltd received RoSPA’s highest competitive accolade, the Sir George Earle Trophy, at the awards ceremony in Birmingham. The trophy was presented to George McRobbie, Managing Director of Tilhill Forestry Ltd, by Lord Jordan of Bournville, RoSPA Vice-President and Tom Mullarkey, RoSPA Chief Executive. The firm also won the Forestry Sector Award for the fifth year in a row. George McRobbie said: “Winning this award is a landmark event in the company’s history. It is well known that forestry remains one of the most hazardous work places and this makes this achievement even more impressive. “The safety of our staff, contractors and the public is our top priority. The forestry industry still has an unacceptably poor safety record and we will continue to work with the FISA (Forest Industry Safety Accord) and now RoSPA to improve the situation. We hope our latest awards will help to encourage everyone in our industry to do more to improve.”

RoSPA Gold Award winners in 2015 include: ABB Ltd, Nuvia Limited, Sentinel Housing Association and many more. Industry Sector Award winners in 2015 include: Construction – Commercial: Morrison Utility Services, Education & Training Services: South and City College Birmingham, Forestry: Tilhill Forestry Ltd and Waste Management & Recycling: Studsvik UK Limited.

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RoSPA RoSPA AWARDS AWARDS 2015 2015: REVIEW SENTINEL HOUSING ASSOCIATION

RoSPA Occupational Health and Safety Awards 2015

Nazan Fennell is presented with her Archangel Award by RoSPA Vice-Pres-

Gary Pyle is presented with his Archangel Award by RoSPA Vice-President

ident Lord Jordan of Bournville (left) and chief executive Tom Mullarkey

Lord Jordan of Bournville (left) and chief executive Tom Mullarkey (right)

(right)

“While we know there is still much hard work to be done, we are confident that with your help and the support of our members, we will overcome the challenges ahead of us and build a global community where no family need suffer the anguish and heartache of an accident that didn’t need to happen. Until that day comes, we will be here, fighting for change, fighting for a better, brighter future for all. Fighting for life. We are RoSPA”

Companies and organisations can enter next year’s RoSPA Awards by completing the following steps:

Dr Abdulrahman Jawahery is presented with the Archangel Award by RoSPA President Lord McKenzie of Luton (left) and chief executive Tom

1. Choose the award you would like to be entered for.

Mullarkey (right)

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r Abdulrahman Jawahery was nominated in RoSPA’s Guardian Angel Awards scheme for his exceptional commitment to health, safety and sustainability. He was presented with an Archangel Award - the highest accolade in the Guardian Angel Awards – also at the gala dinner in Birmingham. After joining Gulf Petrochemical Industries Co (GPIC) as a chemical engineer, Dr Jawahery worked his way up the ranks to company president and under his leadership, the organisation, based in the Kingdom of Bahrain, has become a beacon for health, safety and sustainability in the Middle East. He is also an MP in Bahrain, where he has helped to push through radical changes in health and safety legislation. Such is his commitment to safety that he is also often found encouraging employees’ children to think about their own safety at company social events and family days. Tom Mullarkey commented: “Dr Jawahery’s passion for

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health, safety and sustainability is truly remarkable. The fact that he has dedicated so much of his working career and selflessly given up his own time to making a difference - not only to his employees’ lives but also that of their families - says a lot about his character and how highly respected he is in his field. “We are truly honoured to present Dr Jawahery with the Archangel Award for his ever adaptable ability as a health and safety communicator, and we are proud to have him as one of our winners.” “While we know there is still much hard work to be done, we are confident that with your help and the support of our members, we will overcome the challenges ahead of us and build a global community where no family need suffer the anguish and heartache of an accident that didn’t need to happen. “Until that day comes, we will be here, fighting for change, fighting for a better, brighter future for all. Fighting for life. We are RoSPA”

2. Register and pay online. 3. RoSPA will then respond with a login and password for the online RoSPA Award Entry Scheme. 4. Log in and compile your entry. 5. Submit your company or organisation’s entry by the relevant closing date. Registration for the 2016 awards will open in November. For general enquiries and more information, visit the RoSPA Awards home page: www.rospa.com/awards

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RoSPA: NBC GROUP

EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS Based in Kent, NBC Group (NBC) is a leading construction, development and service group with a solid reputation of delivering reliable, competent and competitive contracting and maintenance services to a broad range of clients in the commercial and industrial sectors.

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BC has over 30 years’ experience in civil engineering and is responsible for several significant UK infrastructure developments, having completed many high profile projects with the top 10 Construction companies in the UK, including some of the biggest Network Rail projects outside of London (at Reading Station) to working today at Hammersmith Flyover & Battersea Power Station. With knowledgeable project teams within each of its specialist subdivisions, NBC provides its clients with a detailed understanding of all projects to ensure complete fulfilment of individual customer needs. “We have 5 different divisions: Labour Supply, Civil Engineering, Diamond Drilling, Air Conditioning and Training Solutions, and our project teams have considerable knowledge in each specialist sub-division. We provide clients and customers with detailed understanding on all projects to ensure complete fulfilment for each of their individual needs,” Jag Sidhu, Managing Director at NBC Group commented. NBC is a hands on company that strives for health and safety excellence, and their accreditation and awards success reflects their activities and outstanding health and safety record. “95% of our business is repeat business and we rely on our reputation as a company for new work and contracts; more often than not, new clients will approach us for tendering for works. “Our unblemished health and safety record and the appointment of a full time H&S Manager who provides ongoing support to our site teams is a testament to NBC’s commitment to health and safety,” Jag said. “We have our own resources and deliver the best value projects. Our principles consist of creating excellent working relationships, listening to customers and

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exceeding their needs, aspirations and expectations, delivering projects on time and on budget, providing flexible procurement and risk minimisation and being both responsible and caring when considering a safety first attitude,” he continued. NBC cover every industry including Water, Waste, Highways, Utilities, Rail and Defence and are currently working towards Oil, Gas and Nuclear markets. “We work across the UK and have ventured into Europe with our Air Conditioning division. Europe is a new market we’d like to investigate in the future.” NBC have won several awards including RoSPA Bronze, Silver and Gold awards. “The awards submission is quite a straight forward process providing you have the suitable health and safety paperwork organised for submission. We’ve won the awards as a business rather than for a particular project.” Jag is currently working towards a NEBOSH qualification in Construction. He explained: “Safety starts from the top, filters down to the bottom and is ingrained in the culture of our business. We’ve got employees who’ve been with us for a long time and once they start with NBC, safety is embedded in their minds. “We take health and safety and standards as far as possible and it is very important that high standards are always met. Our Directors and the Contracts Managers have varying degrees of general knowledge but we also proactively encourage them towards safety credentials; with IOSH and NEBOSH qualifications for example. We also organise 2-day & 5 day safety courses for our Supervisors. “We must ensure that we all go home safety and work in a safe manner. Why complicate health and safety? Keep it simple and keep it real.” The team at NBC has developed a measurable

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RoSPA: NBC GROUP

programme to ensure that they continue to strive to increase their contribution to stringent business standards. Their management system for health, safety, environment and quality is accredited to: ISO 9001:2008 ISO 14001:2004 OHSAS 18001:2007 The company is currently looking to transition to ISO 14001:2015, which was revised in September this year. In valuing the environment, NBC aims to filter environmental importance into the business in every way possible. Jag continued: “As a company we always look at procurement for local labour and resources for local work. If a number of our guys are working on a local job, we also organise transport such as 8-9 seater vehicles. We’ll pick them up and take them to work rather than them making their own way individually, to help reduce our carbon footprint. “We do as much as we can to not harm the environment; from the lighting in our offices, to purchasing top of the range transport every 3 years that is most energy efficient, to recycling both in the office and on site. “We’ve had fantastic guidance from the various construction companies we’ve worked with who’ve encouraged us in our environmental credentials. We’re following in their footsteps which also puts us in good stead for work in the future. You can view all information on our environmental policies on our website.” NBC are members of RoSPA, British Safety Council, CECA, Safe Contractor and Construction Online. The company subscribes to Achilles Building Confidence (Construction) and has joined the Achilles RISQS community (formerly

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known as Achilles Link-up.) RISQS has been developed to provide a service for the qualification of suppliers for all products and services that are procured by the Rail Industry. RISQS supports Network Rail, LUL/Transport for London, passenger, light rail and freight train operators, rolling stock organisations, main infrastructure contractors and other rail products and services providers in the management of supply chain risk. RISQS is an independent, third party qualification assessment of a supplier’s capability to supply products and services. NBC hold a zero fatality record for their last 30 years of business, and whilst they continue to focus on the health, safety and the environmental impact of their work, an important issue that they feel must not be neglected is occupational health and wellbeing. Jag continued: “Why just concentrate on health, safety, environment and quality? We must include wellbeing into our systems as it is just as important. Wellbeing has so often been neglected, and there are actually a lot of health and safety issues you can prevent from occurring if you pay attention to it. We think the topic of wellbeing and how people can learn to look after themselves is very important.” Five years ago, NBC were told that their staff needed to have medical assessments, so the company employed a Nurse to check the fitness for everybody across the board. “An example of the importance of these checks comes with the story of an employee who’d worked for us for many years and had very high cholesterol. The nurse said that due to his high cholesterol, the employee’s immediate health was at serious risk. As a result, he made several lifestyle changes and 3 months later, he was much fitter; we practically saved his life!” Jag commented. A further example of health success at NBC was through a representative from the British Heart Foundation

approaching the company whilst trying to raise £2,200 to fit a few defibrillators in the Gravesham area. The business was going well, so NBC donated the money and secured the equipment. “We wrote the cheque and thought, if it saves a life, for what it is worth, it’s a good deed. You think no more of it,” Jag explained. He continued: “Two weeks later, we received a phone call from the council asking if we could attend a meeting. My Father and I attended and a gentleman came up to us and explained that the previous Saturday, it had been his Granddaughter’s 6th birthday. He had rushed to buy a present, and on his way home whilst walking through the town, he’d had a heart attack. “He said, ‘If it wasn’t for your defibrillators, I wouldn’t have made her birthday’. He had tears of joy and said ‘thank you for keeping me alive’. I mean, it’s a lot of money but what is it worth when you can save a life? That is priceless.” “We’ve spoken with several clients about health, safety and environment, but a topic that we’re currently focusing on is wellbeing and occupational health. What exactly is the cost of a life? Cost is nothing when you can save a life. We’re looking to organise presentation talks about prostate cancer on all our sites and are endeavouring to always have a nurse available for general health check-ups. “A further interest is to work with RoSPA on a project similar to their Blind Cord Safety Campaign, but regarding the communication between people when they are crossing the road and using a mobile phone. Being fully aware of these seemingly little things make a big difference in life and we’re looking to work with RoSPA on this next year. “Whilst the advances in health and safety practice have come on in leaps and bounds over the past 15 years, we want to ensure that for the next 15, we progress even further.”

“Whilst the advances in health and safety practice have come on in leaps and bounds over the past 15 years, we want to ensure that for the next 15 we progress even further.” The workforce at NBC are renowned for their expertise, passion, commitment and capacity for sheer hard work on behalf of their clients. They’re a team-based organisation who listens carefully to both employees and customers, thus building an organisation that meets their customers’ needs and aspirations. Jag concluded: “We endeavour to find the best people to invest in and nurture talent, ensuring that as a people business, we continue to provide our clients with the best possible solutions delivered by dedicated and motivated teams. We’re proud of our inclusive culture. Our values of integrity, teamwork, excellence and respect are at the heart of everything we do. We appreciate others and care about the wider community. “We deliver a wide range of projects and operate across the infrastructure lifecycle, from engineering and construction to maintenance. Increasingly, we’re looking to develop unique capabilities that will provide our customers with an integrated service and more variety as well as development and career opportunities for our people.” For more information, please visit: http://www.nbc-group.co.uk/

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RoSPA: UKDN Waterflow (LG) Ltd

WALKING ON WATER “They proactively measure health and safety – monitoring the ‘reporting’ of health and safety (incidents), and monitoring the actions and then the consequences of their work. By measuring the two, they build a correlation between good, proactive training programmes by the evidence of the impact.”

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Recently acquired by Lanes Group plc, UKDN Waterflow (LG) Ltd is a leading provider of water, wastewater, drainage and infrastructure solutions. HSE International spoke to Richard Leigh, Business Development Director at Lanes Group plc to discuss their recent RoSPA Award success.

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n November 5 2015, UKDN Waterflow (LG) Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lanes Group plc, acquired UKDN Waterflow Ltd and certain assets of both UKDN Waterflow Limited (in Administration) and UKDN Waterflow Technical Services Limited (in Administration), wastewater and drainage services providers. The recent acquisition is seen by the board of Lanes Group as a perfect fit with Lanes’ business strategy to gain Insurance market sector presence. The businesses complement the existing service provisions of Lanes Group plc within the highways, rail, utility, insurance and commercial sectors. Richard Leigh, Business Development Director at Lanes Group plc said: “The acquisition of these businesses is part of our continuing expansion strategy. It will contribute to our business growth, in terms of our ability to serve current customers, and attract new ones; enhancing the company’s future growth and performance, strengthening the assets available, and providing even greater geographic presence.” As a national provider of water, wastewater, drainage & infrastructure solutions to the insurance, commercial, residential, industrial, transport, water & public sectors, UKDN Waterflow (LG) Ltd operate from a network of bases nationwide; all of which are ready to respond to drainage emergencies 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. UKDN Waterflow (LG) Ltd offer an extensive portfolio of services, with eight of the most common being: sewer and drain unblocking and cleaning, drainage and sewer management and maintenance, major and minor civil engineering works, drainage asset mapping and data management, renovation and repair of drains and sewers,

Drainage Asset Lifecycle Management, drainage and sewer survey and inspection and non-drainage infrastructure works. The firm support the Home Emergency Assistance market and work under a number of labels such as AA, AXA and others. UKDN Waterflow (LG) Ltd also work in the commercial & industrial sectors, predominantly alongside Facilities Management companies. Their offering includes a range of planned preventative maintenance programs and reactive emergency cover, and they also look after several household brands including 300-400 KFC restaurants, McDonalds, Roadchef, Debenhams, Vision Express and Mothercare. Safety First UKDN Waterflow (LG) Ltd carry a strong culture of safety first and believe that everyone deserves to go home safely. They drive an understanding approach with a nocompromise attitude and the H & S ethos and strategy at UKDN Waterflow (LG) Ltd is shared throughout the business and by Lanes Group plc. Richard continued: “We are serious about delivering excellence in service, safety and innovation. Health and safety is not just on site. Good health and safety starts with the board and flows down throughout the company.” UKDN Waterflow (LG) Ltd have three key factors in maintaining their health and safety record. 1. Around 12 months ago, their site audit / inspection process was revamped to emphasise the understanding of the environment of each site, rather than focusing on

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RoSPA: UKDN Waterflow (LG) Ltd ‘box-ticking’. This rejuvenated inspection programme now yields useful observations and actions for their actual work on site. 2. UKDN Waterflow (LG) Ltd offer an ongoing training programme that ensures the company hold their accreditations as well as the skills and qualifications necessary for their staff. 3. The company scores their management team on both their attitude towards work and towards health and safety, finding a strong correlation between the most able managers and those who have a proactive attitude to health and safety. The strongest managers engage, encourage, check and review – important skills for wider management success as well as assuring the delivery of excellent health and safety practice.

“The RoSPA Awards recognise their monitoring and success on an annual level” RoSPA Awards Success The company has won several RoSPA awards over a number of years. Richard Leigh commented: “We’re very proud that UKDN Waterflow (LG) Ltd has received these awards as they are excellent recognition of commitment to health and safety. We see that health and safety is not only morally the right thing to do, it’s also a very important business differentiator for us.” In applying for the awards, UKDN Waterflow (LG) Ltd provide rigorous detail and attention to how they work and evidence that their people have the right attitude and approach to health and safety, as well as the necessary understanding of the work undertaken, and suitable PPE and equipment, for example. UKDN Waterflow (LG) Ltd record how health and safety is made visible throughout their organisation and how they understand their performance on a weekly and monthly basis. The RoSPA awards then recognise their monitoring and success on an annual level. Their monthly analysis is monitored via a Balance Score Card; a chart displaying how they proactively measure health and safety – monitoring the ‘reporting’ of health and safety (incidents), and monitoring the actions and then the consequences of their work. By measuring the two, they build a correlation between good, proactive training programmes by the evidence of the impact. “For us, we work safely and discharge all of our responsibility to the environment, our customers and our employees. It’s not just about being lucky. Health and safety is embedded in our day to day operation under our ‘First Time Right’ approach and the RoSPA awards reinforce our commitment to a safe working environment,” Richard continued. David Rawlins, RoSPA’s awards manager, said: “RoSPA firmly believes that organisations that demonstrate commitment to continuous improvement in accident and

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ill health prevention deserve recognition. UKDN Waterflow (LG) Ltd has shown that it is committed to striving for such continuous improvement and we are delighted to honour it through the presentation of an award.”

communications

midlandcomms.co.uk

Certification Quality Management System BS EN ISO 9001:2008

...proud to help UKDN Waterflow maintain their high standards of customer service through our contact centre solutions

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Membership Associations and Accreditations

Company Values and Corporate responsibility “Our Mission statement is to be your best value partner for water, wastewater, drainage and infrastructure services by delivering exceptional customer service, safety and technical innovation.

Environmental Management System BS EN ISO 14001: 2004

“Our vision is underpinned by our core values:

Achilles Linkup Proof

Occupational Health and Safety Management System OHSAS 18001:2007

Industry qualification schemes

Achilles UVDB Verify

Committed Going the extra mile for colleagues and customers and always seeing things through. We always hit our targets and meet our commitments; striving for the best for our customers.

Altius Construction Skills Certification Scheme CHAS (Contractors Health and Safety Scheme) Constructionline Exor Safecontractor WRc 3rd Edition Drain Repair Handbook

Ownership Being accountable for our actions and decisions. Taking responsibility and proactively delivering the aims of the business.

Waste Carrier CB/ KP3792PT Waste Carrier CB/YP3113QX Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme

Associations Integrity Open and honest in all our activities with customers, employees and our colleagues. High moral standards – developing trust internally and externally.

National Sewerage Association Society of British Water and Wastewater Industries (SBWWI) United Kingdom Society for Trenchless Technology British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM)

Challenging Developing a culture of continual improvement. Being innovative wherever we can. Stretching our targets to always achieve more.

British Safety Council Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) United Kingdom Society for Trenchless Technology (UKSTT) Water Jetting Association Confidential Reporting for Safety (CIRAS)

Purposeful Delivering solutions not problems. All our actions encourage improved delivery and superior customer service. Reliable Always delivering our promises and meeting our commitments. “The environment is very much in our values too. In working with water and rail companies and the Environment Agency, we make a significant commitment to the environment. We monitor and measure our recycling for example, from site excavations to waste separation and our impacts in terms of carbon.” Richard concluded: “We offer a national proposition based on a ‘SIMPLE’ principle: Safety Ensuring a safe working environment for our employees and those around us. Innovation Providing our customers with the most efficient, effective and up to date methods and techniques.

Management Offering turnkey management solutions for each project/ contract/job, making it easy for customers to do business with us Process lead Working in a controlled environment by following quality managed processes. Listening Listening to problems and delivering exactly what our customers need. Expertise If you’re a national organisation or multi-site operation and need a high quality of response and work, you can come to us and we will provide our services, wherever you are in the UK. We are about understanding your business and aligning our solutions with that. We analyse your systems and if there is a problem, we come up with solutions based upon how your system works. We offer turnkey management of a one-stop solution. Give us your problem and we will tackle it for you.” For more information, please visit: www.ukdnwaterflow.co.uk www.lanesgroup.co.uk

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OIL & GAS: SPE Offshore Europe 2015

Confirming a positive outlook for the industry and the next generation SPE Offshore Europe 2015, held in Aberdeen, Scotland from September 8-11, sent out a very clear message that the global oil and gas industry has a future for many years to come.

T

he theme of the 2015 event, inspiring the next generation, allowed the industry to address the technical, business and people challenges it faces now and into the future. At the heart of this is the need to attract and encourage the next generation of talent into the industry. Charles Woodburn, CEO of Expro and Technical Chairman of SPE Offshore Europe 2015, said: “I’ve always been impressed by what there is to see at SPE Offshore Europe, showing in so many ways the breadth and depths, quite literally, that our industry goes to in order to innovate, push new boundaries and find new solutions. I am pleased that this year’s conference and exhibition has upheld that tradition.” Attendance figures remained very strong at 55,947 with delegates drawn from 104 countries. Attendance was the second highest in the long history of the show. A record 1,535 global organisations from 44 countries exhibited this year, showcasing their products, services and expertise. This included 336 companies exhibiting at the event for the first time. The sold-out space covered 27,228 square metres, with more inside space than ever before. Re-bookings for 2017 are already looking strong.

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Over the four days of the world’s largest upstream oil and gas conference and exhibition outside North America, around 5,000 visitors attended the conference plenary session, 11 keynote sessions, 80 SPE technical paper presentations, and daily topical lunches and breakfast briefings. HSE topics featured prominently, ranging from health management and security of personnel and assets, to the human and technical factors in process safety, and oil spill response. With its emphasis on recognising the long-term need for a secure talent pipeline, the event ran ‘Inspire’, its largest ever programme of activities for a younger audience. More than 400 school pupils from Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Highland and Angus took part in three half-day workshops and site visits, which gave them an insight into the industry and the opportunity to meet young engineering professionals who shared their work experiences. Michael Engell-Jensen, Executive Director, International Association of Oil & Gas Producers (IOGP) and Keynote Chairman, said: “This week’s keynote speakers, as well as the Inspire Programme, provided the next generation with plenty of inspiring reasons to join this industry. But, as

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OIL & GAS: SPE Offshore Europe 2015

“It has been a very successful show for us with one of the benefits being that it has given people the time to talk,”

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OIL & GAS: SPE Offshore Europe 2015

Professor Brian Cox mentioned, we also need to provide students with pathways to a career in oil and gas. “I would like to see industry develop multi-year programmes to encourage schoolchildren to consider a career in this sector. And, for our newly qualified graduates, who have been caught out by the current economic difficulties, I am supportive of industry exploring ways to allow them to get work experience, something many graduates say would help them get their first job in the industry.” Other new features of the event included an Investment Workshop which gave entrepreneurial delegates the opportunity to meet potential investors. The positive sentiment was echoed by exhibitors, many of whom said that not only had the 2015 show been a good one for business, it had been one of the best they’d experienced. “It has been a very successful show for us with one of the benefits being that it has given people the time to talk,” said Ian Crossland, UK Director for RESMAN. “Very senior management from the operators have been taking time to meet their vendors and contractors to talk business, and there have been indications that things are moving in the right direction. We’ve also had lots of overseas interest.” FMC Technologies, one of the larger stands at the show, also reported they’d had a good show. Tina Kruse, Global

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Exhibition & Events Manager, said: “We’ve definitely seen steady traffic since Day One, with everyone from customers to university students visiting. Our theatre has been extremely busy which has given us the opportunity to get our message across about cost reduction.” Organisationally, Reed Exhibitions thinks the show was the smoothest running ever. Vasyl Zhygalo, Senior Exhibition Director for Reed Exhibitions, commented: “We learn lessons from every edition of the event and this year we think the logistics flowed very well. The increased number of shuttle buses running to and from the city centre, offices and hotels proved to be very popular as did the park and ride. The weather was also on our side.” Organised by The Offshore Europe Partnership, a joint venture between Reed Exhibitions and the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), the next SPE Offshore Europe will be held in Aberdeen from 5-8 September 2017. One of the new features announced for the next event will be the Decommissioning Zone 2017. Video of show highlights available at: www.offshore-europe.co.uk

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OIL & GAS: ABB CONSULTING

POWER AND PRODUCTIVITY FOR A BETTER WORLD ABB Consulting is one of the worlds’ largest engineering companies, providing a huge range of power and automation products, services and solutions to a broad range of industrial and infrastructure customers. HSE International spoke to Steve Andrew, Decommissioning Manager about their holistic approach to environmental management, their recent RoSPA awards success and how safety is at the heart of everything they do.

A

BB provides engineering and technical consulting services to the global process industries and assist their customers to:

1. define and deliver successful engineering projects 2. operate and maintain their assets safely and efficiently throughout their life (from design through operation to final demolition) 3. understand and improve the process safety performance of their operations. The company has operated its current consulting team for nearly 15 years, bringing together consultants and engineers from several engineering company acquisitions alongside those from ABB’s product businesses. The heritage of many of their engineers and consultants was with a major chemical company, so ABB have a deep understanding and experience of the operational needs of the process industries. “We support the hazardous process industries and our main sectors are Oil & Gas, Petrochemicals, Chemicals, Pharmaceuticals and Power Generation. We also work in the Food and Metals markets. The UK is our largest area of labour but we undertake a third of our work around the world including the Middle East, South East Asia, Europe and the Americas,” Steve Andrew commented.

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As Head of Demolition, Remediation and Decommissioning, Steve is responsible for all aspects of ABB’s work, helping customers with the closure or part closure of their manufacturing operations. This may involve removing redundant equipment in an operating facility, or demolishing part of a facility, through to demolishing a whole site and remediating the land to allow it to be sold for alternative use. “I’m involved in a broad range of areas, from developing project options for demolition or asset sale, to front end planning of projects and designing isolations and diversions (to allow ongoing operations adjacent to demolition sites). I’m also responsible for project management of site activities and ongoing environmental monitoring and reporting. Much of the work ABB undertake is potentially hazardous, so safety is at the heart of everything they do. “My 35+ years’ experience has been my best training ground, but I’ve also had formal training in health and safety: Nebosh Diploma (pt1), BS6187/BS7121 code of practice for demolition and safe use of cranes and CDM. The industry I work in is multi skilled and requires extensive training to help ensure a world class safety performance,” Steve commented.

A

t ABB, safety is built into the business, through recruitment, training, communications, reporting, performance assessment and improvement teams. Any partners or sub-contractors that the company use are rigorously vetted and selected based to a large degree on safety performance and ethos. “Of course we undertake audits and job risk assessments on all of our projects, but our safety approach is much more about getting everyone committed to a safe project from day one. “Nothing is so important that we can’t take the time to do it safely – this is one line of the safety charter that everyone who works for us signs up to, and we really mean it. “We’ve won 11 RoSPA awards for various ventures including 8 successive Golds for work on one particular project.” Regarding their RoSPA success, Judith Hackitt, Chair of the Health and Safety Executive commented: “The approach I saw being taken by ABB to dealing with health and safety issues in demolition and remediation was impressive. Not only was the site a first class example of safe demolition, it was also clear that the work was being done more efficiently because of the way it had been organised.”

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OIL & GAS: ABB CONSULTING ABB is a leader in power and automation technologies that enables utility and industry customers to improve performance whilst lowering environmental impact. “We strive to reduce our own environmental impact. We contribute to eco-efficiency and environmental stewardship in the communities and countries where we operate. Our core businesses offer energy-efficient systems, products and services, enabling our customers to lower their use of energy and natural resources. “Environmental management is one of our highest business priorities and we are committed to: • Conducting our operations in an environmentally sound manner by applying environmental management systems such as ISO 14001 in all our operations • Promoting environmental responsibility along the value chain by encouraging suppliers, sub-contractors and customers to adopt international environmental standards • Developing our manufacturing processes with focus on energy and resource efficiency • Conducting regular audits of our facilities’ environmental performance • Transferring eco-efficient technologies to developing countries • Developing and marketing products and systems which are resource efficient and facilitate use of renewable energy sources • Declaring environmental performance of our core products by publishing environmental product declarations based on life-cycle assessment • Including environmental aspects in the risk assessment of major customer projects • Ensuring transparency by producing an annual Sustainability report, based on GRI requirements and which is independently verified “The environment policy is an integral part of our commitment to sustainability and is embedded in our strategies, processes and day-to-day business throughout the ABB Group. Decommissioning projects tend to have very high levels of recycling, often as high as 90+%. “We are users of many treatment and remediation techniques for assessing and treating any land contamination. We have learnt that one size does not fit all, and through our knowledge of the supply chain, we can review the best solution for our customers whilst maintaining the best value. We have developed a fixed price delivery model that is based on the contractor only getting paid when agreed milestones have been achieved. This has resulted in projects being delivered much more efficiently with the risk of any overruns sitting with the contractor and not the client. ABB have achieved ISO standards including: 8001 (Health & Safety Management System) 14001 (Environmental Management System) 9001 (Quality Management System) “Many of our staff are members of organisations including Oil & Gas UK, EI, Step Change in Safety and

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various other industry groupings. Such bodies are helpful in providing a stronger voice for the industries they represent and in providing good regular overviews of the pressing industry topics.” “We recruit experienced engineers through to graduates and apprentices, always looking for people who have the right attitude to work so that they will fit into the organisation and meet the standards that we set for safety and customer service. There are many career development opportunities for people who show the right attributes and we have a wealth of experience in our organisation, so passing on this knowledge is key for developing people and for sustaining our business. “Our operational heritage really allows us to stand in the shoes of our customers as we understand the issues and pressures associated with operating hazardous processes, provided that we listen carefully to our customers and exactly what they want. This understanding, combined with our vast experience of the demolition, remediation and dismantling industries, helps us to devise and implement solutions that are in our customer’s best interests. We set out to deliver safely, what is expected (time and cost wise) and always look to maximise the value recovered from any plant and equipment. Delivering what their clients want safely, on time and to budget is the goal for all of ABB Consulting projects. This principle is not new for the company, but each new project is unique and presents its own challenges to achieving success. “I believe we do an excellent job and this is backed up by our long relationships with many customers, and taking this further to new customers is one of my aims. “A current, exciting area for growth at ABB is in offshore decommissioning. Whilst a number of decommissioning projects have been completed, it is still a relatively new area and many of the decommissioning and demolition contractors are yet to become properly involved. “Working offshore brings some new challenges and we endeavour to continue the good start that we’ve already made with a number of offshore projects. Part of my responsibility and the secret of delivering successful projects is to be very clear and uncompromising with expectations about the high standards that we operate to. “There is always a danger in challenging times that management attention is focussed on short term financial issues and that this can distract attention from other areas – safety being one of them – but where safety is an inherent part of how work is done (as is the case for our organisation and many of our customers), the risk is minimalised. Steve concluded: “Safety standards are an excellent example of where ABB’s approach, effort and my personal attention are always focussed. I am a great believer that you must constantly challenge standards to improve by adopting a “ground truth” approach and treating events as an opportunity to learn. By rewarding success, you can constantly improve performance to help to ensure that no harm is made to the environment and the people we come into contact with.

“There is always a danger in challenging times that management attention is focussed on short term financial issues and that this can distract attention from other areas – safety being one of them – but where safety is an inherent part of how work is done (as is the case for our organisation and many of our customers), the risk is minimalised.”

For more information, please visit: www.abb.com/consulting

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safety products: Bunzl Greenham

Safety & Workplace Supplies

ENSURING YOUR SAFETY “Bunzl Greenham offer free site surveys, training assistance, risk assessment support, legislation interpretation/ translation and product rationalisation.”

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Bunzl Greenham are leaders in the supply of Personal Protection Equipment (PPE), Cleaning and Hygiene Supplies and Contractors’ Site Equipment. HSE International spoke to Jon Mellor, Technical Support Manager at Bunzl Greenham to discuss their pro-active approach to the quality, performance and safety of their products; minimising their environmental impact and ensuring your safety at all times.

W

hen Nick Greenham inherited H J Greenham, a small firm of builder’s merchants from his father in 1918, he could never have dreamed of what it would become today. Situated at Rosebank Wharf in Fulham, the company supplied tools and materials to builders in the London area. Deliveries in those days were made by horse drawn cart, hand barrow or on Nick Greenham’s barges which were a familiar sight on the Thames until 1925. Today, Bunzl Greenham continues to grow as a leading UK safety and workplace supplier, and is part of Bunzl plc, a global FTSE 100 company. With 24 branches across the country, Bunzl Greenham provides a national and local service to their customers, keeping in touch through a dedicated local sales team as well as a National Accounts team who can accommodate customer requirements nationwide. Across the business, Bunzl Greenham has 800+ employees and all of their Account Specialists are NEBOSH trained to meet industry requirements, including IOSH and the Scottish Qualification Authority (SQA). As part of their service, Bunzl Greenham offer free site surveys, training assistance, risk assessment support, legislation interpretation/translation and product rationalisation.

JON MELLOR, TECHNICAL SUPPORT MANAGER

ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES Bunzl Greenham’s mission statement shows that: “As part of a FTSE 100 Company we have an overarching corporate responsibility towards the economic, environmental and social wellbeing of our Customers, Suppliers, Employees and the communities in which we operate. We recognise that one of the most important aspects of our service to our customers is to ensure that

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safety products: Bunzl Greenham

The non-corrosive, no mess, non-scratch alternative to rock salt.

innovative deicing technology

our product quality is of the highest order, that they fully comply with and exceed industry and EC (European Commission) Standards and that through ongoing innovation and continuous development, we ensure that we’re always ahead of the game in keeping our customers safe at work.” Jon Mellor has been associated with Greenham for over 40 years and now works principally on behalf of their Sales and Marketing Director and Purchasing Director. To maintain this focus, Jon’s duties include: • Supplier Vetting (including Own Brand manufacturers) to ensure compliance with EN ISO 9001, EN ISO 14001, the PPE Directive on Product Certification and Quality Assurance, including Ethical and Sustainability Issues. • Incoming product Quality Control through an Inspection and Test Facility at Bunzl Greenham’s Import Centre near Swansea. • Technical Support for Group PPE Purchasing, the National Sales Teams, Branch Staff and Customers with a targeted maximum 24 hour response time. • Being a member of the BSIF Distributor Group Committees for the abolition of Counterfeit and Illegal products in the UK market and Safe Supply and Accreditation Scheme Development Group. • Heading membership of SATRA, the UK’s primary Notified Body, Test and Certification House for PPE and Associated Products with early access to EC PPE Working Group Committee decisions and thereby early warning access to forthcoming changes in the PPE Directive.

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“We focus on “prevention rather than cure” by carrying out the majority of our QA/ QC inspections as close to the manufacturing process as possible in order to minimise our Carbon Footprint.”

Ask your Bunzl Greenham Branch for product code 500258 (10kg bag) or 500246 (18kg tub).

Additionally, Jon has acted as PPE Consultant to many high profile organisations such as Network Rail, National Grid, Phillips66, Essar Refineries, Co-Operative Retail Group, various Government Bodies and major Construction Groups. He was the first recipient of the first BSIF Outstanding Contribution to the Safety Industry Lifetime Award in 2011. ACCREDITATIONS Bunzl Greenham are fully accredited to BS EN ISO 9001:2008, BS EN ISO 14001:2004, and BS OHSAS 18001:2007 respectively. All Bunzl Greenham branches are certified to BS EN ISO 9001:2000, ISO 14001 and OHSAS18001 for Environmental Management Standards. The company can help with training programmes tailor made to suit customer needs, whether for personal protection, chemical usage, skin care, hygiene practices or any other care standards. Bunzl Greenham is committed to ensuring their business is conducted according to rigorous ethical, professional and legal standards. Every employee is responsible for ensuring that any contact with their customers and the public reflects professionalism, efficiency and honesty. “We are fully accredited to the Achilles Building Confidence, Railway Industry RISQS Community and UVDB (Utilities Vendor Database) Q/A Standards,” Jon commented. Bunzl Group Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Policies are publically available online at www.bunzl.com as well as the annual CSR Report from the annual Group Report and Accounts.

ACHILLES INDEPENDENT AUDITS Bunzl Greenham supply to the construction and utilities industries and the rail industry sector and Achillies Independent Audits are extremely important in maintaining their supply & support relationships. Their Achilles Accreditations include: BuildingConfidence (for the Construction and Civil Engineering Industries), UVDB (Utilities Vendor Database – Safety, Health, Environment, Quality (SHEQ) management systems and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)) and RISQS (Railway Industry Supplier Qualification Scheme).

PRODUCT ASSURANCE AND QUALITY CONTROL PROCESSES Product Assurance and Quality Control is by no means a new initiative at the company. Since the Greenham family launched the business back in the 1920’s, they have always been deeply passionate about the quality, performance and safety of their products. Over time, the Quality Management and Control system has metamorphosed into a highly sophisticated process that encapsulates the entire length of the supply chain; from original concept through product design and factory approval to in process inspection and final UK Quality Control vetting upon arrival. Jon continued: “We focus on “prevention rather than cure” by carrying out the majority of our QA/QC inspections as close to the manufacturing process as possible in order to minimise our Carbon Footprint. It is pointless and very environmentally ‘expensive’ to ship container-loads of PPE products from the Far East to the UK, only to find that upon

inspection and testing, the products do not conform to standard. “In such a case, they would then need to be returned to the original source for upgrade, rework or rejection, with the entire logistic and inspection process to be repeated. “Our Quality Management System incorporates processes that apply to both our branded suppliers and our own exclusive brands; from Patented Brand Pure Manufacturers, through Quasi Manufacturers (factors) to specialist manufacturing facilities commissioned under license to produce our exclusive brands (controlled by our own people within the Bunzl global PPE family). “Based in Shanghai, we have a unique Bunzl owned Quality and Product Assurance facility, complete with internal testing facilities that employs highly experienced EN ISO 9000 fully accredited auditors. These auditors operate under our instructions to manage, supervise and approve our suppliers through the selection, Audit, approval, manufacturing and “In Production & Finished Goods” inspection processes. “As a final filter, all our incoming products from overseas are managed by highly experienced Import and Logistics specialists based at our 250,000 sq. ft Import Centre in Swansea, which includes an Inspection and Test Facility that holds original production design samples, detailed specification documents and equipment for verifying that all incoming products are compliant, fit for purpose and of merchantable quality.”

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Bunzl Greenham safety products: Bunzl Greenham

COMMERCIAL

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INDUSTRY

HEALTHCARE

FO OD SERVICE & HOSPITALITY

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OIL & GAS: safety products: DIALIGHTBunzl PLC Greenham QUALITY STANDARD AND COMMITMENTS “Bunzl Greenham are dedicated to a policy which ensures that its’ goods and services meet the quality and reliability requirements demanded by its customers at all times as well as any statutory and regulatory requirements. To fulfil this policy, the company has established an effective quality management system, structured to the requirements of EN ISO 9001:2008 and SA 8000 which is policed internally by fully qualified audit managers on a continuous basis and externally accredited and certificated by an independent approved body; currently NQA.” PRODUCT DESIGN Each product group is managed by an experienced Category Manager within the Purchasing Department, each of whom has a wealth of industry and product knowledge in their chosen field. In addition to buying in approved products from branded suppliers, they are also charged with an innovative approach to the creation and development of Exclusive Brand products; their design, testing, approval and EC Type Test certification (where necessary through their Technical Support Department,) and final approval by the Sales and Marketing Director.

N

EW

SUPPLIER SELECTION, EVALUATION AND APPROVAL Bunzl Greenham work with a variety of leading global partners including: 3M, DuPont, Ansell, Kimberly-Clark, Honeywell, Juba, Capital Safety & Scott Safety, as well as key service providers and suppliers including: Armorgard Ltd, B & G Lock & Tool Co. Ltd, Barber Healthcare Ltd, Crest Medical Ltd, Deb Limited, Eagle Technical Products Ltd, Ecospill Ltd, Henry Squire & Sons Ltd, LNT Solutions, P&P Safety Limited, Praybourne Ltd, Rhino (Derby) Ltd, Shoes For Crews Europe Limited, Task Consumer Products Limited, Tricel (Gloucester) Ltd and Yansport Safetywear Ltd, among many others.

Wall mountable, rapid response, first aid stations...

...available from all Blue Dot stockists.

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EC BASED SUPPLIERS: Bunzl Greenham maintains a preferred list of EC based suppliers which is constantly updated through detailed supplier questionnaires, information from regular contact meetings and detailed feedback on supplier performance and response through the Branch Manager Network. This process is carried out on an annual basis and the performance of these suppliers is monitored through a scoring system which highlights progress or regression in the required disciplines which are addressed and discussed at Annual Supplier reviews. Each completed supplier questionnaire contains a requirement for suppliers of PPE

“Each product group is managed by an experienced Category Manager attached to the Purchasing Department, each of whom has a wealth of industry and product knowledge in their chosen field.” HSE INTERNATIONAL

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safety products: Bunzl Greenham to sign a declaration that they hold a current and valid EC Type Test certificate for all products supplied. OVERSEAS MANUFACTURING SUPPLIERS: Bunzl Greenham use the facilities of a wholly owned Bunzl Global Sourcing and QA/QC Asia organisation based in Shanghai, to provide a complete and exhaustive supplier selection, evaluation and approval service for all overseas suppliers who they select as candidates for a preferred supplier list. These services include a full and comprehensive factory audit prior to any supply contract being issued and are carried out by fully EN ISO 9001:2008 qualified and accredited auditors / inspectors and includes:

“Since 1999, eVent® has engineered fabrics for outerwear and footwear that allow the wearer to perform at their best in the worst weather.”

• Pre Inspection requirement for the factory to provide a fully completed Social Accountability Self-Assessment Questionnaire which scores all aspects of Ethical Practices within that facility and without which Bunzl Greenham do not even begin the accreditation process. • Factory History, Customer References and Financials • Formal Accreditations, i.e. EN ISO9001:2008, EN ISO 14001 and SA 8000 as a minimum • Plant and Maintenance Facilities • Quality Control Systems • Raw Material, Component and Accessories Inspection • In Process Quality Control • Final Inspection Procedures • Packaging • Non-Conforming Materials • Communication and Document Control • Sharp Tools Control (e.g. Needle Policy) • Measurement Equipment Control and Calibration • Social Accountability – Child labour, Forced Labour and Disciplinary Practices, Health and Safety, Accommodation, Discrimination, Wages and Benefits, Working Hours and Hygiene Standards • Environmental Impact Any factory whose initial assessment does not achieve a minimum 70% score, taking all the above into account, would not be considered suitable as a supplier for Bunzl Group Companies including Bunzl Greenham. PRODUCT FOCUS Innovation is at the heart of business at Bunzl Greenham, and their range of exclusive and branded products and the global brands the company regularly work with reflect this. With a considerable stock holding, Bunzl Greenham have the stock customers’ need, when they need it most.

eVent®

PRODUCTS Since 1999, eVent® has engineered fabrics for outerwear and footwear that allow the wearer to perform at their best in the worst weather. The bi-component Direct Diffusion membrane technology provides superior advantages for workwear - these protective fabrics are breathable, waterproof, durable and safeguard against chemicals and other hazardous materials. Used by the military around the world, high performance eVent® fabrics are proven to stand up to the toughest specifications and conditions on the planet.

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YOUR SOLUTION TO REDUCE SLIP AND FALL ACCIDENTS! www.sfceurope.com

Shoes For Crews (Europe) Ltd (SFCE) is the European division of Shoes For Crews, LLC (SFC) which designs, manufactures, sells and distributes slip-resistant work shoes.

YOUR SOLUTION TO REDUCE SLIP AND FALL ACCIDENTS!

A

ccording to the HSE, the most common cause of injuries in the workplace is the slip fall accident. Accidents occur in over 80% of workplaces, with slip accidents representing 36% of this total. Regardless of indus-

PROVIDE UNEQUALLED SLIP-RESISTANCE REDUCE (IF NOT ELIMINATE) UNNECESSARY SLIP FALLS REDUCE ABSENTEEISM DUE TO SLIP FALLS REDUCE CLAIMS FOR INJURIES DUE TO SLIP FALLS INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY DUE TO A SAFER WORKING ENVIRONMENT CREATE AND CONTRIBUTE TO A SAFER WORKING ENVIRONMENT FULFILL LEGAL REQUIREMENTS UNDER RISK ASSESSMENT LAWS

(L-R) Colt Light, Warrior Light, Luigi, Velocity II, and Mario

try, to avoid or minimize the risk of slips or trips, the HSE recommend a “good cleaning regime” however they also suggest “appropriate slip-resistant footwear” . The patented outsole of SFC Footwear is exclusively formulated using a unique compound that grips to the microscopic roughness of floor surfaces while the specially designed grid pattern provides unequalled slip resistance by channelling liquids away from the bottom of the sole. SFC play a major role in the prevention of unnecessary slip falls, providing employers and employees with the opportunity to comply fully with health and safety regulations in a cost effective manner. Implementation of an SFC® Footwear Program provides several benefits: SHOES FOR CREWS OUTSOLES RECOGNISED FOR SLIP RESISTANCE– HSL 5 STAR RATING All SFCE Footwear has been awarded the HSL “5 Star GRIP Rating” – In 2014 the Health & Safety Laboratory (HSL) launched and introduced the GRIP rating scheme for the slip resistance of footwear. The purpose of the GRIP scheme is to allow companies, H&S managers and employees to identify suitable slip resistant footwear

as a control measure to reduce their risk of slipping accidents. Slip resistant footwear identified through HSL ramp testing, the test used as the basis of the GRIP scheme, has proven to reduce employee slips across a range of businesses. The GRIP scheme aims to disseminate valid and useful information regarding the slip resistanceof footwear through the use of easy to u derstand star-ratings – from 1 Star to 5 Stars - The higher the star rating, the greater the slip resistance. Both of SFCE’s outsoles – The Mighty Grip and SFC-5 Outsole – have received the HSL GRIP 5 STAR Rating (the highest / top rating).

Guardian (S4) 2017/ 2018

SFC OUT-GRIPS

SFC-5 Outsole SFC Mighty Grip® Outsole

THE COMPETITION WE GREATLY

EXCEED

For more information on SFCE or to Order please contact contact your Greenham account manager. HSE INTERNATIONAL

INDUSTRY

STANDARDS! 47

0.0

0.1

0.2

.63 Shoes For Crews

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

Steel Plate/Glycerine. Outsole Test

.18

Minimum Standard

.44

Shoes For Crews Steel Plate/Glycerine. Heel Test

.13

Minimum Standard

.58

Shoes For Crews Ceramic Tile Floor/Cleansing Agent. Outsole Test

.32

Minimum Standard

.52

Shoes For Crews Ceramic Tile Floor/Cleansing Agent. Heel Test

.28

Minimum Standard

After years of rigorous research and design, Shoes For Crews® revolutionised workplace safety with the introduction of the patented SFC Mighty Grip™ outsole. Since 1984, this unique compound provides unbelievable slip resistance, helping you work safely, comfortably and in style. It’s our ongoing dedication to the prevention of on-the-job accidents that makes us the global leader in slip-resistant footwear. SLIP RESISTANCE TEST EN ISO 13287:2012, PERFORMED BY TUV RHEINLAND LGA PRODUCTS GMBH IN LEIPZIG, GERMANY DURING JANUARY 2015 * ON A SCALE WHERE 0.0 IS THE ABSENCE OF FRICTION AND 1.0 IS VERY HIGH FRICTION (E.G. DRY CARPET), SFC RATED .63 – MORE THAN TRIPLING THE .18 MINIMUM STANDARD. ALL SFC SHOES, UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED, USE THE 5MM PATENTED SFC MIGHTY GRIP™ SLIP-RESISTANT OUTSOLE. PRODUCT TESTED: TITAN

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safety products: Bunzl Greenham

Eagle Technical Products Working in Partnership with Greenham to Lead Innovation in FR Antistatic/Arc Technical Garments Please contact us to discuss your FR and ARC Clothing Requirements www.eagletechnicalproducts.com or 01204 844433

Covering the essentials to keep you protected Our essentials range features our greatest array of products that are suitable for all general tasks. Complying with industry-standards for safe working practices, the range is focussed on value, comfort and safety for you.

Heavy-duty Covering the essentials safety wear that gets to keep you protected the job done Our essentials range features our greatest array of products that all general Complying with Our are suitable range offor products has tasks. been specifi cally designed industry-standards forwork safe and working practices, for more demanding greater periodsthe of range intenseis focussed on value, and safety for you. U.S.Designed based eVent® fabrics is best known for its patented use. to becomfort heavy duty, this range is perfect for

airindustry permeable and waterproof membrane used in professionals who needePTFE products with endurance and integrity, as well as comfort andcompany value high performance consumer brands and the has, money. infor fact, long served military, police and fire fighting forces around the world with its protective products. The same technologies and fabrics also meet the needs of workers who count on their outerwear and footwear to keep them dry, comfortable and safe throughout the workday. For this reason, Bunzl Greenham have introduced the fabric into selected premium products via their new Autumn 2015 collection of eVent® protective outerwear and footwear. “Overland Park, Kansas, USA—eVent® fabrics was pleased to welcome Greenham, thearray UK based Our essentials rangeBunzl features our greatest of products supplier workwear personal that areof suitable for alland general tasks.protection Complying equipment, with for safe’15 working practices, the range is asindustry-standards it launched its Autumn collection of protective focussed on value, comfort and safetyspecifi foroffering you. Our range of products has been cally designed outerwear and footwear. The inaugural features for more demanding work and greater periods of intense eVent’s® Protective line of membranes and fabrics and is

Covering the essentials Heavy-duty to keepwear you protected safety thatrange gets The ultimate the job done for total onsite safety and performance

use. Designed to be heavy duty, this range is perfect for Our safetywho range features products industry ultimate professionals need products with that are able to and copeintegrity, with theas most tasks and endurance welldemanding as comfort of and value environments. When safety is paramount, you can rely on for money. the XT range to provide the security and support you need, with greater performance and innovative designs to help keep you working safer for longer.

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Heavy-duty safety wear that gets the The job ultimate done range for range total onsite safety Our of products has been specifically designed

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for more demanding work and greater periods of intense

available now throughout the Bunzl Greenham distribution network in the United Kingdom,” said David Cornthwaite, European Sales Leader for eVent® fabrics. The eVent® fabrics team showcased the new Bunzl Greenham products at the A+A Show in Dusseldorf, Germany in Hall 11 G24 between October 27-30. Greenham has positioned eVent® Protective as the premium technology in its new special hazard collections, according to Cornthwaite. Bunzl Greenham’s apparel launch features seven pieces with eVent® in the KeepSafe XT range that include high visibility fabrics and Endurance XT collections. The styles include jackets, hoods, trousers and over trousers, all using eVent® Protective membranes and fabrics that comply with workwear and safety specifications. This autumn, Bunzl Greenham also introduced footwear with eVent® Protective membrane technology. The launch features four styles in their high performance Tuf XT range, including a low, mid and high cut ankle boot with side zip and a fully metalfree style. These feature safety toecaps and penetration resistant midsoles. “Greenham chose eVent® for its top-of-the-line outerwear and footwear and this further demonstrates the strength of our technologies for workers who need protection from challenging weather and on-the-job hazards,” Cornthwaite commented.

“FHOSS provides the next generation of personal protective equipment”

FHOSS As part of Bunzl Greenham’s drive to continually bring innovative safety products into the market, a new partnership with Fhoss Technology was launched in Autumn 2015. Fhoss Technology is a UK-based company providing innovative powered light safety wear. They focus on providing high-quality products in order to increase safety in professional workspaces across the globe. Fhoss provides the next generation of personal protective equipment. Their technology works by using enhanced reflective prismatic tape with a battery powered illuminated core, so that unlike traditional high visibility tape, Fhoss illuminates without the need for ambient light. Products in the Fhoss range are particularly beneficial for use in areas where there is either little or no ambient light, as well as in bad weather conditions when visibility is poor. Inspired by the Greek saying, ‘where there is light, there is life’, Fhoss are committed to delivering a high-end range of safety products for a variety of industry sectors that are designed to improve visibility and safety in working environments. Traditional high visibility reflective tape works on the principle that it collects light and reflects it back towards the light source; the more light that hits the tape, the stronger the light that is reflected back. Fhoss Technology®, on the other hand, combines traditional reflective tape with an illuminated core which actively emits light. This means that even when ambient light is not available, the tape lights up as though it was being reflected.

In order for the tape to illuminate, it needs to be powered by a specially developed, mini rechargeable powercell that is designed to allow constant 12+ hrs usage and can be located discreetly within a small pocket on the target item. The patent-protected technology has been carefully manufactured and is approved and certified to both the internationally recognised ANSI (American National Standards Institute) and EN standards (European Standards) by independent test agencies. It is robust and designed for use by professional users in the workplace. EXCLUSIVE BRANDS This year, Bunzl Greenham has enhanced their range of exclusive brand products, delivering industry standard safety products at respectable costs so that their customers can appease their budget whilst ensuring they have the safest and most appropriate workwear, equipment and tools. Keep Safe combines style, material and performance into a range of products which the wearer can trust to always meet the correct standard. The range of products are consistently designed to provide comfort and protection, whatever the role of the wearer. Jon Mellor explained: “As part of this process, we have divided our products into specific sub brands to make it easier to choose the appropriate products to meet the relevant requirements for the job. These brands include Eye & Face Protection, Respiratory Protection, Head Protection, Hearing Protection, Hand Protection, Environmental

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safety products: Bunzl Greenham

armorgard

cuttingstation

Reducing dust, Reducing noise, Increasing safety The unique multi-purpose material cutting station from Armorgard... Adjustable extending support arms Fire rated, sound deadening foam Compatible with a dust extraction or air filtration system

To discover more about the amazing armorgard CuttingStation™ talk to one of our expert team members today on 023 9238 0280 or email sales@armorgard.co.uk www.armorgard.co.uk

Reducing Dust, Reducing Noise, Increasing Safety… Secure storage specialist Armorgard has launched a new unit designed to make cutting tasks onsite both easier and safer, and it boasts some innovative features. “The Armorgard CuttingStation is a purpose-built work station used for cutting lengths of material, such as conduit, cable tray and pipe,” said Armorgard product development manager Perry Fidler. “Its portable design makes it self-contained for use in virtually any location.” Coated for durability, the unit is fitted with heavyduty swivel wheels, making it easy to manoeuvre. Other features include an integral 110v power system with sockets and light, and adjustable extending support arms that enable users to perform diverse cutting tasks onsite quickly and easily. A robust lockable storage

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cabinet beneath the workbench is secured by a 5-lever serial-numbered deadlock. “Safety has been built into the design from the outset. Safety features include sound-deadening foam to reduce noise pollution, and PVC screens to protect eyes and clothing from sparks and reduce fire risk. The rubber mat is provided to give good grip for a chop saw and reduce vibration, while the intelligent design allows it to be positioned at a safe working height, minimising risk of accident or injury.”

Control, Special Hazard Clothing, First Aid and Fire Safety and Ladies Workwear. He added: “Our exclusive brands are very important to us, in particular, our flame retardant range. The industry is changing towards flame retardant materials, especially the rail and construction sectors due to new standards on flame retardant clothing that were launched earlier this year. We’re having to comply and the change has elevated people’s consciousness about the need to protect themselves from flame and fire.” HEALTH AND SAFETY PRACTICE As an organisation, Bunzl Greenham are committed to the provision of safe places of work for all employees and for the promotion of good health and safety practice as a mutual objective for management and employees at all levels. Jon Mellor commented: “The health and safety of our employees and other stakeholders is a priority. Although we try to minimise the risks which occur, particularly relating to the operation of our warehouses and vehicles, incidents relating to manual handling, slipping and tripping remain the highest cause of accidents, although statistically remaining extremely minimal for our industry sector. “A number of actions have been taken to raise awareness and continue to improve our health and safety performance. We work continuously with our employees, suppliers and customers to improve our health and safety practices, as well as decreasing all of our stakeholders’ impacts on the environment by efficient route planning, safe driving and reducing waste. “Whilst compliance with legal obligations in the various jurisdictions in which we operate is our minimum commitment, we also seek to identify and share best practice across our businesses to ensure our major risks are addressed.”

VEHICLE SAFETY Their drivers receive regular training and their fleets are well maintained. Bunzl Greenham continue to introduce appropriate monitoring systems into their fleets and review accidents to improve efficiency and safety. PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY Each employee is expected to ensure that his/her conduct does not place their personal safety or the safety of others in jeopardy. This requires an active participation in maintaining a safe working environment and includes observance of established safety procedures and making recommendations for changes where they are needed. In all circumstances, including when travelling on the Group’s business, each employee is expected to conduct himself/ herself in a professional and responsible manner. ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY Bunzl Greenham are committed to providing environmentally friendly products to their customers via a comprehensive range of eco-friendly products. Through their BeGreen initiative, products are identified

WAREHOUSE SAFETY Bunzl Greenham ensure that their warehouses are laid out and equipped appropriately and their workforce is trained to minimise risks from manual handling, as well as ensuring good housekeeping to reduce the risks of trips, slips and injury from falling objects.

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Quality on Reflection

PR505 Interactive

Foul Weather Coverall

PR499 Pulsarail® Unlined Interactive Storm Coat

PR498 Pulsarail® Interactive Bodywarmer

PR336 Pulsarail® Combat Trouser

“We have recently been awarded the Gold Star Accreditation from The Supply Chain Sustainability School.”

and labelled, fitting into four main categories: recycled, renewable, biodegradable or energy efficient. The BeGreen initiative allows the most informed and responsible choices when selecting products. Jon continued: “Awareness of the environment and considering how to reduce our impact on it is not new for Bunzl Greenham nor is it a passing phase. Environmental programmes have been in place for many years, are rigorously enforced and are consistently reviewed and checked for improved performance as a key area of our Corporate Responsibility. “Our environmental strategy is multifaceted. We set targets and measure operating improvements in order to reduce our environmental impact. We provide environmentally friendly services and products to our customers to assist them in reducing their global footprint. Finally, we communicate what we’ve learned to our employees and our customers.” “We recognise the need to offer customers a comprehensive range of eco-friendly products and work with suppliers to meet those needs. By operating a BeGreen initiative, we identify and promote the environmentally friendly products that fit into the four main categories: “You will find clear labelling for products that; • Contain an element of recycled material, resulting from either consumer or production waste. • Are predominantly manufactured from a naturally occurring material that will be replenished through normal ecological cycles. • Can breakdown or decompose under natural conditions and processes within a restricted time.

Available at:

web: www.greenham.com 60 HSE INTERNATIONAL

tel: 0845 300 6672

• Have been specifically designed to have a lower impact on the environment, usually by using less energy with the added benefit of lower running costs.” Bunzl Greenham also recognise that it “simply isn’t enough simply to be ‘Green’ these days.” For the company, thorough sustainable practice evolves around 4 key strategies: 1. Socially and ethically responsible purchasing 2. Minimising environmental impact through the supply chain 3. Delivering economically sound solutions 4. Good business practice Each business area is responsible for ensuring that all those affected by their supply chain are producing goods and services which adequately meet internationally recognised minimum requirements for Worker Welfare and Conditions of Employment. The minimum requirements are those defined by the International Fair Labor Organisation (http://www.fairlabor.org/) or based upon the Ethical Trading Initiative (http://www.ethicaltrade.org/) or both, dependent upon the business jurisdiction. “Sustainable procurement is good procurement practice as represented by the UK Government’s Flexible Framework model, BS 8903:2010 Principles and Framework for Procuring Sustainably, and a rigorous audit by a recognised independent body linked to these two models. We have already embarked upon this ongoing process,” Jon added. THE SUPPLY CHAIN SUSTAINABILITY SCHOOL “We have recently been awarded the Gold Star Accreditation from The Supply Chain Sustainability School. “Sustainability represents both significant challenges

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safety products: Bunzl Greenham

“As a group of industry sectors involved in building and maintaining these assets, we need to embrace the sustainability agenda, or simply risk losing out to our competitors.”

and opportunities for UK industry. Clients are demanding more sustainable practices; stakeholders are exerting more pressure and legislation is becoming increasingly stringent. The market for a greener, ethical and more sustainable supply chain is greater than ever.” “In 2009 approximately 43% of the UK’s carbon emissions came from buildings. In addition, poor waste management and inefficient use of resources result in sustainability impacts; buildings are also of course where we all work, live and play. So whether you are involved in constructing new buildings and infrastructure or in running and maintaining these assets once built, what you do can have a significant effect on reducing environmental and social impacts. As a group of industry sectors involved in building and maintaining these assets, we need to embrace the sustainability agenda, or simply risk losing out to our competitors.” “The Supply Chain Sustainability School represents a common approach to developing sustainability competence in the supply chain. It is a free resource available to any supplier, and is part of our continued commitment to lead the industry into a brighter, more sustainable future.” MEMBERSHIP ASSOCIATIONS Bunzl Greenham work with several standards and groups including: SATRA, BSIF (British Safety Industry Federation), CHSA (Cleaning & Hygiene Suppliers Association), REMA (Retroreflective Equipment Manufacturers Association) and The Supply Chain Sustainability School.

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BSIF REGISTERED SAFETY SUPPLIER SCHEME Jon commented: “We are active members of the BSIF registered Safety Supplier Scheme and are required to adhere to a strict set of criteria that ensures the relevant products we sell are genuine and fit for purpose, meet the CE Mark Type Test requirements of the PPE Directive, are fully certificated by a recognised CE Notified Body, are safe and innocuous and are CE Marked, which practice we are required to formally Declare as part of and integral with our Quality Management System Policy Document. The BSIF regularly and rigorously audit members of the scheme to ensure absolute compliance with the schemes’ strict and uncompromising requirements. ” BSIF WORKING GROUP ON COUNTERFEIT AND ILLEGAL GOODS “We are also active members of the BSIF Working Group that investigates the prolific incidences of counterfeit and illegal PPE products that are imported into the UK. This working group attempts to eradicate this heinous and dangerous practice by unscrupulous traders and is strongly supported in its activity by the HSE and Trading Standards,” Jon continued. COUNTERFEIT AND ILLEGAL PPE PRODUCTS “Looking at BSIF counterfeit and illegal products – everybody is interested in this. For example, we know that 60% of imported high visibility clothing in the UK is illegal which is an absolute fright! Think about the cyclists, the equestrians, the pedestrians and the kids travelling to and from school for example, 60% of what they’re wearing is illegal and this is a terrible, if not desperate situation.

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safety products: Bunzl Greenham “A prime example of the availability of these garments is on market stalls, and in fact, REMA has already been instrumental in the removal of non-conforming waistcoats on sale from one large supermarket chain. “Workers on our highways, construction sites, logistics operators and private motorists risk being killed whilst non-compliant garments are offered for sale and the fact that these workers may be labouring under the possible misconception that their garments are helping to protect them on the job is a huge concern. “Despite their apparent simple styling, high visibility garments are relatively, technically sophisticated. Taking into account the basic cost of conforming background fabric and retroreflective tape, it is impossible to produce the simplest garment to the EN471 Standard to be sold for less than £1 (and they frequently are)! “Faults have been found that include non-conforming garment designs, garments with insufficient areas of HV background material to meet the specified class of garment, and incorrect or non-existent labelling, insufficient retroreflective tape or tape that does not comply with the specified performance requirements as laid down in the Standard, and an additional environmental issue where substandard background fabric is being loaded with banned substances such as Azo dyes to enable that fabric to pass the high conspicuity index tests at production level, but that are subsequently quickly washed out by laundering or rainy conditions on site. “It is also a legal requirement to accompany each garment with a ‘User Guide’ or ‘Information Sheet’. These are frequently incorrect or often missing completely. “Today, high visibility clothing is available in most town and city open markets and “sheds”, often not even wrapped and therefore improperly protected. This means that even if the clothing conformed originally, it may not conform once purchased by an unsuspecting member of the public who is unaware of the Standard and its requirements. “Counterfeit and illegal products are in circulation because of fabricated and forged certificates, but what is forgotten is that 60% of people wearing and using these products are 60% more vulnerable to dangerous, if not lethal situations. Now, due to organisations such as the BSIF and our committee, the problem is being acknowledged and in turn reduced.” “The UK leads the way in dealing with counterfeit and illegal products, and anything that the BSIF does, we

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safety products: Bunzl Greenham

“Innovation is at the heart of our business and our range of exclusive and branded products and the global brands we regularly work with reflect this”

are party to as we’re involved at such a high level. Our Managing Director Andrew Tedbury also sits on the BSIF council,” Jon explained. David Lummis, Former Chief Executive Officer of the BSIF had commented: “Many of these counterfeit products arrive in containers from the Far East and can be readily purchased via online auction sites or from street markets. It is quite easy to buy containers of ‘safety’ equipment direct, and of course without the correct quality control procedures in place, the buyer will not have a clue what they are purchasing; thereby endangering lives. “It is not really surprising that purchasers of PPE are now more wary about procuring items as there is general confusion over certified products, mainly due to the counterfeit items, falsified certifications and the potentially confusing CE symbol that jokingly but erroneously in this context has been said to stand for ‘China Export’. Nevertheless, there are increasingly strict measures and more severe penalties at hand to ensure employers are buying and supplying the correct equipment.” CAREERS Bunzl Greenham ensure that all employees feel supported and empowered with the appropriate policies and procedures in place to help facilitate this. The company actively encourage the pursuit of personal and career development via career roles within their business, and where possible, by offering opportunities to work in other areas of the company. This may be through permanent transfers and/or by temporary secondments.

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PROSPECTIVE CUSTOMERS / CLIENTS Jon commented: “We specialise in the supply of Personal Protection Equipment, Cleaning and Hygiene Supplies and Contractors’ Site Equipment. We have always been deeply passionate about the quality, performance and safety of our products. We adhere to a strict set of criteria that ensures the relevant products we sell are genuine and fit for purpose. With a considerable stock holding, we have the products that our customers’ need, when they need it most.” Andrew Tedbury, Managing Director at Bunzl Greenham concluded: “As part of Bunzl plc, we have an overarching corporate responsibility towards the economic, environmental and social wellbeing of our customers, suppliers, employees and the communities in which we operate. “We set the bar high – it’s part of who we are, and we recognise that one of the most important aspects of our service to customers is to ensure that our product quality is of the highest order and fully compliant with, if not exceeding the recognised industry standards. “Innovation is at the heart of our business and our range of exclusive and branded products and the global brands we regularly work with reflect this. “Through ongoing innovation and continuous development, we ensure that we are always ahead of the game in keeping our customers safe at work.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE VISIT: WWW.GREENHAM.COM

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