Integrated FM contract with BAE Systems awarded

MITIE has been awarded a new multi-million pound, five-year contract to provide a full integrated FM service to BAE Systems. The contract covers 26 BAE Systems sites across the UK and integrates multiple contracts for four of BAE Systems’ businesses under one umbrella.

The contract will see Mitie provide a suite of

FM services, including mechanical, electrical and building fabric maintenance, cleaning, reception, waste management, landscaping, mailroom, and energy management, as well as catering and pest control.

Mitie will also be bringing leading technology solutions to the contract. This includes the rollout of its Mozaic software which will give BAE

Systems full oversight of Mitie’s performance and management of the contract, 24/7.

Through its dedicated Plan Zero team, Mitie will be supporting BAE Systems’ sustainability and net zero ambitions by sharing its expertise on how it can help to reduce the environmental impact of the company’s estate.

WWW.MITIE.COM

Stan Atkins, Group CEO, BICSc, reports

Health and safety where reasonably practicable

It is often cited that the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 was the first piece of major health and safety legislation. This is incorrect as effectively it drew together various pieces of individual Legislation - eg, the Offices, Shops and Railways Premises Act 1963 - then updated and combined them into one white paper. The phrase that has stuck in my mind from reading the white paper and the subsequent TUC Guide to the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 was ‘where reasonably practicable’.

Health and safety guidance goes back a very long time - Deuteronomy Chapter 22, V8: “When you build a new house, make a parapet around your roof so that you may not bring the guilt of bloodshed on your house if someone falls from the roof.”

Falls on the tube escalators rise as users fear catching COVID-19 if they hold onto the handrails. This, as with many other risks, could be reduced if passengers carried out a simple risk assessment as one is supposed to do when crossing the road (remember the Green Cross Code Man?). Depending on the passenger’s agility, it is probably better to hold the handrail and use a hand sanitiser at the end of your escalator experience.

“Apple trees in a village park face being cut down as councillors fear that fallen fruit could pose a trip hazard. Westwood Parish Council in Wiltshire plans to remove four of the five old trees which line a footpath in Westwood Park, arguing walkers could trip over apples that have fallen from their branches. However, villagers criticised the decision as eco vandalism. A petition was launched, and it was argued that chopping down the trees will mean less CO2 is absorbed, wildlife habitat is destroyed and a source of pleasure for adults and children is reduced to four stumps. It was also argued that leaving behind four tree stumps is as much a trip hazard as fallen apples. The Clerk to the Parish Council is understood to have come to the decision to remove the trees after a lengthy discussion. A tree surgeon has reportedly been employed to carry out the work.” (Ref: Phoebe Southworth).

Here are the Hierarchy of Controls: Elimination: physical removal of the hazard. This is the most effective hazard control. For example, if employees must work high above the ground, the hazard can be eliminated by moving the piece they are working on to ground level to eliminate the need to work at height. Substitution: the second most effective hazard control involves replacing something that produces a hazard (similar to elimination) with something that does not produce a hazard. For example, replacing lead-based paint. Engineering controls: these controls do not eliminate hazards but rather isolate people from hazards. Capital costs of engineered controls tend to be higher than less effective controls in the hierarchy, however they may reduce future costs. For example, a crew might build a work platform rather than purchase, replace and maintain fall arrest equipment.

Administrative controls: these controls are changes to the way people work. Examples of administrative controls include procedure change, employee training and installation of signs and warning labels.

Personal protective equipment (PPE): includes gloves, respirators, hard hats, safety glasses, highvisibility clothing, and safety footwear.

In my opinion, the way to tackle these issues is not to start at the top of the hierarchy of controls (elimination) but start at the bottom with personal protective equipment and work your way up the list, stopping at the point where it is a reasonably practicable solution which, in the case cited, is probably engineered controls or substitution.

In the case of falling apples, what would have happened if Sir Isaac Newton had pressed for a personal injury claim for an apple falling on his head?

For further information, please visit: www.bics.org.uk and the BICSc Virtual Training Suite at WWW.BBS-VIRTUAL-TRAINING.THINKIFIC.COM

OUR world has experienced such profound changes over the last two years that we are still reeling. As much as we want to escape from the pandemic, we just can’t. Moreso when it comes to business and the economic fallout of our enforced hibernation. The knock-on effects have impacted our professional and private lives, and it compels us to face the future with as much preparedness as possible.

Yet, we face tests at every turn. In the UK, we are really feeling the economic pinch of stalled supply chains, the Brexit employee drain, the energy crisis and, recently, the effects of war on our doorstep. In a climate where every penny really counts, being a Living Wage Employer becomes inexorably the correct thing to do and the right example to set.

At the Worshipful Company of Environmental Cleaners, commitment to supporting the cleaning industry is our priority and where we can, we take a proactive position. This is why we wanted to show solidarity with our members, who are already campaigning for fair pay for their workforces.

Never before has a Livery Company been named as a Living Wage Employer - the WCEC is the first. We have made it a mission to elevate the perception and standing of the cleaning industry in as many ways as possible, from supporting education and scholarships, funding professional qualification study and foundation courses, and even introducing a Chartership scheme in 2021. There was yet another way in which we could support the wellbeing of our industry, so from February 2022 the WCEC became an accredited Living Wage Employer.

Given recent events, the WCEC really wanted to punctuate its solidarity with colleagues, whose exceptional commitment during the pandemic kept our communities and key industries safe. The cleaning industry didn’t have a break - it was in the fray working steadfastly to keep our built environment clean and hygienic including, most vitally, hospitals and other medical facilities.

Furthermore, the role of the cleaning industry is often undervalued - this has always been the case, long before coronavirus hit our shores. Cleaning has often been regarded as the unskilled option as far as career choices are concerned. However, conversely, we know that it requires training, dedication and ongoing professional development. These are all necessary when servicing clients with high expectations and myriad specialised cleaning and hygiene requirements.

As a cleaning industry business owner, I know how much the Living Wage demonstrates that without fair pay, we cannot adequately support or resource our industry. Furthermore, there is an obligation to act fairly and honestly with employees - pay them what they deserve for their hard work. The cleaning industry can be very demanding.

If a business does not act fairly, the ensuing damage jeopardises everything that it holds of value: a skilled workforce, loyalty, stakeholder confidence, reputation, and brand integrity. If a large percentage of a sector behaves that way then overall its perception will be measured by the practices maintained within it.

That isn’t who we are in the cleaning industry. The very nature of our services implies care, attention to detail, safety, and protection. These are not skills upon which to ride roughshod, but a standard to fly as an exemplar component of UK industry.

So, I will always encourage companies in our industry to undertake Living Wage Employer status. The road ahead is going to be tough for a while. However, giving your employees the opportunity to earn according to the true cost of living shows how much you appreciate their service. After all, a company is only as good as its people.

WWW.WC-EC.COM

The WCEC is a member of the British Cleaning Council. The views of Council members are their own.

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Keeping it in the family - is it a good idea?

LAST month, we celebrated our company’s 50th anniversary with a very enjoyable gala dinner for staff and clients in London. As you may know, DOC is very much a family firm and it started me thinking about family businesses and the fact that although DOC now employs third generation family members, there seems to be a dwindling number of medium-to-large cleaning companies that remain truly independent, family-run organisations.

One reason could be that families get tired of discussing cleaning every time they sit down for a special occasion - worryingly this really does happen in my house! But joking aside, more frequently heard explanations include the younger generation just not wanting to take over, the challenge of running a company being too much to handle, or the understandable temptation of simply selling out to a good offer.

The fact I am writing this probably gives you a clue as to my thoughts on the matter - I am a firm advocate of family-run organisations. What’s interesting, however, is that our industry is well-served by small, micro businesses who start out as family concerns, and it is therefore a fertile environment for family businesses to grow and prosper. Which begs the question, what are the pros and cons of ‘keeping it in the family’ and why is family ownership rare amongst larger companies?

Positive associations that spring to mind with familyrun businesses include loyalty, dedication, passion, and a great sense of pride in what you do. I think you can add to this a feeling that decisions are made with long term stability in mind, rather than the short-termism which you could argue is prevalent in organisations where the executive team is beholden to shareholders who are divorced from the business and are primarily interested in this year’s dividend. On the opposite side of the coin, however, are some classic problems that go with familyrun businesses. These include lack of communication between family owners and senior management, decisions taken without consultation, failure to move away from ‘the way we’ve always done things’, and a sense that the family knows best.

So what are the necessary conditions for a familyowned business to grow successfully and profitably?

An obvious answer, you might think, is to offer minority shareholdings and I’m sure this is what some owners do. However, that in itself is no guarantee of expertise and the critical step is surely to co-opt onto the board or senior team a number of independently-minded

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executives who bring valuable professional insight into areas where the family might not be so strong – HR and finance are areas that spring to mind.

Once you’ve got the right mix of experience, it’s then up to the owners to make sure that the ‘independents’ are made to feel less like advisors and more like members of the family themselves and I think there are two elements to this. The first is to let them see that anyone in the company who really is family receives no better treatment than they do, in fact if anything that the actual family have to work harder to earn their position. The second is to look after them as if they really were family. In many ways this is a state of mind that needs to be developed, which may prove difficult for some family owners who, for whatever reason, are unable to show the same trust and respect for non-family members as for their own flesh and blood.

When all’s said and done, there are tangible benefits from a client point of view of working with a successful, wholly committed family business. For the business itself, it is simply a case of unlocking those benefits by creating the conditions in which everyone gives of their best, irrespective of their connection to the owners.

WWW.DOCCLEANING.COM