Specialist Contractors Safety Programme

Sponsored by: The Health and Safety People

Winner and finalists:

Cementation Foundations Skanska is rewarded this year for reducing the risk in one of the most potentially hazardous specialisms: ground engineering

Cementation Foundations Skanska

The statistics speak for themselves. Last year, unplanned-event reporting at piling and ground engineering company Cementation Foundations Skanska rose by 33%, near-miss reporting shot up by 40%, and there was a 50% reduction in reportable injuries. All of this meant the firm enjoyed a completely injury-free month last August, met all of its performance targets, and won its third gold award from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents. Its not just Skanskas employees who benefit from the dedication to an incident- and injury-free workplace the companys subcontractors have now enjoyed an unparalleled three-year run without any injuries, and the companys board will appreciate the 645,000 drop in insurance premiums over the past two years.

Balfour Kilpatrick

Under Balfour Kilpatricks Whatever It Takesinitiative, health and safety becomes the concern of everyone in the business, from the lowliest apprentice right up to the chairman. At the sharp end of the business, almost 300 have taken the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health Working Safely course since 2003, and 160 apprentices underwent a one-day training update last October to refresh their knowledge. Meanwhile, directors are expected to perform three safety tours a year, and present lessons learned to the workforce.

The Byrne Group

After a period of expansion, the Byrne Group wants to instil health and safety in the hearts and minds of its extended family of employees through its Incident and Injury Free programme. Each company director, senior manager, and project and construction manager takes a two-day commitment workshop so that the values and beliefs behind health and safety at work are set in stone. As well as the use of a dedicated training centre, all operatives have the opportunity to discuss issues or report concerns directly using the groups health and safety freephone hotline.

EIC

EICs Stop and Think initiative is not just about changing how its workers behave, but changing how they think, too. The company identified a state it calls alpha sleep where the brain sinks into a lower state of consciousness when driving a car or performing familiar tasks. Through repetitive messaging on posters, key rings and merchandise, EIC aimed to wake its workforce up, or turn a state into a trait. It works too; the firm has since seen a 9% reduction in accidents.

Stent

Three years ago, the culture of reporting accident frequency rates (AFR) was deemed morally unacceptable by foundations contractor Stent on the grounds that counting accidents made it seem as if they were expected to happen. Instead, the company wanted to focus on eliminating hazards as the base for assessing their safety performance. Since then, hazard reporting has tripled and AFRs have sunk by 20%. Last years Sort It Out campaign has seen employees across the board learning how to identify and address hazards before they become just another statistic.