Water and Effluent Treatment Magazine
Issue link: https://read.utilityweek.co.uk/i/867569
Project sPecs • Invest in a health and safety culture • Reduce incidents and improve health at work • Keep workforces healthy, safe and motivated techKnow • Company boards driving health and safety initiatives and training programmes • A workforce that is engaged leads to fewer absences • Investing in safety and health demonstrates commitment to employee welfare the VerDIct A workforce that is engaged and feels good about coming to work unquestionably leads to fewer absences and people returning to work more quickly. Dymphna Gallagher, NI Water SEPTEMBER 2017 wet news 13 Organisations recognise the wider social and environmental benefits of investing in health and safety training neeD to Know 1 Last year, 800-plus senior management visited operational sites at Thames Water compared with just 15 in 2012 2 Reportable incidents at NI Water have fallen from 38 in 2002 to just four last year 3 Delivery of the NEBOSH course by Thames Water has been extended to include contractors' managers health and safety of everyone working for, and on behalf of, the company would be at the decision-making table. "It has become 'anti-social' for any of our managers within Thames Water not to have been trained to the high-level NEBOSH health and safety qual- ification, with all of the benefits in terms of capability and com- petence that go with it." Simons says: "As a result of a very clear vision, we have intro- duced waves of initiatives that have led to a cultural revolution across the organisation. As a consequence of this investment, health and safety is now seen as an enabler to get work under- taken, as opposed to tradition- ally been seen as a blocker based on bureaucracy. We've seen a dramatic increase in peo- ple's willingness to challenge unsafe acts without fear of reprisal, so the blame culture has been altered to one of fair- ness, which in turn has driven more openness and transpar- ency across the company." Simons says management training and the shi† in health and safety culture has also had a huge impact on senior man- agement visibility. In 2012 there were just 15 senior management visits to operational sites recorded at Thames Water. Last year there were 800-plus. Reducing incidents and improving health at work undoubtedly has positive finan- cial implications, whether it is around productivity improve- ments, reduced costs or the avoidance of legal action and fines, which can exceed hun- dreds of thousands if not mil- lions of pounds. However, the business benefits of health and safety extend beyond the finan- cial bottom-line. Whenever a life is saved as a result of invest- ment in health and safety cul- ture, it means the return on investment is immeasurable. On the impact of such train- ing initiatives, Simon says: "We are saving lives as a result of this change in approach to training and health and safety culture. It's that simple." NEBOSH is the National Examina- tion Board in Occupational Health and Safety. Wedeco Spektron UV Wedeco LBX UV Reactors Sanitaire Aeration Grids Hydroejectors & Radial Aerators Flygt Jet Aerators & Mixers Flygt Mixers AVAILABLE FROM XYLEM WATER TREATMENT 24/7 HIRE RAPID BESPOKE DESIGN SOLUTIONS DIRECT FROM THE MANUFACTURER FOR ULTIMATE PEACE OF MIND • Cost effective temporary treatment installations • Plant refurbishments | Repairs | Seasonal Overloads Drought Alleviation • Portable containerised systems available for larger projects • Planned, bespoke and reactive maintenance solutions • PLUS monitoring, control and analytical equipment also available 0845 707 8012 fgb.rental@xyleminc.com | www.xylem.com/uk flygt_sanitaire_wedeco treatmentl advert aug 2017_Layout 1 04/08/2017 15:18 Page 1