Scheme recognises safe industrial practices

A Clyde Materials Handling product story

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Jul 10, 2006

Clyde Materials Handling is one of the latest group of successful companies to join a leading edge scheme, designed to help industry improve its safety record.

Clyde Materials Handling is one of the latest group of successful companies to join a leading edge scheme, designed to help industry improve its safety record.

The Doncaster-based firm recently received accreditation from Safecontractor, a programme which recognises very high standards of health and safety practice among UK contractors.

Employing 110 people, Clyde Materials Handling is principally involved in the design, assembly, commissioning, maintenance and aftersales of spares of pneumatic conveying and pneumatic injection solutions for granular and powder type materials, globally.

Specialising in the metals and minerals industries and with a GBP 14.6 million turnover, Clyde Materials Handling's most recent clients have included major players such as BPB, Codelco and Corus.

The company's application for Safecontractor accreditation was driven by the need for a uniform standard across the business.

Dave Shilling, Operations Manager at Clyde Materials Handling said: "A great deal of effort has been put into achieving accreditation and many improvements have been made to our health and safety management system as a result".

"Our ongoing accreditation with Safecontractor will bring benefits to the company, our employees and our customers, through more effective health and safety related performance, management and administration".

Neil Gardiner, Clyde Materials Handling's Customer Support Services Director continued: "People are the greatest asset that our company has, and we are delighted at Clyde Materials Handling to be accredited with the Safecontractor standard".

"The well being of people is our prime importance and schemes like this can only reinforce this message to businesses across the UK".

Safecontractor accreditation is expected to enhance the company's ability to attract new contracts and its commitment to safety will be viewed positively by its insurers when the company liability policy is up for renewal.

Safecontractor is operated by international safety, health and environmental risk management specialists, the National Britannia Group.

The system is applicable to most sectors although it is particularly relevant to food manufacture, property, facilities management, retail and leisure sectors, all of which are big users of contract services.

James Ostler, Managing Director of Information Service at National Britannia said: "Major organisations can no longer run the risk of employing contractors who are not able to prove that they have sound health and safety policies".

"More companies need to understand the importance of adopting good risk management in the way that Clyde Materials Handling has done".

"The firms' high standard has set an example, which hopefully will be followed by other companies within the sector".

Under the Safecontractor system, businesses undergo a vetting process, which examines health and safety procedures and their track record for safe practice.

Those companies meeting the high standard are included on a database, which is accessible to registered users only via a website.

Employer organisations who sign up to the scheme can access the database, which enables them to vet potential contractors before they even set foot on site.

These employers agree that, as users of the scheme, they will engage only those who have received accreditation.

Over eighty major nation-wide businesses, from several key sectors, have signed up to use the scheme when selecting contractors for services such as building, cleaning, maintenance, refurbishment or electrical and mechanical work.