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Today (28th April) marks the United Nations’ World Day for Safety and Health at Work, an annual event designed to promote the prevention of occupational accidents and diseases globally.
It is an awareness-raising campaign intended to focus international attention on how promoting and creating a safety and health culture can help reduce work-related deaths and injuries.
This year’s event also takes a look at how the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on the world of work from the risk of transmission of the virus in workplaces to occupational safety and health (OSH) risks that have emerged as a result of measures to mitigate the spread of the virus.
In order to mark World Day for Safety and Health at Work, Ainscough Crane Hire is celebrating several of the ways in which we improve the working environment for our colleagues, partners, and communities in which we operate.
Make the Safe Choice
Make the Safe Choice sits at the heart of every project we deliver, and our all-encompassing approach means we comply with relevant regulations for each aspect of our work and always prioritise safety at all stages of a project.
Our robust approach to safety and compliance is key to our way of working and is shared by each member of our team.
None of our cranes, vehicles, or equipment are operated unless they are safe and roadworthy, meaning our clients can be assured that when working with Ainscough Crane Hire, we will always Make the Safe Choice.
We invest a lot of time and effort in training our people, ensuring they are equipped with the latest industry knowledge on best practices.
To ensure our fleet remains safe, it is maintained with rigour using accurate reporting and the use of a ‘traffic light’ system. Our strict ‘RED IS STOP’ policy ensures no crane is in operation when it doesn’t meet our strict safety standards.
Safety Stand Downs
Safety Stand Downs take place at Ainscough’s depots across the country and see hundreds of employees take time away from their typical duties to discuss common issues of safety, potential recurring hazards and provide feedback on the company’s overall safety culture.
At the most recent Safety Stand Down – held virtually in February as a result of the restrictions caused by the pandemic – there was a particular focus on health and wellbeing for colleagues.
These events are designed to reinforce Make the Safe Choice in everything that we do, and to examine how any potential hazards could impact on the wellbeing of colleagues, clients, and the wider public.
Supporting our staff’s physical and emotional wellbeing during a year like no other
As a national employer with staff located throughout the country, we take our responsibility to our staff and their families and communities very seriously.
We are proud to have adapted our ways of working in order to ensure projects of high importance are still able to be delivered while not compromising on the wellbeing of our staff. We have rolled out COVID-19 testing for all of our employees on a regular basis, and have also invested in mental health trainers to support our colleagues during this most turbulent of periods.
Utilising technology
At Ainscough, we are always looking at how we can innovate in order to improve safety. One example is our specially designed app that allows each team member to feel connected to the business and to enable real-time two-way communications so that every individual has a voice and can tell us what is happening out on sites.
By using the app, our team has access to the very latest information and guidance from our QHSE team and can learn from others’ experiences. The effect is that they can operate more efficiently and with additional awareness of potential risks.
To find out more about the annual World Day for Safety and Health at Work, please visit https://www.un.org/en/observances/work-safety-day.
