Perfect Partner

Tarmac West’s (now part of Lafarge Tarmac) pioneering Contractor Safety Partnership, established in December 2011, encourages contractors to work more closely with the company to reduce workplace injuries and the incidence of ill health, as part of the drive towards Zero Harm. QM takes a look at how this unique partnership scheme has helped Crush Ltd, one of the 10 member companies, raise their health, safety and environmental standards even higher.

As the quarrying industry looks to achieve the ultimate goal of Zero Harm, one of the biggest challenges (or concerns) facing operators is improving the health and safety performance of everyone in the supply chain.

In recent years, companies have reorganized their resources and adapted to changing economic circumstances so much so that contractors/subcontractors are now considered to be an essential part of the quarry workforce. But alarmingly, while accident rates have dropped significantly in the quarrying sector, the figures for contractors still remain unacceptably high.

So, what can be done to assist contractors (and subcontractors) to improve their health and safety performance in an industry that is still considered to be a potentially dangerous sector to work in and, ultimately, achieve Zero Harm?

Over the last 18 months, major organizations – namely the MPA and HSE – have encouraged mineral operators to play a more active role in improving the health and safety of contractors by being more open and sharing best practice in helping the industry to deliver a fully competency-assured workforce. And this should involve working with everyone on site from equipment fitters and maintenance engineers through to lorry drivers and electricians.

With many quarry firms fully committed to further safety improvements, Lafarge Tarmac had already taken major steps in helping to raise the health and safety standards of their own contractors. The Contractor Safety Partnership began with a workshop attended by contract companies (supported by the HSE) in September 2011 and was formally launched in December the same year when safety improvement plans for 2012 were set and shared with each member company. A charter was later presented to each of the contract companies to demonstrate that the contractors and Lafarge Tarmac are working in ‘true partnership’ to provide a safer working environment for all employees.

As part of the programme, safety performance and progress, using established Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), are shared during a monthly conference call, while health and safety issues are openly discussed. It is through this collaborative working together and having the common goal of Zero Harm that Lafarge Tarmac believe the Contractor Safety Partnership has been a huge success – something that has been channelled to other parts of the company.

Importantly, this unique partnership has helped SMEs to not only meet Lafarge Tarmac’s safety requirements but also exceed their own safety, health and environmental goals. For specialist crushing and screening contractor Crush Ltd, joining the Lafarge Tarmac Contractor Safety Partnership was a key decision that Jon Lewis, managing director, has never regretted taking.

‘Being on the programme has given us a fresh incentive to health and safety,’ he explained. ‘Prior to the partnership, our safety management procedures were simply based on being reactive to an incident rather than the proactive monitoring methods on site, which the Contractor Safety Partnership encourages and promotes rigorously. Working with Lafarge Tarmac and the other regular contractors, however, has helped us gain a better understanding of the current safety issues and identify the required training and audits to improve our overall health and safety performance.’

Ben Sherratt, operations director with Crush, also echoes the message that collaborative working is the way forward. ‘Through partnering, the health and safety process can be made to work for the benefit of all,’ he added. ‘At the end of the day, we all have a common goal of delivering Zero Harm in the workplace. The trust developed, and combined wealth of knowledge and experience, will significantly help us reduce near-hit incidents and contractor injuries in quarries.’

Since joining the Lafarge Tarmac Contractor Safety Partnership, Crush have been particularly impressed with the safety improvement tools available. The toolkit provided includes, for example: task auditing and training; a skill assessments process; how to run a supervisor forum; detailed risk assessment process; how to run a supply chain engagement event; KPIs – 12 month rolling average frequency rates; and sharing of briefing notes and toolbox talks, where the objective is to obtain performance feedback, allowing corrective action to be taken prior to any failure in the management system. In addition, review meetings to discuss progress are held at either Lafarge Tarmac or contractor sites.

‘Employees on site will respond to a strong safety culture,’ said Mr Lewis. ‘And this unique Contractor Partnership has set a prime example of creating a transparent, interdependent culture where the emphasis is placed on teamwork rather than individuals.’

Indeed, everyone involved in the Contractor Safety Partnership is genuinely on an equal footing and this has given each contractor member added responsibility and a stronger focus on improving health and safety as a whole.

Partnership members were chosen based on the type and volume of work they undertook within the Lafarge Tarmac West Region. The companies include: Chepstow Plant International; EPC UK; KJ Services Ltd; Kelston Sparkes Group; Raymond Brown; Roltech; Rema Tip Top; Response Engineering; and Walters Group.

Train to Gain

One of the major factors in achieving Zero Harm is competence and Crush have ensured that all personnel have had extensive training and carry the necessary safety certification, including CPCS and MPQC qualifications, to be able to demonstrate the fully assured-competence of their workforce.

‘Being on Lafarge Tarmac’s safety partnership scheme has really highlighted the growing need to have a highly skilled and competent workforce in place,’ explained Mr Sherratt. ‘With health and safety improvements high on the company agenda, we have invested heavily in training, mentoring and continued professional development of our staff. But more importantly, our long-term commitment to training and raising employees’ skills levels means that we can achieve the necessary competence and safety management and performance required on site.’

Crush’s strong commitment to training and staff development has also given the business a real competitive edge over its competitors. ‘It has always been a duty for us to demonstrate that sufficient competent people are employed to operate our crushers and screens and that everyone who works at the site is competent at doing their job,’ said Mr Lewis.

‘Health and safety-conscious customers in the extractives and processing industries are more likely to demand this sort of reassurance and I believe our continued investment in training and upskilling of employees will strengthen our credentials as a competent contractor.’

Standing out from the crowd

As the quarrying industry moves towards an ambitious target of zero incidents in the workplace, there is also an increasingly important focus for companies to operate in a more eco-friendly manner. This has been brought on largely by key legislation, such as EU Stage IIIB and Tier 4 Interim emissions standards, to ensure processing equipment and materials meet the constantly changing environmental requirements.

This need has now created a growing trend among aggregate producers and equipment manufacturers to be forwardthinking and innovative in their approach to sustainability and environmental care. As specialist contractors, Crush work very closely with customers to help develop sustainable solutions that can assist them in meeting their green agendas and improving their environmental performance.

‘We currently employ a modern fleet of 32 machines, mainly Powerscreen equipment, including jaws, cones, impactors and various screens,’ said Mr Sherratt. ‘With a strong environmental agenda, we choose new mobile products carefully to ensure the company’s fleet helps reduce our customers’ carbon footprint while delivering efficiency savings in both fuel consumption and operational costs.’

Mr Lewis added: ‘All our mobile plant is supplied by Blue Machinery and we’ve recently added another Powerscreen 1000 Maxtrak cone crusher to strengthen our crushing and screening capabilities. As more quarry firms recognize the environmental benefits and substantial cost savings to be gained from sustainable production, it is important that we have the right machines and fully trained plant operators to ensure operations are being run as efficiently and cost-effectively as possible.

‘We also need to be well equipped in order to stay ahead of the game. Our reputation in producing recycled products and high-specification aggregates, such as gritstone, has helped us win many prestigious contracts with some of the UK`s leading quarry companies.’

Safety matters

Being part of the Lafarge Tarmac Contractor Safety Partnership has certainly reinvigorated Crush’s approach to health and safety and enabled health and safety management to improve in leaps and bounds, which Mr Lewis is very keen on sustaining.

‘We’ve got to keep up the good work,’ he enthused. ‘We must proactively promote good occupational safety for our employees by identifying potential risks and implementing preventative measures. Zero Harm is a challenge for all of us in the industry, and that’s why we continue to invest in staff training and strict safety management systems and procedures.’

To support Crush in maintaining a good health and safety performance level, the contractor has appointed Mark Stallard of Safety Horizon as its ‘competent person’ to ensure good safety standards are integrated at all levels of the business.

‘It’s not just about us raising our own health, safety and environmental standards,’ said Mr Sherratt. ‘We want to encourage Zero Harm among the subcontractors that we work with, which will improve the industry’s supply chain safety performance.

Demonstrating best practice, as part of our safety improvement plan, would set an example for them to follow, further minimizing risk and eradicating unsafe behaviour in the quarry workplace.’

With health and safety and continuous training firmly rooted in Crush’s agenda, the company is clearly working hard to ensure its employees (and visitors) are safe and aware of high-risk situations at all times.

The Lafarge Tarmac Contractor Safety Partnership, in particular, has empowered contractors in the proactive management of health and safety and this can only lead to a sustainable safe working environment for the benefit of all.