Area of work: Health & Safety
Sector: Manufacturing
Date/Length of Relationship: 2002 – present
Background
A client for both our HR and Health & Safety (H&S) Retainer services for many years, the company manufactures PVC windows and doors and frames at two industrial units in the Greater Manchester area. In 2017, an accident at its door manufacturing site resulted in a serious injury to one of its employees.
Problem
The client asked us to visit them in the immediate aftermath of the accident and advise them on steps to minimise a risk of any reoccurrence of a similar accident. This was the first major accident in the client’s business in over twenty years of trading. The impact on directors, managers and staff in general was considerable. They required expert advice and for us to represent them in meetings with insurers and enforcement bodies to minimise the risk of financial consequences and damage to their so far unblemished safety record.
Solution
The processes and potential consequences following such an incident were completely new to the client, who needed our support and guidance throughout.
Firstly, we had an initial telephone conversation with the client to advise on the immediate actions to take. We then met with the client’s staff the following day to ascertain what occurred immediately before the accident. Through the HR retainer, we were able to provide advice and support to the company in respect of the injured employee’s ensuing sickness absence.
We discussed our provisional opinion on the incident with the client and their insurance representative, agreeing the next steps in the process. We kept the situation under review as the matter progressed, including advising the client on meetings with HSE inspectors and working in close cooperation with the insurers.
We accompanied the client’s directors in all their meetings with insurance company representatives, and in conjunction with company representatives, carried out a review of the Risk Assessment pertaining to the activity involved.
We also agreed an outline of further training to be given to the other operatives involved in the process, and developed and presented a programme of training for all directors, senior managers and supervisors to highlight their H&S responsibilities.
Outcome
Our H&S and HR support was key in striking a balance between the client supporting the injured staff member and also protecting its own position.
Our depth of knowledge and experience in H&S and procedural matters provided a sounding board to identify the best options to minimise the risk of a similar accident occurring in the future, and helped to reduce the client’s financial exposure.
They valued our hands-on support and pragmatic advice on the H&S side as well as the corresponding support we provided on the HR aspects of the situation. This support served to reinforce the value of our retained services and has resulted in on-going retained work.
If you would like more information on the H&S services described in this case study, please contact Chris Nagel on 01942 369675.
