Managing hazard and risk is integral to our operations and we have embedded safety, health, environment and quality (SHEQ) across our business, with a culture that gives every member of staff personal responsibility for upholding standards.
We are driving SHEQ performance by focusing on continuous learning and improvement, and inspiring the whole team to take ownership of safety behaviours, compliance and reporting.
As a company, we have established a baseline to always assess areas for improvement. Increased site inspections and leadership team visibility ensure safety is prioritised at the highest level, while a recognition and reward-based programme for all staff has made excellent safety performance an aspiration across the team. Meanwhile, in-housing training and reporting capabilities ensure we have the right resources to achieve our safety goals on every site.
Training
Having our own CITB-approved on-site training centre sets us apart from competition and means we can upskill our operatives and management teams at various levels. We deliver SMSTS (Site Managers Safety Training Scheme) and SSSTS (Site Supervisors Safety Training Scheme) here, as well as our bespoke mental health awareness course and first aid training.
As our work continues to grow in a number of sectors, including rail, we are currently also processing a NVQ Level 3 scaffolding training course to upskill all our front-line supervisors, working on our HS2 contracts, to achieve their gold CISRS Supervisors Card.
We have operatives that come to us at the very beginning of their careers, starting their scaffolding journey as yard operatives and working their way up to advanced scaffolders, supervisors and managers. Having in-house training and support available to them, and guiding our workforce throughout their careers, means we can be assured they are delivering work to our own extremely high standards.
Mental health and wellbeing
Having successfully rolled out mental health training to 100 per cent of the team in 2019/20, we are building on the positive outcomes of this programme. Our colleagues depend on each other in a safety critical environment so we developed a training programme that would help them identify symptoms, in themselves and each other, while creating a supportive environment for them to talk openly.
Mental health awareness is now part of our 360-degree approach to health, safety and wellbeing at Millcroft. The training programme we devised forms part of the induction process for every employee, and we maintain that awareness through toolbox talks.
Every member of the team has also been issued with a copy of ‘A Guide to Mental Health at Work’, a book by Sir John Timpson that is designed to help staff and leaders understand the symptoms of poor mental health, support their colleagues, and learn self-help techniques. The book is also provided to every new team member when they join the company.
Maintaining high standards
Having a workforce that is qualified and competent is a baseline standard for us at Millcroft and should be across the entire sector. We believe it promotes positive energy and aspiration around the business if we are encouraging our employees at different levels to upskill.
We harness a can-do approach at Millcroft and encourage people to progress and seek a more ambitious career path by providing opportunities for them to develop.
Health and safety responsibility is not just the job of a dedicated department, but of every member of the team. We work with safety-based managed delivery, making sure we’re on the front foot with regards to prevention, rather than reaction.
By investing in our people and providing upskilling opportunities, we create a safer and more positive workplace for our employees, which delivers a better service for clients.
