Pallet and container pooling specialist, CHEP tells HSM
how adopting a new analytical approach to health &
safety management has helped the company to create a
safer and more pleasant place to work
CHEP is a specialisPallet and container pooling specialist, CHEP tells HSM
how adopting a new analytical approach to health &
safety management has helped the company to create a
safer and more pleasant place to work
CHEP is a specialist in pallet and
container pooling with a
workforce of nearly 1,500 in the
UK and Ireland. Focused on helping
companies move products as quickly,
safely and sustainably as possible, CHEP
customers include Procter & Gamble,
Kellogg's, Kraft, Nestlé, Birds Eye, Heinz,
Morrison's Supermarkets and Ford.
The nature of its business means there are
many plant-based employees who are
involved in manual work so the business
puts a strong emphasis on health, safety
and wellbeing. This commitment
included developing a global programme
called ZERO HARM which provides
guidance and tools to employees to
ensure that work is a safe place for all,
whatever the location.
Health and safety experts across the
business ensure the full implementation
of ZERO HARM. In addition, a series of
measures and controls - such as the
standard industry measure of LTIs (Lost
Time Incidents) - were also introduced
which gave an instant picture of health
and safety performance.
However, over the past few years the
business has realised that concentrating
on LTIs alone was misleading, as
incidents which did not result in lost time
were not getting the same attention as an
LTI. A new analytical approach was
adopted which looked at each incident
and checked the root causes and
investigation process. All the incident
reports were then shared and best practice
determined and implemented throughout
the network. Sometimes claims and
incidents were found to be spurious and
wrongly recorded as LTIs.
Cultural change
Hugh Kempton, health & safety manager
for CHEP Europe, said: "A new culture
kicked in as it was realised that all injuries
in the work place cause distress or time
off work - no matter how small - and this
was no longer acceptable."
"It became the responsibility of
everyone - not just the Leadership Team
- to take a proactive approach to ZERO
HARM. We also encouraged people to
spot and report 'near miss' incidents,
which is where people see a potential
incident waiting to happen."
"We really encouraged people to look
out for potential hazards such as a chair
left in a corridor, an exposed wire or a
power cable not taped down. This led to a
dramatic increase in the near miss reports
but this was a positive move - after all,
they were occurring anyway so better to
report and learn from them - to stop
future occurrences."
Reuction in absenteeism
The main aim was to reduce both the
number and severity of incidents, creating
a safer and more pleasant place to work.
One of the benefits has been a significant
reduction in absenteeism which has
reduced by over 5% since 2006. The
associated financial benefits of this drop
are substantial with savings achieved due
to less need to hire temporary workers to
cover for absent staff.
Noise levels at CHEP sites are tested
annually by an outside agency and all
operatives are issued with full PPE
equipment including four alternative
options for hearing protection. "Our
employees do an eight hour shift and
therefore it is imperative they are
comfortable, so they can choose the kit
that best suits them," added Hugh.
In a separate ZERO HARM initiative
CHEP is targeting a 50% reduction in the
vibration levels of tools and machinery
being used at each of its 8 repair and
maintenance depots.
The regular use of equipment such as
power saws and nail guns can lead to
health issues related to vibration. CHEP
has been working with external agency
Sound Advice which measured the
vibration levels of all the equipment used.
As a result, finer saw blades and lighter
nail guns fitted with second safety handles
have been introduced which has brought
about a 20% - 30% reduction in vibration
levels as well as reduced noise levels.
Hugh Kempton added: "We also
showed operatives how a change in grip
can further reduce vibration. With all the
measures in place, we are confident of
achieving an overall 50% reduction in
vibration levels."
"ZERO HARM makes obvious sense
because it's a morally sound investment
to make. If employees believe that their
company values their health and safety
and feel safe in their working
environment, then they are more likely to
feel motivated and engaged. Our
absenteeism levels are now only 1? % -
2% which is a very low figure for industry
and this also has a natural knock-on effect
for efficiency levels across the business."
