Winner: most inspiring individual

 

Gary Piper

ESH Technician, Wrigley Company

When the HSE’s Estates Excellence Programme reached Plymouth, Gary spotted an excellent way for his company to support its local community. And he got involved with gusto.

The HSE programme encourages safety experts from large companies to help smaller organisations and commercial landlords. Gary lead a team which visits other businesses around Plymouth and helps them assess their health and safety. They look at COSHH, manual handling, fire and noise and suggest practical and cost-effective ways to improve.

Gary also provides free training where people are struggling and offers advice and procedures based on his health and safety experience.

Joy Jones of the HSE says of Gary: “Wrigley’s involvement gave huge credibility to the programme and his personal enthusiam, commitment and confidence was inspirational.”

Recently, Gary extended the initiative, offering the same sort of help to the charities Wrigley works with.

 

Highly commended: most inspiring individual

 

Lisa Marie Hagan

Administrator / Health and Safety Champion, Carillion Enterprise

Lisa is one of those people who goes the extra mile. Although her main job is in admin, she is driven to come up with ideas that improve safety at Carillion’s offices in Anglesey.

“She is passionate about keeping people safe,” says Peter Green, MD of Carillion, “and has taken it upon herself to get involved and develop her own skills in health and safety.”

It is for her ideas within the company’s Behaving Safely programme that she is most valued, coming up with Hazard Awareness Workshops and driving a scheme called Don’t Walk By. She also runs an office safety improvement group. She works with supplier and client companies as well as with Carillion staff and was made the company’s Health and Safety Champion in 2010.

An her passion extends to developing her own skills: she completed CIEH L2 and the IOSH Managing Safety course and is now working on the NEBOSH General Certificate.

Lisa’s ideas have contributed to a positive safety culture, she believes. But importantly, she is still looking for ways to improve.

 

Highly commended: most inspiring individual

 

Stephen Race

Health, Safety & Training Manager, Seymour (Civil Engineering Contractors) Ltd

Stephen is changing the way people think about health and safety. He sees his own role as far more than meeting regulations or covering the company’s back. He wants to protect people from coming to harm.

Seymour undertakes big construction projects like main drainage or harbour protection and it is all too easy for workers to see health and safety as something that gets in the way. But Stephen has instilled the trust needed for the workforce to commit to safety and to get involved.

Stephen’s secret is that he listens. That way people come to see that their opinions count and managers will act on their suggestions. Stephen put in place open discussions and suggestion schemes that give people a real sense of ownership.

“Without his involvement, I believe heath and safety would be seen as a hindrance,” says Dan Athley, Stephen’s boss. “His personalised approach has really allowed operatives  to get involved and want to think and act safely.”