30 Oct 2006
Land Systems’ directors have taken a real hands-on approach to health and safety issues as they launch Safety, Health and Environment (SHE) site champions.
The senior executives are an increasingly familiar sight on Land Systems sites; in the offices, and in the manufacturing and assembly areas of the company’s business units, engaging with employees in the Safety Training and Observation Programme (STOP) that was piloted in the Munitions business last year.
STOP is a key part of the company’s scheme to raise safety awareness and re-emphasise rules And regulations with the aim of making a step change in its overall business performance. The programme is being rolled out across the whole of the Land Systems business and each business unit has its own site champion drawn from the Land Systems Management Committee (LSMC).
The idea, said assurance director Steve Williams, is that champions will, where possible, be allocated to sites outside of their own business unit to allow a level of independence and provide employees with wider access to the senior Land Systems team. “For example, Steve Rowbotham, who is managing director of the Munitions business, has been asked to champion SHE at Newcastle where primarily vehicles are manufactured,” he said. “Steve and his fellow site champions are responsible for raising the profile of SHE across the Land Systems business.
“The programme brings employees face to face with some of the most senior managers in Land Systems, and raises the profile among the Land Systems workforce of the LSMC. Our employees will regularly see their champion out there in the offices or on the shop floor, with the manufacturing and assembly operations going on around them.
“The champions will engage with the operators and discuss safety and health issues with them. It’s important that employees see that the company is playing an active part in their safety and that champions are doing all they can to support improvements to working conditions. SHE is a responsibility that’s taken very seriously by our senior management.”
On a visit, each of the site champions will:
- Carry out a STOP audit
- Undertake a listening forum with 10-20 employees, where they can exchange views about the business and local issues that concern the workforce
- Conduct a SHE review with the site manager and the site safety manager.
Steve, who is site champion for Bishopton, added: “Site champions will carry out their visits on a quarterly basis and we intend to rotate them to other sites after 12 months. The role of site champion doesn’t take accountability for SHE performance away from the business.
“The early feedback from the site managers and site safety managers is that they think involving members of the LSMC in this champion approach is a good idea. It helps to raise the profile of SHE and demonstrates the importance of the programme to the workforce. “The listening forums will also provide us with important feedback.”
