Skanska UK has formed a partnership with Mencap, the leading UK charity for people with a learning disability, their families and carers, in a renewed drive to eliminate accidents from its sites.
At the end of 2004, Skanska saw an amazing 40% reduction in its accident incident rate compared to its 2003 performance. In the drive to eliminate all accidents on all its projects Skanska UK looked at further ways it could improve the company’s safety culture and ultimately achieve “Zero Accidents.”
Safety@ Skanska, a partnership with Mencap is a major step in this journey, and reinforces the message that all accidents are unacceptable.
From the beginning of 2005, across all of the company’s sites and offices a near miss or hazard reporting system has been introduced – near misses are potential incidents that could happen and by eliminating these the company firmly believes it can drive a “Zero Accident” culture throughout its business.
If anyone working or visiting Skanska’s sites spots a potential hazard they complete a simple “incident report/near miss card.” The potential issue is then addressed by the site management, reports collated and for every incident raised, Skanska UK donates £1 to Mencap and Enable, its Scottish sister charity, to assist them in continuing their work on behalf of people with a learning disability.
During the first two months of the ‘Safety @ Skanska’ programme, the company has received a total of 1016 “near misses” In addition, at the end of 2005, for every accident eliminated based on 2004 statistics, Skanska will donate an additional £500.
The money raised from the ‘Safety @ Skanska’ programme will go towards Mencap’s nationwide network of community support teams, which play a vital role in local communities. Mencap’s roles include supporting people with a learning disability and encouraging them to lead fulfilled and independent lives. It campaigns on local issues and manages specialist services designed to increase the confidence, belief, and self-esteem of people with a learning disability.
Deborah Hamilton Lewin, Director of Communications and Marketing at Mencap said: “Safety @ Skanska is a fantastic initiative and we hope it will have a very positive impact on the safety culture at Skanska whilst benefiting many people with a learning disability around the UK.”
“Whilst being delighted with the improvements we have made to our safety culture in recent years, the ‘Safety @ Skanska’ programme really hits home that there’s much more to do,” says Neil Moore, Environment, Health and Safety Manager, Skanska UK. “To eliminate accidents on our sites, we have to remove the hazards. This programme will help us achieve this and by responding to issues highlighted by our workforce, we believe we can create a zero incident culture.”