Safety Stand Down 2025: Maintaining Excellence in Health and Safety

The first week of January marked our annual Safety Stand Down event, a critical time for the construction industry as operations resume following the Christmas break. This year’s event, held at the Bolton Stadium Hotel, was a landmark occasion, bringing together team members from all our operational regions for the first time. The event reinforced our commitment to health and safety at a time when winter conditions increase the risk of accidents.

A Strong Safety Culture

Our Managing Director, Lisa Kerford, and HSQE Manager, Delicia Maxwell, deliver powerful messages about the importance of adhering to the highest health and safety standards. As Lisa stated, *“Ultimately, people have to be the focus, as it is their actions that drive health and safety excellence.”

Safety is at the heart of everything we do, ensuring our people return home safely to their families each day. In 2024, we implemented several key measures to improve our health and safety performance:

• • Biannual Stand Down Events: Successfully reinstated in May and June, these sessions welcomed newcomers and addressed vital health and safety topics, including refresher training for breathing apparatus to reduce silicosis risks.
  • Utility Strike Awareness Training: Proactive measures have significantly improved safe excavation procedures, reducing utility strike incidents.
  • Winter Road Safety Campaigns: With a fleet of 200+ vehicles, our year-round guidance on vehicle maintenance and driver safety culminates in our winter campaigns, which emphasise the increased dangers on the roads in adverse weather conditions. This is having a positive impact, resulting in a reduction in road traffic incidents. Our efforts also extend into our communities, where we raise awareness and donate hi-vis vests to schoolchildren to promote visibility and safety.
  • External Audit Success: In November, external auditors conducted a robust eight-day review of our Quality, Environmental, and Occupational Health and Safety management systems. We passed with outstanding results, receiving zero non-conformities.
  • Recognition and Awards: We proudly received the RoSPA Gold Medal for the fifth consecutive year and have also been shortlisted for Tomorrow’s Health & Safety Awards for our mental health initiatives and safety culture. The Awards celebrate the most innovative and impactful products and services. To vote for Aptus visit this link and tick the circle next to ‘Commitments To Health and Safety by Aptus’.

Guest Speakers: A Holistic Approach to Safety

Health and safety encompasses many aspects of physical and mental wellbeing and safeguarding colleagues requires different approaches. We regularly give mental health a platform, highlighting our investment in 40+ MHFA England® trained Mental Health First Aiders and support for mental health organisations. Read more about our mental health and wellbeing commitments here.

At this year’s event our guest speakers underscored aspects of health and safety, including physical and mental wellbeing.

• Jennifer Saint, Senior HR & Employment Law Advisor from The HR Dept, addressed the team on the 2024 changes to the Equality Act which imposes an increased legal duty on employers to prevent sexual harassment. Her session emphasised employer responsibilities in preventing workplace sexual harassment and fostering a respectful environment.
• Justin Manley, owner of Titanium Talks, shared his life-altering experience of neglecting safety protocols. A highly experienced utility industry professional, his powerful account offered a sobering reminder of the human consequences of safety failures.

Celebrating Milestones

Stand Down provided an opportunity to celebrate the incredible dedication of four colleagues who reached 10 years with the company. Their contributions exemplify the spirit of commitment that drives our success.

Looking Ahead

As Lisa highlighted, *“Companies can have as many processes and systems in place as possible to try and achieve health and safety excellence, but it is people and their actions who deliver it.”

Our Safety Stand Down 2025 reflected this principle, inspiring us to continue fostering a culture where safety remains the priority.

We thank everyone who participated in making this year’s event a success. Here’s to another year of continuous improvement and keeping our people safe!

*Construction News, May 2024

Published on 6th January 2025