Since February 2015, we’ve provided Health and Safety Consultancy and Training support for Worksmart – a trail-blazing solutions-based office interiors and refurbishment company, working all over Scotland and the UK.
Our team proactively supports Worksmart to enhance their Safety Management System, develop their safety culture and working practice, while encouraging a positive pro-active approach to providing a safe workplace to ensure the wellbeing of their workforce.
Our strong working relationship allows us to work hand in hand and we feel part of the company rather than just an advisor.
Worksmart has a diverse risk profile, whether it’s managing the complexities of H&S responsibility while undertaking the duty holder role of Principal Contractor on construction or fit-out projects, or working as a contractor on larger projects on a Tier One Contractors supply chain. It is crucial that the company is managing health and safety and can demonstrate it is managing its safety effectively.
Our on-going challenge is to work collaboratively and creatively with Worksmart’s Owner/Director Steve Neilson and his Senior Management Team to support their ‘nuts and bolts’ safety needs and ensure that they’re operationally safe.
Worksmart appointed Amalgamate to raise the level of their Health and Safety, both written and practical (risk assessments H&S policy etc.) Steve believed that what Amalgamate could offer would benefit the business.
We are indeed working together to raise Worksmart’s safety standards and improve their workforce wellbeing.
Our Lead Consultant initially undertook a due-diligence exercise with Worksmart, identifying the strengths and weaknesses in their management system, providing feedback reporting and meetings to highlight those initial findings. Once complete, a Legal Register was developed to ensure that they are operating in accordance with current standards, and that we are able to identify and track key actions relating to the on- going development of Worksmart’s safety management system.
This then led to Amalgamate being taken on on a retained basis to undertake the role of the clients’ competent safety advisor, develop H&S arrangements, provide advice, training, audit and inspection support services, in line with their on-going safety needs.
As well as developing a working relationship, building trust, and ensuring that we fully understand Worksmart’s ongoing activities, we are creating an environment where the Senior Management and staff members have committed to proactively managing safety for the company, themselves and those who might be affected by their activities on a day-to-day basis.
We have worked collaboratively with their Project Management team, carrying out a series of safety workshops to identify key hazards and assess the risks associated with Worksmart’s activities both on and off site, while developing and implementing Safe Systems of Works for their workforce.
Worksmart’s Owner/Director, Steve Neilson, states:
“Worksmart have established a good working relationship with Amalgamate and as a result there has been a positive impact on how the business presents and manages itself. Health and Safety is paramount to our business and our industry, by working closely with Allan MacDonald on site audits any potential Health and Safety issues are quickly identified and rectified.
Worksmart look forward to our continued relationship as we improve all aspects of Health and Safety to facilitate our services to the highest and safest standard.
Since working with Amalgamate our layouts have been updated for method statements, risk assessments, new company H&S policy, and new construction phase plans as well as continuous site audits.
The benefits of implementing Amalgamate’s expertise have been: more detailed and accurate site folders, reduction in risk issues for Worksmart on- site thanks to site audits, and improved site set-ups with overall better daily management of sites, improved signage and welfare facilities. And thanks to our change in culture and extra due diligence, to date, we have had no reportable accidents, a great result.”
As well as investing in improving the company’s safety management system, Worksmart have further invested in their senior management team. The team has also successfully undertaken and passed our IOSH Leading Safely Course.
The course was carried out over five hours of classroom time, and covered safety and health and what it means for different leadership roles, the responsibilities and behaviours of a leader, what effective health and safety leadership looks like, what happens when things go wrong, how leaders can make improvements, and the benefits of effective safety leadership.
Given the nature of Worksmart’s activities, safety is a vital part of their business. Engagement with Worksmart has allowed us to successfully integrate into their team, advise them appropriately and work collaboratively in developing their Health and Safety Management System. Setting early foundations and adopting a proactive and sensible approach to safety have set a positive attitude towards safety across the team, allowing them to operate in a safe and creative environment.
Continual development has been key to our service delivery, and Amalgamate continue to work closely with the team at Worksmart, developing their systems while providing a monitoring, advisory and inspection role.
By ensuring that as a consultancy we are maintaining a continual dialogue with Worksmart, we have also encouraged the development of an improved, increasingly aware safety culture throughout the company at all levels.
Our professional services are designed to offer flexibility to the businesses we serve. If you would like to get in touch to find out more about our work with Worksmart, or the services we can provide, call us on +44 (0)141 244 0181 or email info@amalgamate-safety.com.
