Business profile
PHS Besafe fosters its close relationship with longstanding PPE clothing customer Network Rail, to increase confidence in the supply of workwear that will allow employees to perform safely and effectively
H
igh profile service providers, such as Network Rail will always come under scrutiny for quality and safety. The two go hand-in-hand because, in order to perform effectively, workers need to be confident in their own physical well-being. Network Rail’s longstanding relationship with PHS Besafe means the company has a clear understanding of NR’s procedures and requirements, enabling the two to work closely together to ensure workers are always appropriately clothed. Not only does PHS Besafe fit and supply
technical workwear to Network Rail, it also offers a total management solution, including laundering and reporting, to ensure that every employee always has clothing suitable to their job and in a condition that is safe for their working environment. For example, where workers are in potentially dangerous situations, such as trackside or in the proximity of high- voltage electricity supplies, high visibility and flame resistant clothing are a strict requirement. At the same time, much of the work is physical and executed in the open air so garments need to be weatherproof, but also breathable and allow for movement.
Arc:Gear the perfect solution As well as providing these qualities, which make it the perfect solution for many of Network Rail’s environments, PHS Besafe’s Arc:Gear range is a multi-layer system which offers a variety of protection levels, and also includes the only arc resistant high-visibility orange GORE-TEX® outerwear solutions available. With the unforgiving British weather
and the nature of the work involved, regular laundering is required to prevent dirt obscuring the high visibility materials of the garments. Unfortunately, cleaning detergents can also destroy Arc:Gear’s reflective properties, rendering the garments unfit for purpose. To avoid this catch-22 scenario, the company has developed a gentle, bleach-free,
organic laundering and drying process, which ensures that protective clothing remains within the requirements of manufacturing standard BS EN 471 and The Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992. The PHS service also offers repair and inspection. Once garments are processed they are returned to their original owner, who can be identified by a barcode attached to the garment. The barcode is also used to track clothing through the laundering process, which allows items to be washed up to 20 times before its high-visibility properties are affected. It is due to this specialised washing
procedure that PHS Besafe has successfully been laundering GORE-TEX garments for 15 years. The carefully controlled cycle means that garments last longer and are less likely to be misplaced, having a positive impact on budgets and paperwork. PHS Besafe also helps reduce administration by providing regular management reports, including details of repair history and garment life cycle.
Cleansing a historic database This system has helped Jayne Newborough, team organiser for Network Rail’s Derby Delivery Unit to prepare for the merger of six depots throughout the region. During the groundwork for the restructure, PHS Besafe assisted Jayne by carrying out the cleansing of a historic database relating to 933 registered personnel across the six different locations and seven cost centres. As many staff had moved site, changed roles or even left the company, technical wear was sometimes being needlessly supplied or returned to the wrong depot, leaving workers without the correct attire and putting their safety at risk. Paula Ashington, PHS Besafe’s Retention and Development manager and dedicated contact for Network Rail, guided a team through visits at each site in the region to update wearer details and locations. At each place, Paula reminded site contacts of the importance of the correct maintenance of PPE clothing for their own safety, and recapped on the laundering systems, including procedures for depositing items due for cleaning in dirty garment lockers and, where necessary, blue tagging them for repairs or red tagging them as no longer fit for purpose.
The updated database now consists of
some 350 employees allocated to 16 different cost centres. With this new information,
reports can clearly be obtained regarding which items of workwear have been assigned to each worker, at which depot and details of each garment’s service history, including any repairs or treatments that have been applied. Armed with this information, Jayne Newborough has been able to calculate the correct pieces of clothing required at the amalgamated depot; which additional items will be required for new joiners; the likely frequency of laundering and which garments will need to be destroyed, due to age or incompliance with safety regulations. ‘The review carried out by PHS Besafe
has, without doubt, served to simplify the administration of our work wear, which is often difficult to manage with such a large number of workers requiring different garments over numerous sites,’ said Jayne.
Flexible and supportive Sheila Anderson, team organiser for Network Rail’s North East maintenance organisation has worked with PHS Besafe for several years in more than 17 depots. Sheila exlained: ‘Throughout a period of ongoing change and challenges in rail maintenance, PHS Besafe has been flexible and supportive. Working closely with Paula and our own administrators we have achieved a streamlined system which benefits us all. The maintenance team is usually quite vocal regarding any laundry concerns but PHS Besafe is familiar with the systems and the products we use and always works quickly to resolve any particular issues. The laundry cycle is a great system. I regularly use the red tags to remove garments from use that are not fit for purpose so I no longer have to worry that guys are continuing to wear their favourite trousers or jacket which have fallen below safety standards.’ Contact Danielle Noakes. Tel: 029 2080 9145
Email:
daniellenoakes@phs.co.uk Or visit
www.besafe.co.uk
July/August 2013 Page 125
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