ToolBusiness+Hire Talks to Andy Martin – Incoming Chairman of HAE


We were very pleased that Andy Martin was able to find some time in a very packed schedule to talk to us about his next year as Chairman of the HAE. Essentially we wanted him to be able to briefly spell out for us some of the ideas and challenges that await the hire business and the wider construction industry in 2016/17, in what seems like an increasingly uncertain economic and political environment – but also one in which a certain level of confidence is keeping things buoyant at the moment. As a Scot, and also the Managing Director of Martin Plant Hire in Glasgow,


Andy was confident that the extra workload involved in being Chairman would be manageable. He gave great credit to the permanent HAE team in Birmingham led by Graham Arundell for keeping things ticking over and keeping him informed about all the things a chairman needs to know. Andy is a self-confessed flight-phobe (I am with you on this one Andy!) so flights from Glasgow to Birmingham are to be kept to a minimum and meetings therefore need to be well planned. Safe Hire is also one of the initiatives that Andy acknowledges will keep him


busy. He spoke passionately about the need for the hire industry to set itself challenging health and safety goals for the next few years and he believes that this will not only benefit the end users, but also drive up standards in the industry as a whole. In order to implement Safe Hire training, inspection and validation, an enormous amount of effort, money and time will need to be invested in the next couple of years – and to show how seriously the HAE takes this, members who do not meet the required standards will be asked to leave. Andy acknowledges that there are a variety of different benchmarking schemes that apply to the hire industry, but suggested that if the HAE Safe Hire Scheme could be implemented in full, and it could become an industry wide standard, applicable nationally, and then users and hirers would benefit from an up-to-date, constantly reviewed system that would guarantee fair and safe hire practices. Again, Andy gave credit to Debbie Garner and Gill Bridger at HAE HQ in


Birmingham whose job it is to monitor the Safe Hire Scheme and all its ramifications. Some of Andy’s ambitions for the next year are clearly important for the HAE


as an organisation. The membership, although substantial, needs to grow steadily. In his view, this will help ensure the spread of initiatives like Safe Hire to most hire


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companies in the country as they become members of the HAE. It will be the task of the Events Board to arrange recruiting events or to recruit new members at key events throughout the year. As an Association with a very large membership, the economic, opinion-forming and even political clout that it has, will be much enhanced – and engagement with government about all sorts of things from Health and Safety to Brexit negotiations is clearly something that is needed at the moment. We also covered the vexed question of Future Hirers – the industry’s initiative


to hire apprentices, because skills-gaps and personnel shortages are becoming very big issues. Andy spoke in general terms about the difficulties of hiring apprentices who would complete their apprenticeships and move onwards and upwards in the hire industry. For example, the Safe Hire initiative could not be implemented fully unless the whole industry has enough skilled people working within it to ensure that the Safe Hire standards are met. Clearly, there is a lot to do, not only in recruiting new apprentices, but retaining them right the way through to qualification. To help the recruitment campaign, especially amongst potential recruits in the 16-19 year old bracket, HAE has put together a program of visits and events for schools and colleges where information and peer examples and experiences can highlight the career prospects involved in the hire industry. There are also a variety of company-based and HAE schemes to ensure that some colleges can focus specifically on the needs of hire industry apprentices, thus streamlining the training and making it more efficient. The HAE has some strong views on colleges and training – and it is in issues like these that a large organisation can use its influence to lobby, guide, influence and develop government policy in a positive way. Finally, there was the vexed question of Brexit. As a Scot and a businessman,


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For more information contact Anne at Tool Business + Hire 01444 450071 or email: annehall@airstream.co.uk


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Andy confessed that he was quite surprised at the Brexit vote because it seemed like an unlikely outcome. However, since no real hard information has been forthcoming from government about timings, consequences and regulations in a post-Brexit UK, the fall back position adopted by many industries seems to have been to proceed with caution and wait and see. So far it seems, business has been growing slightly with some levels of confidence. However, as Andy pointed out, this is a state of affairs that can’t go on for an extended period, because it will affect the business and investment plans for many companies as they need hard knowledge of what is to be in order to proceed. With a business based in Scotland, Andy thought he and other Scottish


businesses might have to consider the implications of a second referendum on Scottish Independence, favoured, it seems, by the SNP at this point in time. If Scotland were to vote in favour of independence then the words “double- whammy’ spring to mind. So, being the Chairman of the HAE might not be without controversy or


difficulty in 2016/17 and Andy may have a lot of steering and influencing to do during his tenure. We wish him all the best and every success – it would be great to catch up next year for a debrief!


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