SUSTAINABILITY


HERE’S A REAL PRIORITY


We shouldn’t pay mere lip service to sustainable working methods because they are in everyone’s best interests


S


ustainability has become an increasingly important consideration for the way companies work – in


maintaining their presence in the marketplace and recognising how their operations affect the world around them. Clients are calling on contractors and their


suppliers to show environmental, economic and social responsibility. This, in turn, is being passed down through subcontractors to hire companies and other supply chain members. “It’s something that’s very much being


led by contractors and also, in the UK, by Government,” says IPAF financial controller Barry Lewis, who sits on the ERA Sustainability Committee. Suppliers are being asked to demonstrate


how they are working to reduce their carbon footprint, manage waste, measure environmental impact and raise awareness of environmentally responsible behaviour. “All the blue-chip companies have their requirements,” says Austin Baker, health,


safety, environment and quality director at access provider AFI-Uplift. “We see 60-page questionnaires and it’s


not just paying lip service: you have to put down targets and then show how you are going to achieve them. The larger the organisation, the more in-depth the questions, and they come annually.”


Baker. “I think it’s absolutely critical. You can only look at saving the planet if it is saving the company money. We will certainly be looking at additional standards in the future.” There has been a secondary benefit to


meeting client and contractors requirements for quality, environmental responsibility and sustainability, Baker believes. “If you’ve got a


EXAMINING METHODS CAN LEAD TO FINDING MORE EFFICIENT WAYS TO RUN A BUSINESS, REDUCING ENERGY CONSUMPTION AND COSTS This requires resource within the supplying


company, but examining work methods can lead to finding more efficient ways to run the business, reducing energy consumption and in many cases saving money. “Companies go in thinking ‘How much is


this going to cost?’ but they should be asking how much it will save them,” says Lewis. Training and developing staff, putting


good working practice in place and looking at how a company can operate more efficiently – there are savings to be made, both financially and in terms of productivity gains. “It was extremely


hard at first, but implementing requirements has put in place a quality system in our company that makes it a better place to work and provides us with a better understanding of the business,” says


46 | POWERED ACCESS 2012


company taking the time to look at the environment, if they’ve taken the time to put the infrastructure in place, then hopefully they are a better organisation to deal with, and they will look after your machinery better.” While some sectors of industry are only


now moving towards multiple fuel options and hybrid technology as ways of reducing emissions and fuel use, the access industry has been working this way for years. “We have been running a vast amount of


electric and hybrid machinery,” says Baker, “but as an industry we haven’t been shouting about it.” “We were years ahead of other industries.


We were one of the first industry sectors to run bi-fuel machinery, but we didn’t know that we were making history. We are putting together larger machinery now using less resources. Twenty years ago a 30ft machine used a massive amount of steel, now a 70ft model could use the same resources.” Powered access can be used in many


industry sectors and it is this broadening of appeal that will lead to a sustainable future for access rental companies. “As an industry, it would be great if we


could be a leader in corporate social responsibility,” says Lewis. n


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68