TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT TRAIN TO GAIN
FOSTERING A POSITIVE HEALTH AND SAFETY CULTURE When it comes to
health and safety
training, it’s one thing to have training and
development plans in place for your people but another to
promote a positive health and safety culture. We’re proud to have recently received a gold medal at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents’ (RoSPA) Health and Safety Awards, and this is testament to the hard work of the whole team. Rather than seeing training as a chore, we’ve worked hard to ensure training is people led and the team are actively engaged in their individual development plans.
SAFETY STAND DOWN We use our annual Safety Stand Down sessions at the start of the year to speak to colleagues at all sites about what has been working well, where there are training gaps, and the focuses for the year ahead. It’s a fantastic opportunity to recap on learnings and emphasise that training and development is a continuous process. Throughout the year, toolbox talks and briefings focus on specific topics and share best practice.
As we’ve grown as a business, so too has our approach to training and development. Whilst individual plans
Independent multi-utility connections provider Aptus runs an award-winning apprentice scheme and in 2022 opened the Aptus Academy to help promote continuous development opportunities. Here, Delicia Maxwell, HSQE Manager, discusses the company’s approach to health and safety training and development.
are set annually, they are reviewed on a weekly basis. We now have colleagues completing training in a wider range of areas than ever before. This has tangible business benefits as it means we have a multi-skilled workforce who can change departments should there be a business need.
MENTAL HEALTH TRAINING The construction industry has a poor record when it comes to mental health and therefore access to support and mental health first aid training has never been so important. We now have 35 trained mental health support volunteers across our sites. There has been a real shift in recent years with more site-based colleagues than ever before volunteering to become mental health ambassadors. Often, they have personal reasons for volunteering. I’m pleased that the number of people off work due to mental health sickness has decreased in line with the increase in mental health training.
INDUSTRY COLLABORATION The HSQE team regularly attends industry workshops and forums, hearing from expert speakers and cascading learnings across the business via internal training sessions. Recently, Aptus has become involved in the Working Well Together (WWT) Campaign, an industry-led initiative sponsored by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) which aims to improve health and safety in the construction industry.
TECHNOLOGY Technology has impacted training and development, allowing for quicker communication and reporting. Any incidents can be promptly managed, and outcomes shared across our sites. There are also more eLearning courses than ever before allowing colleagues to fit in training with their work patterns.
Health and safety training and development is an ongoing process which must be regularly reviewed in line with the latest legislation and practices. There are always new learnings to take on board and ways that systems and processes can be improved. Fostering a safety-conscious workforce where individuals are invested in their own learning plans helps create an engaged team who work together to promote a positive health and safety culture.
Aptus manages contracts for developers of all sizes, working with construction clients including residential, industrial and commercial developers.
https://aptusutilities.co.uk 26
www.tomorrowshs.com
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