SAFETY IN ENGINEERING FEATURE


SAFETY COMPANY SETS SIGHTS ON GLOBAL ZERO HARM


PPE manufacturer, Skanwear, has launched a new Global 2020 Zero Harm Campaign to ensure that a commitment to employee wellbeing remains at the forefront of operations across the world


W


ith a mission to prioritise the human element of safety, the company


hopes to leverage its global reach to help organisations minimise accidents and injury at an international level. Skanwear’s focus on global zero harm


began back in 2016, when the workwear firm announced new partnerships with energy companies in a bid to make global zero harm a reality. In doing so, Skanwear became one of the first organisations to dedicate its efforts entirely to global energy companies to negate the risks that employees working within electrical engineering, thermal generation and utilities face on a daily basis. This year, the Global 2020 Zero Harm campaign is expected to see Skanwear


delve deeper into workplace safety and take the next steps towards eradicating preventable injury on the job. This will be achieved through the campaign’s six initiatives focusing on improving industry knowledge, utilising protective clothing, compliance with local regulation, efficient direct-to-user distribution of safety tools and equipment, better access to training and multilingual professional support. Skanwear’s ultimate goal is to transform commitment to zero harm into a commitment to global zero harm. Skanwear’s strategic account manager,


Angus Long, said, “The number one goal that we have for our people to go home safe each and every day is achievable. In 2020, there is no excuse, and through


our campaign we want to help change behaviours, inspire cooperation and collaboration, create stewardship and generate an effective support network which provides energy companies with the physical tools that they need to make this happen.” The Global 2020 Zero Harm campaign


will be supported by Skanwear’s existing efforts to standardise workplace health and safety at an international level. Safeline, the firm’s global online ordering system, offers global pricing and reporting features, while the manufacturer’s diverse range of protective clothing for all climates come in global sizing and with global certification.


Skanwear skanwear.com


Recall-ready with Alexa


Consumer protection charity, Electrical Safety First, has launched a new Alexa app, to help slash the number of electrical fires in UK homes.


U


sing voice technology to easily access information on product recalls,


consumers can effortlessly discover if they have a recalled electrical item - simply by giving Alexa the item’s brand name. Currently, product recalls achieve a success rate of just 10-20 per cent,


leaving a host of potentially unsafe electricals items still in use and presenting a significant risk of fire. In fact, research by the charity indicates almost 270 million unregistered electrical products are still in UK homes. As only those consumers who register an item can be easily contacted in the case of a product recall, this means that there is a significant proportion of the population who won’t know if one of their appliances is a safety risk. Electrical Safety First’s new Alexa app aims to boost those recall rates, preventing electrical fires caused by faulty devices. “Electricity is responsible for over half


of all UK domestic fires,” explains Emma Drackford, director of communications for Electrical Safety First. “In 2017,





almost 5,000 fires were caused by faulty electrical appliances and leads, including recalled items - the equivalent of 13 fires per day across the UK. “We are committed to using every


advantage provided by new technology to reduce this risk. We hope that by launching the Alexa app, people will use it to make ad-hoc checks while doing chores around the house, without having to open a website. It’s all about removing barriers and giving our audience the tools they need to use their electrical products more safely.” Electrical Safety First worked with


Manchester-based, digital agency Absurd, to develop and build the app.


Electrical Safety First electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk


ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING | MARCH 2020 17


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