SafeHire Certification


SafeHire Certification is a continuous business improvement programme for the hire industry protecting members and the public


SafeHire is a BSI private standard created by and written for the hire industry with the help and guidance of British Standards Institute. It was originally written following a disastrous ‘Which’ report in 2010 that outlined everything negative about the industry. The association took a positive stance and determined that it needed to reverse the perception created by ‘Which’. Members fully supported this proactive action to mitigate the impact of the report but also to enhance confidence in the hire sector for the longer term. SafeHire is a continual business improvement programme that both sets and


helps maintain the standards of operation for HAE members, and the standard itself is the guarantee of consistency of approach during assessment. It also provides a greater degree of transparency and reassurance to clients and customers, and to trading standards. One of the principal benefits of achievement of the


standard is that it provides the differentiation between members and non-members and is designed for companies of all sizes. Originally written by HAE, its members, HSE and other corporate bodies, it endeavours to level the playing field between members large and small and enables them all to compete locally on an even ground. Additionally, we have negotiated with several other PQQ assessors, such as CHAS, and they have recognised the benefits of our program to the extent that we can add our SafeHire members to their register without further assessment; a cost benefit to HAE members. Members have the choice about inclusion on the CHAS register, a register that is 80% populated by SME companies. Operated along UKAS (United Kingdom Accreditation


Services) the system is designed to produce fairness for all. The certificate lasts for 3 years but is subject to an annual review visit to ensure compliance is maintained. Multi depot operations are subject to random assessments of depots based on the square root of the number of operational depots, and this is a calculation that ensures consistency across the board. All assessors are independent of HAE and are selected


on the basis of their knowledge and experience of operating within or around the UK hire industry. They are subject to strict recruitment requirements and have regular standardisation meetings to ensure ongoing consistency of approach, maintain training levels and highlight some of the trends occurring as outcomes of assessments. These trends are reported on a regular basis at the HAE Technical Group meeting and invariably result in the issue of a SafeHire Bulletin to members to advise them on prevention. The certification process is uncomplicated and consists of a desktop


assessment of written procedures in operation within the business and compliance is required ahead of the site visit by an assessor. The Assessor will use the desktop outcome to create an individual assessment plan for his visit to test systems and processes. An onsite visit lasts up to 4 hours during which the assessor will ensure that the written word is understood by employees, and more importantly is implemented correctly across the organisation before going on to carry out a site and product inspection. The outcome could be a simple positive pass, but in most cases organisations face up to a series of non-conformances which are graded by, major, minor and opportunities to improve.


24 ToolBUSINESS+HIRE


A positive example of this approach is provided by small company D & H Plant,


who whilst been in business for 30 years have only been HAE members since 2012. They commented: “Since the beginning, we have seen numerous changes affecting the hire industry, which has significantly increased in recent years. Therefore, in November 2012, we made the decision to join HAE and we have never looked back! The friendly, knowledgeable staff at HAE have assisted us in keeping up-to-date


with a variety of key regulation changes from Health & Safety to Human Resources, allowing us to focus on more effective working practices and a safer working environment, giving us more time to concentrate on our customers’ requirements. We are now delighted to have received our SafeHire


Certification recognising our machines are maintained and serviced to a high standard, giving our customers peace of mind that they are being provided safe quality equipment”. Additionally D & H were keen to point out that an


identified ‘opportunity to improve’ has resulted in significant savings and by changing their lighting in the workshop they are saving circa £500 p.a. At the end of each assessment the assessor will create an individual detailed report, which includes relevant photographic evidence and requests the company to submit a


plan to deal with the non-conformances. As the end of the window for all members to achieve certification approaches we can reflect on a successful project with almost 75% completed, and the balance either with planned assessments or in the process of agreeing assessment dates. As with most scenarios whereby an end date is quoted there is always a good number that will leave it to the last minute. This does present some difficulties in accommodating all before the end of December, however those that are not completed only need to confirm an assessment date by then. For the last 2 years all new members have had to complete the process within 6 months of joining to prevent suspension of their membership, fortunately that occurrence is extremely rare. For existing members who decide that SafeHire is not for them we will continue to speak and try to demonstrate how they will benefit. Failure to adhere to the membership conditions will ultimately result in a few companies losing their membership and the great range of benefits it offers.


One of the real benefits that these members will miss out on will be the major


promotional campaign already in preparation for 2018 about the industry and the benefits of dealing with a SafeHire Certificated organisation. We have worked for many years to quietly promote the certification, but now that all our members will be certificated we can really highlight the program. Already we are working with HSE, raising awareness at both local and national Government, communicating with Trading Standards, agreeing forms of mutual recognition with other PQQ organisations and as members of Build UK talking directly to the construction industry. A strong, positive and well regulated industry has a great future and HAE is


intent on providing that. To read this article in full, visit http://www.toolbusiness.co.uk/hire-update


www.toolbusiness.co.uk


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