FHM scoops gold at major health and safety awards

Published by Kelly Elliott for Frank Haslam Milan in Housing and also in Communities

The introduction of an innovative health and safety campaign has led to a North East firm being named as one of the safest businesses in the UK.

Community regeneration specialist Frank Haslam Milan (FHM) North East, part of Keepmoat, was awarded a prestigious gold medal at the annual Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) Occupational Health & Safety Awards.

The South Tyneside-based firm has a proven track record when it comes to accident prevention and the top prize was awarded after the company scooped eight consecutive gold awards in recent years.

Last year the firm launched its ‘See It, Sort It, Report It, campaign, with the aim of reducing accident levels even further by encouraging staff to be more aware of potential hazards and report them before they result in more serious incidents.

As a result, the accident rate has fallen by 20% since the launch of the campaign last September, giving FHM one of the lowest rates in the industry.

Keepmoat’s Regional Safety Health Environment and Quality Manager Darren Ellis has been the driving force behind the new campaign and said: “We’re thrilled to have received the gold medal from RoSPA.

“The aim of the ‘See It, Sort It, Report It’ program is to challenge behaviours and change attitudes to health and safety which ultimately will encourage a ‘don’t walk by’ culture.

“Health and Safety is a huge priority for us and we are already seeing fantastic results from the campaign which is very encouraging.”

The Gold Medal award was presented to FHM North East during a ceremony at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole Hotel, at the National Exhibition Centre yesterday.

Dating back to 1956, the RoSPA Occupational Health and Safety Awards scheme is the largest and longest-running programme of its kind in the UK.

It recognises commitment to accident and ill health prevention and is open to businesses and organisations of all types and sizes from across the UK and overseas.

The scheme not only considers accident records, but also entrants’ overarching health and safety management systems, including strong leadership and workforce involvement.

Awards Manager David Rawlins said: “The RoSPA Awards programme provides well-deserved recognition for the winners and spurs on other organisations to raise their standards of accident and ill health prevention.

“We congratulate Frank Haslam Milan North East on its success and encourage it, and all our other winners, to remain committed to safety and health, an approach that is well recognised to be good for workers and the bottom line.”