…
Northgate, the UK’s largest vehicle rental business, has had its reputation for promoting health and safety to employees and customers recognised with a prestigious Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents’ (RoSPA) 2009 Award. Darlington-based Northgate Vehicle Hire has won a RoSPA Occupational Health and Safety Gold Award for the first time after winning Silver Awards last year and in 2006. The Award will be presented at a ceremony at the Birmingham Hilton Metropole Hotel, National Exhibition Centre, on Tuesday, May 12. The ceremony will take place alongside Safety & Health Expo 2009, Europe’s leading annual health and safety exhibition.
David Rawlins, RoSPA awards manager, said: “Northgate Vehicle Hire has shown a commitment to protecting the health and well-being of its employees and others. Entering the RoSPA Awards reinforces the message that good health and safety is good for business, and clearly demonstrates an organisation’s dedication to improving performance in this crucial area.”
The RoSPA Awards are not just about reducing the number of accidents and cases of ill-health at work; they help to ensure that organisations have good health and safety management systems in place.
In the current economic climate, awards are more important than ever because they demonstrate that employers care about their employees and will not let slip their standards of health and safety practice even if times are tough. Northgate Vehicle Hire operates a fleet of 65,000 vehicles available nationwide from 80 centres.
Colin Gilstin, Northgate’s health and safety manager, said: “We are delighted that RoSPA has recognised the importance and significance the company places on health and safety and we believe this award demonstrates our commitment in having a strong and robust safety management system. “As the largest commercial vehicle rental company in the UK we want to lead from the front where safety’s concerned, particularly within our industry. We see this as an award for every employee within the company as it could not have been achieved without their full support and co-operation.”
The latest award further adds to Northgate’s external as well as internal focus on health and safety. The company is the only rental firm that has joined the ‘Driving for Better Business’ campaign, a Department for Transport initiative delivered by RoadSafe to promote occupational road risk management in a bid to reduce the 200 road deaths and serious injuries a week resulting from crashes involving at-work drivers. Mr Gilstin said: “Our goal is to promote an injury and accident-free culture inside and outside of Northgate.”
Internally, significant investment in health and safety sees employees attend a range of courses to equip them with the necessary safety skills and knowledge for their roles. For example, a number of senior managers within the organisation completed the NEBOSH (The National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health), General Certificate standard in health and safety. Additionally, Northgate has now trained over 600 employees to a British Safety Council Level One standard in health and safety
Mr Gilstin added: “It is crucial to involve and communicate with all employees on health and safety matters and take on board their views and comments because they are the people on the frontline. We continually look at ways to prevent accidents from occurring in preference to take preventative action after an incident. Health and safety matters are dealt with through a policy of co-operation, communication and competence applied consistently and continually throughout our operations.”
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
