Briggs Equipment interview with Gavin Wickham, Briggs Equipment’s Operations Director

Warehouse & Logistics News – What would you say have been the main safety trends over the past decade within the forklift truck industry?

The entire industry has seen materials handling equipment being used for an ever more complex range of applications and as a result the trucks themselves have become more sophisticated. In turn, this has made them more complex to operate and operators often have a lot more to think about. Having said that, manufacturers have worked really hard over the past couple of years to ensure the safety systems on the machines are completely able to support the applications they are used for but operators have needed to adjust their thinking.

WLN – How important is safety to a growing company like Briggs?

It would be an over simplification to say that safety has become a top priority within the company, we are taking it much further than that and we’ve made a conscious decision to lead the industry in this field. As well as trying to lead by example, we’re taking the health and safety message to the wider industry by supporting the health and safety campaigns of our customers and by sponsoring high-profile events such as the Fork Lift Truck Association‘s (FLTA) National Fork Truck Safety Conference.

WLN – Why has the BE Safe campaign been implemented?

The safety of our employees has always been a priority for Briggs Equipment but the issue came to the fore following our acquisition of Barloworld Handling UK last year. The deal saw our workforce grow to around 1,300 and we were faced with integrating two different cultures. While Barloworld Handling UK had taken a rewards based approach, with good practice being recognised through an awards scheme and other incentives, the safety culture at Briggs Equipment was built much more about empowering employees to take responsibility for safety themselves. We found that this ‘bottom up’ approach much more effective.

A key turning point, however, was when one of our own engineers suffered a severe hand injury, loosing the tips of three fingers. When something like this happens to a member of the team it’s something we all feel very personally and this particular incident really affected us. Having carried out extensive risk assessments and introduced robust safety systems someone had still been hurt and I had to stop and think and ask myself what more I could have done to prevent it happening.

WLN – What is the aim of the BE Safe campaign?

The ultimate aim of the campaign is to eliminate all foreseeable accidents, while integrating the two different safety cultures. To achieve this we really need to reach into the hearts and minds of employees, encouraging them to think a lot more about their own personal safety and the risks they are working around every day. We want to develop a new ‘stop and think’ culture whereby our employees feel empowered to talk to their managers if they have any concerns about performing certain repairs, or working in environments they feel are unsafe.

WLN – What has been involved in the BE Safe campaign?

Since an initial seminar to launch BE Safe, we’ve produced a wide range of support materials to really help drive home health and safety messages. One important element has been the production of a video featuring an interview with the engineer who lost the tips of his fingers, while another short film highlights the risks that engineers face on a day-to-day basis.

We’ve also conducted research into the most likely types of accidents and found the most common forms of injuries involve the head and hands. As a result we’ve sourced innovative headwear and safety gloves to provide engineers with further protection.

Most importantly, however, has been the introduction of a new way of communicating health and safety messages within the company. Employees have a direct line of communication with the board when it comes to expressing any concerns they have. On the ground we now have health and safety ‘champions’ who report directly to the board on a regular basis. If they have a pressing concern, they can meet with us at any time. It’s been one of my passions to create a conduit from engineer to board and a clear environment for identifying risks and threats to our employees in the field.

WLN – What results have you seen from the BE Safe campaign so far?

Attitudes do not change over night, but we are definitely seeing a shift in behaviour and the new, integrated culture is certainly taking shape. Engineers are starting to feel empowered to speak out if they feel they are being asked to do something they don’t feel comfortable with from a safety point of view.

We’re also seeing an emerging culture of openness and transparency thanks to the recruitment of health and safety champions within our engineering team and they’re already identifying and illuminating risks in the field. Most importantly, health and safety is no longer a separate entity, it is an integrated part of our operations, with individuals asking themselves if the task they have been asked to carry out is safe.

Another important achievement has been our approach to investigating incidents – rather than trying to apportion blame as the primary focus, we now concentrate on the lessons to be learnt to prevent it happening again.

WLN – What have been the challenges of implementing a safety campaign like BE Safe?

Perhaps the biggest internal challenge has been merging two very different cultures but moving forward, as we look to expand the initiative wider, is a more industry-wide ‘macho’ attitude to safety. In the past health and safety has been seen as red tape getting in the way of getting the job done. Engineers may have been afraid to stand up and say they didn’t feel safe doing a particular repair or working in a certain environment for fear of ridicule. This has to change and we need to get the message across that it’s in everyone’s best interest to speak out if something isn’t right.

WLN – What’s next for the BE Safe campaign?

BE Safe is not a standalone campaign, it is something that will continue to grow and evolve. In the short term we have more seminars planned, alongside new videos and the production of new supportive material such as BE Safe branded trucks and clothing. Now we have started the ball rolling we have a real desire to build on what we’ve created.

We’re also expanding the campaign to other areas of the business, such as administration. As well as identifying risk in the office we believe the administration side of the business can influence the way engineers identify risks in the field. More importantly we’re taking the message to the wider industry. To do this we are sponsoring a major safety conference and working closely with our customers to support their campaigns.

Briggs Equipment

Tel: 01543 430 455

www.briggsequipment.co.uk