SESS are the Market Leaders and the ONLY company carrying out totally independent storage rack safety inspections and industry related training across the UK, Ireland, Europe, USA and the Caribbean. A business that continues to expand year on year through the support of their well established client base.
SESS Ltd was established in 1987. Its sole purpose was to undertake Independent Safety Inspections of Storage Equipment. The very first company of its kind to provide this type of service! The foresight was to ensure clients received the best advice to minimise disruption to their warehouse and more importantly a totally honest and unbiased report on any damage recorded.
Doreen Atchinson, Business Operations Director, Storage Equipment Safety Service Ltd, spoke to Warehouse & Logistics News
Warehouse & Logistics News – First of all, what does your role involve from day to day, and what part does safety play in it?
My role is to ensure the smooth running of the company in all aspects. In delivering a high level of service to all our clients, the role is constantly challenging on a day by day basis. Safety IS our business and we have spent the last 27 years promoting good practice within the warehousing Industry and working with our clients to assist in keeping them as safe as possible.
WLN – who else in your company is specifically involved with addressing safety concerns?
Everyone in the business! From our 23 Rack Safety Inspectors out in the field to all our administration staff producing reports and our safety and technical professionals along with my fellow board members.
WLN – What are your core products and services: what are you best known for providing? How safety is ‘built into’ them?
Our safety inspections identify the hazards that are present in a storage system, both structural and operational, the associated risk and the remedial action required to eliminate or reduce the risk. Our industry related training courses are aimed at managing the safe operation of any racking system by providing the appropriate information to those who are involved in the management process at all levels.
We are also qualified to provide safe working load signs, a key item in the safe management of racking, a requirement endorsed by the HSE.
WLN – Have you launched any new products and services in the past year? Again, how do they help raise safety standards?
Yes, we are currently promoting our new product called Collision Sentry, it’s a portable, lightweight powered unit that snaps on to pallet racking. It detects two way traffic, either fork lift or pedestrian traffic and flashes a warning in both directions when it detects motion on both corners. It can eliminate ‘blind corner’ collisions and has been very well received by a number of our clients.
WLN – Which industry sectors are your customers in? Can you name some of your major customers and tell us about the work you do for them?
Our clients are diverse across the spectrum of industry including Distribution & Logistics, Retail, Food, Pharmaceutical and MOD and include such household names as Travis Perkins, Jewson, Aldi, Lidl, PC World/Curry’s, AstraZeneca, GSK, 3663, Coca-Cola and many more who we consider the backbone of industry and would love to name them all but time does not allow me to do so!
WLN – What makes you the first choice supplier in your area of expertise?
I believe our key strengths when clients making a choice are our independence, and the understanding we have gained throughout our long experience within the industry, our customer support and our ability to provide coverage to a consistent high standard.
WLN – How important is warehouse safety to you as a business? What is your key message about safety for the warehouse industry?
As I mentioned earlier, warehouse safety IS our business and our key message is as it has always been, ‘Any Investment In Safety Saves Lives.’
WLN – What is your company’s involvement at the 2014 SEMA Safety Conference: what are you doing on the day?
SESS are once again co-sponsoring the 2014 Safety Conference and providing speakers on the day
WLN – How long have you been a SEMA Member Company?
SESS have been members of SEMA for over 20 years.
WLN – How does your involvement in SEMA help you as a company? How does it benefit your customers knowing you are SEMA members?
I believe, in more recent years more clients are realising the importance of SEMA within the storage industry, in relation to setting standards and advancing safety. SESS have spent many years in promoting SEMA.
WLN – What specific safety standards do your products and services comply with?
We comply with all the UK SEMA standards and the relative BS EN standards associated with steel static storage systems and additionally in line with other Health & Safety Legislation.
WLN – How frequently does the equipment you supply need to be inspected to make sure it is safe? Do you offer an independent safety inspection service to make sure it is in good order?
SESS don’t supply equipment, just a service.
WLN – What safety training do you offer your customers? Do you offer on-site training at customers’ premises?
Yes, SESS offer a range of end user training, which includes IOSH accreditation. These include a general racking awareness course, which is an introductory course for anyone who has a responsibility for rack safety, ranging from enforcement officers to warehouse operatives. Rack Inspection Courses, for those who have the responsibility of carrying out their own weekly/monthly checks. A maintenance course for those who are responsible to carry out minor maintenance and we also offer an Inspection & Maintenance combined course for those who are responsible for both elements. Our courses can be delivered at clients’ premises and we run regular training courses here at our Head Office in Cramlington (just north of Newcastle upon Tyne.)
WLN – Do you publish customer case studies on how your products and services help make warehouses safer?
No, I don’t think any of our clients would be happy if we published what we deem to be a confidential service.
WLN – What do you see as the most common threats to warehouse safety, and what can be done about them?
I believe it’s still about unreported damage to racking and continued bad practice which is often the cause of an incident. Our experience has proven, that education through training and the implementation of a good management system with the help of formal inspections by a technically competent person, is a major step to overcome the threats. This has certainly been a successful outcome with our longstanding clients.
WLN – What do you think the warehouse industry should do to raise awareness of working safety standards, moving forwards?
I certainly think there is a need to lift the priority of training a notch or two.
WLN – Are you promoting your safety message at any other trade events coming up?
Following on from the SEMA Safety Conference, where we will be giving a talk on user responsibilities. SESS will be exhibiting at the Safety & Health Expo in London in June 2015.
WLN – Where do you see your company going from here in terms of product development and attention to safety concerns?
We are currently working on our new rack inspection system, which is completed and undergoing trials. I’m not giving anything away yet, but will only say that it will be of huge benefit to all our clients.
Storage Equipment Safety Service Ltd
Tel: 01670 736 444
email: sess@sess.co.uk
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