Stepnell has an excellent health and safety record. As a family-owned business, we believe that the health and safety of our people, our clients, our suppliers and those we work with and whose lives we impact, always comes first. We also recognise that the successful management of health and safety contributes to the overall performance of a quality business and is fundamentally dependent on the active commitment and participation of every member of our workforce. Health and safety is therefore ‘hard-wired’ into our business culture and behaviour. Staying safe and looking after the well-being of the people we impact is something we all understand, believe in and practice every day on site and in every workplace.
We also strive to continuously improve our health and safety behaviour by working alongside independent safety consultants and the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) to implement best practice.
Our health and safety strategy is based on:
- Expert health and safety advice from consultants
- Assessing the competence of all employees and subcontractors
- Risk assessments for all working areas and third party interfaces
- Effectively communicating health and safety information to all areas of the business
- Ensuring the supply and correct use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
- CSCS cards for all site employees and regular site visitors
The preparation, development and implementation of project specific Construction Phase Health and Safety Plans for each of our projects, which set out the arrangements for securing health and safety during the construction phase of the project
A comprehensive training programme that includes induction, toolbox talks and formal training sessions, as well as specialised training such as First Aid, Plant, CPCS, Scaffold Appreciation, Asbestos Awareness, Abrasive Wheel, CAT and Jenny training.
Additionally, all of our Project Managers and Site Managers hold CITB Site Managers Safety Training Certification (SMSTS), which is our minimum qualification standard to run a Stepnell site.
Our vision for health and safety is the elimination of all work related injuries and ill health. This is supported by our OHSAS 18001:2007 registered Health and Safety Management System which contains the policies, procedures and processes to be followed in the course of our activities, underpinning our vision for an incident and injury free culture.
As a multiple recipient of a Gold RoSPA Award we are proud of the recognition we have received for our prioritisation of Health, Safety and Wellbeing (H,S&W). As a Considerate Constructor, we fully understand our responsibilities under the CDM 2015 Regulations, but it is about more than compliance. Delivering work in live environments, we frequently work on constrained sites, in busy locations. Absolute priority is given to the understanding and implementation of H,S&W Management. At Stepnell this is about establishing a safety culture or what we call ‘TEAMSHIP’ which focuses on all aspects of physical, emotional and mental wellbeing for the whole workforce across a whole project.
Key achievements
- Our main success story from 2019 was the introduction of ‘Safe Starts’ in our strive for health and safety management to be led by a culture of ‘Visible Felt Leadership’ across our business.
- At Stepnell we have established a safety culture or what we call ‘TEAMSHIP’ which focuses on all aspects of physical, emotional and mental wellbeing for the whole workforce across a whole project. For every scheme we ensure there are clear lines of responsibility for H,S&W whilst also developing a ‘behaviour culture’ where it is seen as everyone’s responsibility from the top down, bottom up.
- We have qualified Mental Health First Aiders at each of our regional offices, who have all been trained to raise awareness of mental illness, enabling employees to recognise the signs and symptoms of common mental health illnesses and effectively guide colleagues towards the right support.
