TJ shortlisted for IIRSM Risk Excellence Award 2020

TJ has been shortlisted for the IIRSM Risk Initiative of the Year Award 2020 for successfully implementing a new annual staff training event, which has significantly improved health and safety practices throughout the organisation.

The International Institute of Risk & Safety Management (IIRSM) Awards 2020 will take place in London on 8 October. The evening will consist of a three-course meal and entertainment. The special guest speaker will be Marc Hogan, an international speaker specialising in influencing and communication skills. Marc will draw upon his ‘7 Keys for Success’, developed during his career to provide audiences with a set of practical skills for business and life.

Compliance, Health & Safety and Legislation Supervisor Jack MacFarlane organised the event and was thrilled to hear TJ had been shortlisted. He said:

“Our submission was based on our employee inductions we conduct every year in January which focus on improving the safety culture within the business. I am very proud of the hard work my colleagues and I put into the three-day event each year, but to receive such recognition from an international health and safety institution is truly incredible.”

TJ’s 2019 staff training event saw the introduction of a new ‘school-day’, round robin classroom session format to replace the existing all-day lecture arrangement. The event took place across three days at two different locations for both TJ Waste and TJ Transport employees. The Fleet & Compliance department planned and aided the delivery of the content, which was presented to up to 20 employees at a time for hour-long sessions.

The new hour-long session format utilised different learning methods such as videos, group work, paperwork activities and open discussions. This variety, coupled with the content being delivered by different members of staff, ensured employees remained engaged throughout the day, rather than losing interest at the back of a large lecture hall. Content was focused on ensuring employees knew company policies and procedures, whilst also developing an awareness on topics such as asbestos, stress and well-being.

Employees enjoyed a change of scene part way through the day with one of the sessions being delivered outside by driver assessors and managers. This was a practical session on how to comply with the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations by demonstrating to employees how to properly conduct their daily checks of company vehicles, which included a rigid tipper, skip and grab lorries as well as 360-degree excavator.

One of the classroom sessions focused on workplace hazards, covering the importance of knowing how to identify hazards in different working environments, from construction sites to office spaces. This session engaged employees well as they were tasked with looking at these different working environments and working together to identify the different hazards. The employees then had to complete a company near-miss form. This gave employees the ability to identify the various hazards they may see in the workplace and ensured they knew the company policy and process of reporting them.

From 2017-2018, TJ saw the number of reported near misses rise by 249%, followed by a 95% increase on the total number from 2018 to 2019. There was also a 39% decrease in workplace accidents from 2018 to 2019.

There was a 33% reduction in RIDDOR reportable incidents from 2017 to 2018 and then a 100% reduction from 2018 to 2019. In the January 2019 inductions an impressive 74% of employees said they learnt something new and this year that percentage rose to a staggering 96%.

Find out more about TJ Waste and TJ Transport and discover the range of services they offer.