Member Article

Senior managers take the pledge to make Jones Bros ‘Together Safer’

Senior managers at leading civil engineering firm Jones Bros have signed a pledge backing a new initiative to change behaviour in the cause of safety.

Thirteen senior managers joined forces to show their commitment to new programme ‘Together Safer’ aimed at encouraging all staff to take personal ownership of health and safety.

The programme aims to bring about a lasting shift in the company’s safety culture, creating an environment in which an apprentice would feel comfortable challenging a senior manager over a safety issue.

The bespoke programme, which is being designed and managed in house, aims to involve the entire workforce, from managing director John Dielhof to recently recruited apprentices.

Dave Gibson, Jones Bros health, safety, environment and quality manager, said: “While we have an excellent record in health and safety there is always room for improvement and we want to bring about a culture change that all our employees can get involved in.

“This is not a quick fix, it will be an on-going initiative. A behavioural safety culture programme is a very effective way of achieving this and is specific to Jones Bros, meeting our particular needs.

“Our starting point was a questionnaire designed by the Health and Safety Laboratory, which aimed to highlight any areas of concern our employees have and to basically take the temperature of the company.

“The most significant issue raised in the responses we got is the reluctance to report near misses.

“We want everyone to feel comfortable with reporting near misses so we can learn from them and feel ok about challenging unsafe behaviour.

“We will shortly be consulting with employee representatives on developing reporting mechanisms for near misses, as well as commending responsible behaviour.”

The three parts of the pledge signed up to by the managers are:

Promoting a genuine, positive attitude that everyone can follow Leading by example and setting the highest standard Intervening when necessary and responding positively to any challenge of any potential unsafe activity on sites

Dave Gibson continued: “This programme will aim to continually focus people’s attentions and actions on theirs and others daily safety behaviour so it becomes second nature and ingrained in our culture.”

Founded in the 1950s, the family firm has grown significantly in the last decade. Its areas of expertise include the construction of waste management facilities, highways, flood and marine defence and renewable energy projects.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Sam Harris .