Leading by example

Encouraging colleagues to report issues and concerns has proved instrumental in raising our safety standards.

Southampton mail centre distribution manager Gary Spanner says his team’s performance has improved with better engagement.

‘If a driver got to a delivery site and wasn’t able to access it, they now have the confidence to report it and we can bring the work back,’ he said. ‘If things are left in the wrong place, they won’t carry on the manoeuvre.’

The focus on safety has helped incident numbers across the South Coast centres drop from 50 road traffic collisions in 2016 to 16 in 2017.

Regular site inspections, a suggestion box and revamped safety displays, including a health and wellbeing board, are part of efforts to prompt drivers to prioritise safety day-to-day.

Andy Tremain, a driver at Southampton vehicle operating centre, has noticed the improvement.

‘There were cars parked in the yard, in parking spaces, but it didn’t leave enough room to reverse my lorry without blocking the entrance to the yard,’ he said.

‘It was resolved within a week of me reporting it, which was really good.’

Our head of safety in Logistics, Matt Humphreys, says managers are invited to reaffirm their commitment via the First Class Safety Programme, while the soon to be launched STAR strategy – Stop, Think, Act, Report – urges colleagues to recognise dangers or areas of improvement, take action and report issues to their manager.

‘We want managers leading by example and to improve trust between managers and drivers,’ he said. ‘In sites where we have greater trust and understanding we tend to have fewer accidents.

‘If we ignore colleagues when they raise issues, they are likely to get disillusioned and stop flagging up hazards.’