Four RoSPA Gold Awards is What Good Looks Like for Lanes

Lanes Group is celebrating winning a coveted RoSPA Gold Award for occupational health and safety for the fourth year in the row. The success reflects the company’s long-term commitment to setting the highest standards of health and safety in the drainage industry. Lanes, the UK’s largest independent drainage specialist, is also a finalist, for a second year running, in the Health and Safety Initiative of the Year category of the Construction News Awards. The winner will be announced in July. RoSPA, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, gives its Gold Award only to organisations that demonstrate high standards of occupational health and safety, backed by evidence of continual improvement. Lanes Group Managing Director Wayne Earnshaw said: “This award is a huge pat on the back for all our staff. Safe business is good business for us. It is central to our success.” The award was presented to Lanes Group Health, Safety, Quality and Environment Manager John Glover on Tuesday May 14. He said: “The RoSPA Gold Award is an important benchmark. It demonstrates that our health and safety strategy, operational systems and performance are on track.” A key element of the 2013 submission has been an initiative called What Good Looks Like. This uses eye-catching cartoon-style pictures that demonstrate best practice in setting up drainage worksites, and encourage engineers to consider how to minimise potential risks. What Good Looks Like has been developed to support a new contract, the largest of its kind in the UK, to provide maintenance, repair and renewal services for drainage systems across a large part of South East England. It is designed to cater for teams with a wide range of educational abilities and to present health and safety messages in an engaging, instantly recognisable way. The cartoon images are combined with detailed process maps for a range of specific jobs, including excavation, blockage removal, drain cleaning, flood control and manhole inspection. Lanes Group will roll out What Good Looks like across other services and divisions over the next 12 months. David Rawlins, RoSPA’s awards manager, said: “RoSPA firmly believes that organisations that demonstrate commitment to continuous improvement in accident and ill health prevention deserve recognition. “Lanes Group Plc has shown that it is committed to striving for such continuous improvement and we are delighted to honour it through the presentation of an award.” Most RoSPA awards are non-competitive, marking achievement at merit, bronze, silver and gold levels. Organisations maintaining high standards can win gold medals, president’s awards and orders of distinction.