Reading, Berkshire, UK: The Food Storage and Distribution Federation has launched a health and safety programme for members committed to providing a safe and healthy work environment in the food storage and distribution industry sector.
Incorporating everyone from business leaders to the individuals on the shop floor, the Programme mirrors the aims of the wider HSE strategy in encouraging continuous improvement, accountability and recognition of the wider perspective regarding Health and Safety and the need to actively support and share best practice to improve the health and safety performance within the industry.
Reed Boardall, Cold Move and Partner Logistics have signed up to the new programme. Jon Miles, head of UK operations, Partner Logistics says: “At Partner Logistics, we are serious about all things relating to health and safety.”
“We believe the industry needs to do more, and initiatives such as the Leadership Programme provided by the FSDF are key to driving improvements and maintaining the levels of safety for everyone in our industry. Also, the programme offers us the ability to benchmark our own health and safety performance against both our sector and the logistics industry as a whole, which is something we are very keen to do as part of our ongoing H&S strategy as a business.”
Benefits of the programme include:
Greater visibility and recognition of being proactive in achieving and maintaining the highest standards of health and safety performance, with customers, suppliers and the HSE
Company-wide involvement and accountability in all matters relating to health and safety
Expert guidance and advice on all matters relating to health and safety
Recognised standard of achievement – which can be displayed on letterhead, vehicles and websites
Companies will be required to provide evidence of a good health and safety management system by answering key performance questions and supporting the answers with a portfolio of relevant documentation. Those members who achieve the required standard will then receive a framed certificate and will also be entitled to use the award logo indicating their achievement on their organisation’s vehicles, letterhead and website.
The FSDF website includes a dedicated area:
A Health and Safety Forum
Articles and other relevant information relating to current health and safety issues
‘Best Practice’ case studies
Accident statistics and other benchmarking data
Chris Sturman, chief executive, FSDF said: “It is important for organisations to accept that Health and Safety is an ongoing priority and one which requires a continuous commitment from all levels of an organisation. We have designed the FSDF Health and Safety Leadership Programme for those member companies who are progressively and proactively seeking to improve and maintain their own health and safety performance at the highest levels, as well as offer visibility of their achievements to the HSE and the industry at large.”