An unwavering commitment to investing in health and safety training helped Newton Aycliffe firm Stiller Warehousing and Distribution achieve a RoSPA silver award.
The award, from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, is an internationally recognised accolade, which demonstrates a Company’s outstanding commitment to ensuring its staff and clients get home safely at the end of every day.
It recognises those organisations who are leaders when it comes to their health and safety practices.
Stiller Warehousing and Distribution, which has 400,000 sq ft of warehousing and is based on Aycliffe Business Park, achieved the silver award in the first year of applying to RoSPA.
The company commits 2,000 hours each year to health and safety training, at a cost of more than £100,000.
The cornerstone of this annual investment is a regular programme of lorry driver coaching and assessments of at least three days for existing employees and six days for new employees.
The purchasing of battery powered pallet trucks and oversized vehicle lift platforms has also improved delivery efficiency and reduced the risk of injury.
However, the company will not “rest on its laurels” and has vowed to go for the Gold award next year.
Darren Holliday, health and safety manager of Stiller, said the RoSPA award provided great recognition for the “whole team” as everybody at Stiller takes their responsibility for health and safety within their working practices extremely seriously.
“We are known for winning accreditations for everything that we do and this silver award from RoSPA is another fantastic achievement,” he said.
“Our standards in health and safety are extremely high and the fact we invest heavily in the training and development of high quality teams is fundamental to our success.
“It’s not just about one individual – the fact is that this is how we operate all the time – and we are going to try and get better and better.”
Workplaces involved in storage, warehousing and logistics could be perceived as dangerous places to be – but the high standards that Stiller employs make everyone who visits feel they are in safe hands.
“We engage with everyone in the business to ensure that safety is at the forefront of everything that we do.
“Winning an award of this nature says it all and recognises our investment in training in health and safety.”
Stiller has introduced extremely detailed reporting and follow-up practices for accidents and incidents.
Five trend analysis points are collated and analysed for both personal and vehicle accidents.
It has seen a 30% reduction in the frequency rate of accidents across the business as a result of this increased level of detail in reporting and follow-up.
Stiller also introduced a highly successful mental health campaign to the business and is known for its engagement in the local business community.
Julia Small, RoSPA’s achievements director, added: “By receiving this recognition Stiller Warehousing and Distribution join like-minded businesses and organisations worldwide, who represent the very best in their approach to Health and Safety.
“I would like to add my personal thanks for all the work that it has taken to secure this well-deserved award – congratulations to all those involved, who champion and drive up Health and Safety standards every day.
“They are a fantastic example to others in our sector.”
Find out more about Stiller at stiller.co.uk.
• Pictured above: Stiller health and safety manager Darren Holliday (centre) with John Garrett (left) and John Parker, after the Company achieved a Silver Award from The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA).