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Safety management systems

Our Group–wide framework for managing health and safety is now well established. At corporate level, it consists of our policy for safety, and our Expectations for Managing Health and Safety. These are supported by a number of policy and guidance documents on issues common to many operating companies, for example accident investigation, and traffic management.

Each operating company has its own formal safety management system, which deals with the hazards relevant to its business. As well as meeting corporate requirements, we expect our operating companies to achieve certification to OHSAS 18001, the internationally recognised standard for safety management (or equivalent). This is achieved by independent audit, and in nearly all cases we use Det Norske Veritas (DNV) as our independent certifying body.

Health and Safety Council

The Health and Safety Council, chaired by the Chief Executive, and a series of Health and Safety Forums encompassing all operating company managing directors are now well established. Their function is to develop Group policy, review performance, launch new initiatives, and ensure good practice is shared across the Group.

During 2006, these bodies each met twice and confirmed the Group’s long term safety strategy. This includes: a behavioural based approach to safety encompassing both leadership and worker engagement, more robust management of public risks, designing for safety, and improving occupational health arrangements.

Safety Audit

Safety audit is a key element of safety management. We subject our safety management systems to both internal and external audit scrutiny.

External audit against the international safety management standard OHSAS 18001 is required in all UK businesses, and is being extended to our overseas businesses:

• At present all UK businesses, with the exception of new acquisitions, are now certified to the internationally recognised safety management standard OHSAS 18001
• In addition to OHSAS 18001, Balfour Beatty Utilities, Balfour Beatty Power Networks and Balfour Beatty Civil Engineering are accredited by the Utilities Vendor Database (UVDB) which is subject to an annual verification audit.
• In Europe Balfour Beatty Rail Power Systems (Germany, Malaysia, Italy, and Sweden) maintained certification to OHSAS 18001
• In Hong Kong, our JV business Gammon Construction maintained certification to OHSAS 18001.

All operating companies maintain programmes for internal audit and inspection, to monitor implementation of operational controls on site. Three operating companies have adopted advanced electronic audit systems that provide scored results for operational control.

During the year we continued to develop further our approach to safety management audit. Our programme with DNV included certification to OHSAS 18001, ISO14001 and ISO9001, as well as scored assessment of progress beyond certification. The first annual report in October drew conclusions across all UK operating companies.

Tr@ction

From January 2005, the recording and monitoring of operating company safety performance was carried out using Balfour Beatty’s Tr@ction system.
Tr@ction offers web-based, online reporting of accidents and incidents of all types (safety, health, environment, quality, security). Further advantages include a common underlying causal analysis and a powerful facility to track actions from investigations, audit and risk assessment.

Additionally, some operating companies use Tr@ction to monitor complaints, occupational health referrals, service strikes, insurance claims and other information.

Training continued during the year and Tr@ction master classes offered operating company senior managers advice on how to get the best from the system.
The imposition of a consistent process and the ability to analyse trends has already provided greater insight which in turn is used to improve safety performance.

Accident Investigation

During 2004, we developed and rolled out a training programme in accident investigation that incorporates a powerful system of causal analysis. Root causes are recorded in Tr@ction, enabling common issues to be identified across the business.

The system is applied to all fatalities and to high potential accidents and near misses. This offers good insight into systemic causes and provides the opportunity to remedy these before injuries occur. By end 2006, 534 principal investigators and senior managers had been trained in the process.

Task Groups

Several cross-operating company task groups have been active during the year in areas of common interest:

• Temporary Traffic Management (TTM): we have piloted enhanced training courses for TTM workers and those working behind TTM.
• Mobile Elevated Work Platforms: A group has been established to review working with Mobile Elevated Work Platforms, focusing on procurement standards, training and emergency operation.
• The Audit Protocol development team has worked closely with DNV and revised the protocol in October. The first Annual Report was also received in October from DNV.
• A Tr@ction User Group meets quarterly.
• A Utility Service Strikes working group has developed policy, guidance and training to manage the risk from service strikes. Improved reporting of service strikes has revealed that:
  • Low voltage electricity continues to be the most common underground service damaged followed by communications, low pressure gas and then water
  • Significant incident numbers have reduced by more than 50% since 2005
  • Driving safety: a working group was established during 2006, to produce company and personal driving standards and advice. These will be implemented during 2007
• Tower cranes: a newly formed team aims to produce company-wide guidance on the procurement, erection, use and maintenance of tower cranes.

In earlier years, cross operating company task groups have:

• Reviewed new legislation and standards on Work at Height and temporary edge protection
• Developed training on asbestos management, and
• Recommended an approach for managing the risk of Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS).

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