Lanes wins Thames Water Health and Safety Awards Double

Lanes Group’s Utilities Division has achieved a double win in the Thames Water Health and Safety Excellence Awards 2014.

The team won Innovation of the Year for developing Essential Standards, a best practice guide for all operations, including health and safety, which uses cartoons to explain to staff how jobs should be done.

Sarah Hurcomb, Lanes Utilities Division’s Health, Safety, Quality and Environment Manager won Young Person of the Year for leading a highly successful campaign to drive up health and safety performance over the last 18 months.

Both awards were presented at a ceremony by Thames Water Chief Executive Officer Martin Baggs.
Lanes Group Utilities Framework Director Conrad Ashby said: “I’m really pleased for everyone in our Thames Water contract team, not least because we were up against very good shortlisted candidates.

“Both awards reflect the team’s effort in making many incremental changes that add up to a real step change in our behaviours, culture and performance on health and safety.

“I think Thames Water have been impressed that we have set high standards, while aiming to keep things simple and effective. We look at things differently and drive innovation to deliver safely and efficiently on our promises for Thames Water and its customers.

“There is also recognition that we have contributed across Thames Water’s operations, not just our own.

“Sarah’s contribution epitomises this. She has led collaborative working groups that has pulled together best practice guidance, for example in HGV driving, that has benefited the whole Thames Water supply chain.

“She has worked with energy and application, while being supported strongly by the whole team.

“We must not see these sorts of achievements as an end point, but just a step in the journey. We know we can do even better and we have plans in place to make sure we do.”

Conrad Ashby, Sarah Hurcomb, Thames Water Strategy and Regulation Director Nick Fincham, Lanes Group Technical Director Andy Brierley.

Sarah Hurcomb said: “It is very empowering for the whole team to get this fabulous recognition. It shows that we are going in the right direction.

“Without engagement and support from every level of the organisation we cannot improve and develop a safer business. These awards reflect every single person’s commitment to a safer and healthier workplace.”

The Lanes Utilities Division operates 75% of wastewater network services for Thames Water, from a base in Slough, Berkshire.

The annual Health and Safety Excellence Awards are for Thames Water teams and their contractors. They are designed to encourage and celebrate best practice in health and safety across the company’s services.

Lanes was shortlisted for two other categories: with Thames Water and contract partner Cappagh Browne for Best Practice in Health and Safety Collaboration; and Best Health and Safety Achievement, for its training and development programme.

Essential Standards is a new workplace guide and training tool, developed during 2013, which uses cartoon-style images and instruction icons, backed by process maps, to show best practice in all aspects of business delivery, including health and safety.

Sarah Hurcomb has devised and led a Serious About Safety campaign that helped reduce the Thames Water contract’s Accident Frequency Rate to near zero.

Lanes Group is the UK’s largest independent underground pipe repair and rehabilitation specialist. The company employs more than 350 staff on its Thames Water contract. In 2013, it unblocked 120,000 drains and repaired thousands more across the water company’s region.

Essential Standards was a key element of a submission that won Lanes Group the Construction News Specialists Health and Safety Excellence Award 2014 and the Construction News Health and Safety Excellence Award in 2013.