For the sixth year in a row, Hills Quarry Products will delay the opening of all its sites on the first day back to work (Monday 4 January), to allow employees to participate in a morning of Health and Safety training sessions as part of Hills’ ongoing commitment to excellent Health and Safety.
“Over the last few years we have taken time on our return to work to remind employees of the importance of everyone’s Health and Safety at our sites," said Peter Andrew, group director at Hills Quarry Products, which specialises in the production and supply of quarry products and ready-mixed concrete to the construction and agricultural sectors.
“This includes a review of our achievements over the past year and setting new Health and Safety targets which are based on both feedback from employees and independent Health and Safety auditors."
This year, in collaboration with the MPA, Hills' vision is to eliminate the causes of injuries and ill health from its work sites. To do this, its employees are being encouraged to embrace six values: Empowerment; Engaged, visible and consistent leadership; Zero tolerance of unsafe working conditions; High quality implementation; Collaboration and sharing; Compliance.
Hills says it is focusing on these six values to use them to target the ‘Fatal 6’ which are recognised to be responsible for the majority of injuries within the mineral extraction industry.
The Fatal 6 are:
1. Contact with moving machinery and isolation
2. Workplace transport and pedestrian interface
3. Work at height
4. Workplace Respirable Crystalline Silica
5. Struck by moving or falling object
6. Road traffic accidents
Andrew said that from 4 January 2021, Hills will start tackling the Fatal 6 issue with ongoing briefings and training throughout the year.
"By starting the New Year with training sessions we reinforce our philosophy that Health and Safety remains a top priority for our business and supports the excellent Health and Safety record achieved so far.”
The training sessions will be held across operational sites in Wiltshire, Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, and Dorset where Hills operate sand and gravel quarries and ready-mixed concrete production plants.
