Safer together - RPS nominated for the Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water H&S Awards

28.2 million working days were lost due to work-related ill health and non-fatal workplace injuries in 2018/19 across the UK¹. That’s a big expense for UK businesses. A significant proportion of this could have been reduced by implementing behavioural change.

Each year, Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water (DCWW) host Health and Safety awards, to recognise the highest levels of safety standards implemented by the partners they work with. For the third consecutive year, RPS was nominated for one of these awards; The Operational Contractors Health and Safety Award.

Our entry
In 2019, RPS introduced the ‘Dynamic Risk Assessment Card – STOP! THINK! ACT!’. It is a Health and Safety initiative which originated from an RPS employee in Wales via our Health and Safety Suggestion Scheme. This was introduced on the DCWW contract to help improve employee understanding of the relationship between dynamic risk assessment and safer working practices as well as helping them develop an understanding of the dynamic risk assessment process, and who’s responsible for carrying the assessments out.  

The rollout of this card has ensured that our Accident Frequency Rate (AFR) per 100 people reduced from 1.77 in 2018/2019 to 1.64 in 2019/2020 - so it’s been a great success. In fact, we’ve just issued the Dynamic Risk Assessment Card to all our internal Water Operations staff as part of a wider internal Health and Safety initiative scheme we have at RPS.

Peter Roberts, RPS Regional Manager, Wales commented,
“We’re delighted to be nominated for this award.  STOP, THINK, ACT is an easy safety step to implement, but critically important aspect of safe working. It’s often overlooked in the name of “getting the job done - increasing the risk of incidents or accidents occurring.

At RPS, we’ve been collating and analysing safety data for 5 years which has demonstrated a direct correlation between an increase in the number of positive interventions and a reduction in the number of injury incidents. This has ultimately benefited our staff and been instrumental to DCWW in achieving their H&S targets – whilst also reducing working days lost due to injury, it’s win-win for all involved! We are safer together.”

Unfortunately, RPS was pipped at the post for this award. However Health and Safety remains at the heart of our operations and we will continue to prioritise this to ensure the safety of our staff, contractors, visitors and the public.

¹ Health and safety at work Summary statistics for Great Britain 2019