Catalis Delivers Internationally Recognised Safety Training

The Company

Ganymede Solutions is a leading supplier of workers for safety-critical environments and has an unrivalled reputation for the competence and commitment of its workforce.

All are exposed to danger in their daily working lives – whether it is the risk of working next to operational Rail tracks, climbing heights, or defending property or people in the line of duty. Consequently, Ganymede Solutions places health and safety as a top priority.

The company’s commitment to excellence is all-pervasive. As well as providing clients with the best trained people, it wants to ensure that its own staff benefit from the best health and safety protections.

So not only are staff given the best possible training on health and safety in their daily jobs – to protect them when they are trackside, or working from heights – but they also benefit from an approach that sees senior managers taking a holistic approach to the health and safety of all people within the company.

Health and safety – a pervasive approach

Ganymede made an investment into further safeguarding its employees by sponsoring one of its senior managers to complete the NEBOSH (National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health) Certificate in Health and Safety.

Recognised around the world, the NEBOSH Certificate teaches a systematic approach to identifying, reducing and managing risk, and is not specific to one industry but teaches a methodology that applies to all.

Those who successfully complete the qualification become eligible to join the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health as Technician members once they have more than five years’ experience in a health and safety role.

The curriculum covers all risks, across many different industries, including fire, flooding, handling toxic and hazardous substances, exposure to radiation, operating dangerous machinery, working at heights, in confined spaces, alongside moving traffic, and lifting heavy loads. Simple trips, slips and falls are examined, along with more pervasive risks such as psychological stress or the possibility of violence in the workplace. To successfully complete the course, delegates have to demonstrate they can assess, prioritise and minimise risks, as well as prepare reports for their superiors addressing and justifying any remedial actions which need to be taken.

Mark Bowers, Health and Safety Manager at Catalis, a leading supplier of NEBOSH training, said: “Many people think of health and safety as an overhead which is a bit of a pain, but they should see it as a valuable investment that can ultimately save them money, because if there is an accident in the workplace, health and safety can become very expensive.

“As well as the awful prospect of a human tragedy, companies risk being prosecuted and paying fines if they breach health and safety rules. Individuals can even be sent to prison in extreme cases”.

“Consequently it is vital that employers do all they can to meet health and safety laws and to minimise the risks to which their employees are exposed”.

“Comprehensive health and safety training for senior managers is something all businesses should provide in order to protect against the risk of accidents and prosecutions.”

The implementation

Ganymede’s Health, Safety, Quality and Environment Manager Bryn Clarke attended Catalis’ headquarters at the Derby Conference Centre for the NEBOSH General Certificate course.

Held over 12 days, divided into three blocks of four days, each separated by a week, it is a highly intensive course but is scheduled to minimise disruption to an attendee’s main duties. During the periods when delegates return to their day job, tutors offer on-going support either on the phone, via email or face-to-face.

Catalis has a reputation for excellence as a training company which, after seven decades specialising in the rail industry, offers health and safety training for people working in many other sectors, including manufacturing, electrical, construction, environmental, energy and the public sector, including H.M. Forces throughout the UK and internationally.

They also have the added benefit of offering delegates the on-site residential facilities of sister company, The Derby Conference Centre, centrally located in Derby and in easy reach of the motorway network and East Midlands airport.

The result

Having successfully completed the course, Bryn Clarke returned to his job at Ganymede with a fresh perspective.

He explained: “I have been working in the rail sector for 30 years, and a manager in the railway industry for 12 years, and it opened my eyes”.

“It identifies a good approach to instilling an excellent health, safety and environment culture in an organisation. The course equips you to address health and safety issues in any industry – and the tutors were excellent”.

”It certainly increased my understanding of the legal implications of failing to take action or of taking the wrong sort of action.”

Mr Clarke did not return to find any glaring omissions in Ganymede’s health and safety procedures, but he did find ways of refining their systems to make them more effective.

One example was reorganising the way briefings were held so the company could demonstrate, with formal records, that it had discharged its duty to provide employees with information and training.

Mr Clarke said: “If companies do not have a NEBOSH qualified person on board, they might miss something – or they wouldn’t realise the implications of failing to act in a certain way, or failing to provide certain things”.

“They might break the law. The course has been invaluable to me and to Ganymede Solutions and is another step in showing our commitment to protecting the health and safety of our employees.”

There are also wider benefits for Ganymede of Mr Clarke having attended the course, as it is a pre-requisite for procurement contracts with major clients.

Mr Clarke added: “The NEBOSH certificate offers a significant amount of assurance to both existing and potential clients about the fact that we have the highest possible standards of health and safety both within our organisation and when our staff work externally.”