Making Austin Hayes a happy and safe haven for its employees – obtaining the ISO 45001:2018 accreditation
Employee safety is paramount at Austin Hayes. That’s why we’re dedicated to ensuring that every step is taken to protect the welfare of our staff, visitors and clients to reduce workplace risks and create a better, safer working environment. This also includes promoting and protecting the physical and mental health of our employees, a key concern in 2019 with ‘presenteeism’ on the rise.
With this duty of care and corporate responsibility in mind, we set out to achieve the ISO 45001 Occupational Health and Safety accreditation, a standard that helps organisations to provide safe and healthy workplaces, and continually improve their performance over time. We’re proud to say that thanks to the ‘eyes wide-open’ approach of our team, we were able to obtain the ISO 45001:2018 certification in July, which has led to remarkable changes throughout the entire company.
What is the ISO 45001:2018?
The ISO 45001:2018 is an international standard that provides an actionable framework to manage occupational health and safety risks. The purpose is to prevent work-related injuries and ill health to workers by helping companies take effective measures to eliminate hazards and potential risks. It also provides clear guidelines on how to implement and maintain a sound management system, giving organisations and third-parties the peace of mind that an effective occupational health and safety system is in place.
For the system to be successful, a company must implement and achieve a number of key factors. A few examples include ongoing performance evaluations; allocating necessary resources to maintain a set standard; consulting with workers and their representatives; and encouraging top-level management to develop, lead and promote a culture in the organisation that supports the intended outcomes of the occupational health and safety system.
Rewarding results
In once more prioritising our employees – putting their health and safety first with the protocols we rolled out across the company – we began to see physical, mental and emotional improvements in the whole team, which impacted directly on the day-to-day running of Austin Hayes.
As our workforce adjusted to the new system, the factory floor became much more organised, and our ongoing projects more streamlined. Beyond that, we saw better communication between teams, as well as a significant improvement in mental health and the attitudes of our staff. This positive perspective was also reflected by many of our clients, who on visiting Austin Hayes themselves, commented that the workplace environment was notably clean and tidy, and that they felt confident that their projects were in the best possible hands.
Delighted by these results and feedback, we decided to innovate further. In the spirit of continuing to better our employees, we rolled out a series of demonstrations and lectures that we called ‘toolbox talks’: sessions that covered the ins and outs of using cutting-edge equipment. This initiative boosted our employees’ skills and increased their satisfaction with their work, by keeping them up-to-date with the latest knowledge on operating the machinery at Austin Hayes safely and efficiently. These talks proved to be extremely successful – making our team more knowledgeable, enthusiastic and united than ever – and we’re still hosting them on a regular basis.
A bright future
We’re absolutely committed to the health and safety of everybody at Austin Hayes, and believe that our employees’ happiness at work and ability to grow through training are crucial to honouring that commitment. The ISO 45001:2018 has helped us to nurture and pursue these priorities, and we’re delighted to be able to add it to our growing list of accolades. Moreover, we’re thrilled to see the wonderful effects that achieving this accreditation has had across the company, and are confident that it’ll continue to help us thrive.