Insight – industry accreditations
PTSG was recently pleased to be awarded ISO 45001 for Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems. It’s the latest in a very long list (over 130) of standards and accreditations the Group has achieved. This is largely a consequence of the multi-disciplinary nature of the specialist services the Group provides across its four divisions.
ISO 45001 replaces OHSAS 18001 and has other requirements which organisations are obliged to fulfil. There is a three-year period, which began on 12th March 2018 and will expire in March 2021, during which those organisations accredited with OHSAS 18001 can achieve the replacement standard ISO 45001.
PTSG took the decision to transition early as it was a natural progression from the Group’s 18001 certificate renewal in June, adding just an additional day to the audit process. It has removed the need to go through renewal of the certificate in two years (normally three years) and avoids any delays or booking audits. As 18001 expiry gets closer, more and more organisations will be looking to book their place in the auditing process.
Industry firsts
In May 2017, an external auditor attended PTSG’s UK Dry Risers Ltd. and UK Dry Maintenance Ltd. sites to review the businesses’ quality management and work planning processes. As a result, both received ISO 9001 & 14001, and OHSAS 18001, making them the first independent dry riser service providers to achieve these accreditations in the UK.
PTSG acquired UK Dry Risers Ltd and UK Dry Risers Maintenance Ltd in July 2016. Both businesses have become part of the Group’s Electrical Services division, offering specialist qualified dry and wet riser installation and maintenance services nationwide to buildings of all sizes in a range of sectors.
Safety is central
A large amount of the work carried out by PTSG’s engineers is safety-critical, and the Group continually seeks to drive up industry standards in health and safety. PTSG was the first organisation of its kind to employ a full-time Health, Safety and Environment department, headed by Director Terry Wilcock. This has resulted in eight consecutive RoSPA Gold Medals as well as recognition by the British Safety Council for its practices and guidelines.
The Group is also extremely proactive in helping its employees to deal with mental health issues. In 2017-18 mental health problems accounted for 15.4 million sick leave days in the UK and around 300,000 people a year leave the workplace because of mental health problems.
Terry Wilcock said: “Over the course of our work we have seen an evolution in how our leadership team views workplace well-being, with the focus shifting from the reactive management of sickness absence to a more proactive effort around employee engagement and preventative initiatives.
“A mentally healthy workplace and increased employee engagement are interdependent – by looking after employees’ mental well-being, staff morale and loyalty, innovation, productivity and profits will all rise.”
