While last week was Lost Time Injury (LTI) and Recordable Injury (TRI) free across Europe Related Businesses, unfortunately the team has had to retrospectively add an employee TRI to the report, following a Restricted Work Injury at the UK Floors factory in Wick at the end of the previous week.

The injured employee strained his ankle on the Friday morning, when he lost his footing while climbing down from a static platform following some maintenance work.  He was able to resume work after visiting a medical centre on the Friday and it was initially thought he had suffered a first aid injury, however, on return to work after the weekend, it was apparent that he could not do his full range of duties and was placed on restricted work. The platform is just over 1.6 metres from the ground, with a short vertical access ladder.

The requirement to “Get a Grip” and maintain three points of contact on steps and stairways, and when getting in and out of vehicles is one of the fundamental behaviours included in our Safety Essentials.  Everyone must follow the Safety Essentials if they are to keep themselves and their colleagues safe.  In addition, we have a moral duty to look after each other and Step In if we see anyone acting unsafely.

Finally, it is important that we retain our additional focus on contractor safety throughout the remainder of this quarter of the year, a period when we have seen contractors are at greatest risk of serious injury.  Managers and Supervisors carrying out site VFL tours are asked to ensure they involve as many contractors as possible in their observations and discussions, with a target of between 50% and 75% of VFLs involving contractors.