Risk Reduction Through Design Award
British Wool has been placed Runner Up in the prestigious Health and Safety Executives (HSE) annual Risk Reduction through Design Award.
Essentially, companies throughout the UK put forward design ideas that reduce Manual Handling injuries. It is an extremely detailed and extensive process which is judged by the HSE and Chartered Institute for Ergonomics. The award was presented at the CIEHF’s virtual awards ceremony on the 17th of June.
The Issue:
As our members know… wool sheets are a large cumbersome item which can vary greatly in weight. Due to these challenges, it was felt that a solution was needed in eliminating or comprehensively reducing the risk of manual handling injuries for the wellbeing of our employees.
Solution:
Billy Hewitson, Head of Depot Operations, decided to design and construct a weigh frame that sits above the weigh scale so that wool sheets could be transported by forklift. Thus, enabling multiple sheets to be moved at once and eliminating manual handling.
Billy built and trialled the frame which was proven extremely successful which has now been installed in most depots - the benefits are being felt in safety and productivity company wide.
It has eliminated the manual handling aspect of in-taking wool sheets. The impact has been significant for the teams as it has halted any potential injuries that would occur during a season.
Additional Benefits:
- Increased productivity as we can move more product in an expedient manner which benefits the members
- Staff can be utilised elsewhere within the depot
Barry Bellis Depot Manager Newtown said: “We introduced the frame in our Intake area on one side to see if it worked. We were so impressed, it has been introduced throughout the whole area. Why did we not do this before?”
Colin Steele Depot Manager Evanton added: “At first we were sceptical; I have never been happier to be proven wrong!”
Mike Quilligan QHSE Manager said; “This initiative is fantastic due to its effectiveness and simplicity. For Billy to win this award is amazing and clearly demonstrates British Wool’s commitment to keeping its staff safe and improving all our processes.”
