Powering improvement in health and safety strategy

It is a commitment that comes from the heart, because anyone who has worked for an organisation that has been involved in a serious accident remembers forever the impact on their and other people’s lives.

“In the electricity sector, where physical risks tend to be apparent to employers and employees, the health risks that workers face are not always visible.”

Progress towards the objective of making our sector the safest in the world requires a strategic approach and collaboration between all parts of the industry and at every level our organisations.

That is why, in 2010, we launched the ‘Powering Improvement’ strategy to bring together electricity companies through Energy Networks Association (ENA) and Energy UK; trade unions; and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to drive an ambitious and comprehensive effort to improve performance and ensure the safety and health of all employees who work in the sector and collaborate as much as possible with our contracting parties.

The strategy helps identify key risks and opportunities within the sector through annual focus topics all of which highlight the key overarching issues of Leadership, Competence and Worker Involvement.

The second phase of Powering Improvement began in 2015, with a new five year strategy which aims to build on the success so far.  All the strategy partners are participating in the new phase, demonstrating the continued collaboration and commitment within the industry to further drive down incidents of work related injury and ill health.

The use of annual themes helps to focus on the key issues, with last year’s theme looking at ‘managing occupational ill health risks’. In the electricity sector, where physical risks tend to be apparent to employers and employees, the health risks that workers face are not always visible. 

In 2017 we are revisiting a previous theme focussing on asset management to highlight the importance of an organisation’s approach to the proper management and maintenance of its physical assets and any implications for the health and safety of workers. All companies have detailed systems and procedures in place to manage their assets and the intention is to focus on key principles of asset management to further reduce the number of significant incidents and events within the electricity sector.

This is an issue which will be given renewed focus in light of the progression towards smarter networks and the Distribution System Operator (DSO) role. Efforts will be made to ensure issues associated with a more flexible and decentralised energy system, such as automation, innovation projects, the smart meter roll out and the development and introduction of smart systems, are sufficiently addressed.

As the electricity system evolves and becomes smarter, it is imperative that we apply the fundamental health and safety principles encapsulated by Powering Improvement as the industry adapts to new ways of operating and working with new technologies and equipment. The delivery plan for 2017 has been designed to deliver on this approach and includes other issues that both ENA and Energy UK Member Companies and the HSE have highlighted as risk areas for the industry.

By 2020 the UK electricity industry will have delivered a decade of sustained improvement in health and safety performance under the banner of Powering Improvement. The success of the approach can be seen in the reduction in the number of fatal and non-fatal accidents at work in the industry, and the recognition for Powering Improvement when it was held up as an example of best practice in the GB Health and Safety Strategy ‘Helping Great Britain Work Well’. Effective asset management is a key requirement of the strategy, and the deep knowledge and expertise within the industry can play a leading role in risk management of new technologies. This will help companies develop the capability to anticipate challenges and provide innovative solutions.

Organised by Energy Networks Association and hosted by National Grid, the 2017 Energy Industry Safety, Health and Environment Management Conference will be held at Edgbaston Stadium in Birmingham on 24-26 May. Register before 17 May at www.energynetworks.org/events/she-conference

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