Managing Safety
Safety is our number one priority.We are committed to preventing injury or harm to our employees, our customers and others affected by our activities. Our goal is to eliminate all injuries to our staff or customers and all vehicle collisions.
Our safety programme is led by the Executive Safety Committee, chaired by the Chief Executive. The programme is implemented through a comprehensive safety management structure which cascades down to site level. Safety data is reviewed monthly at Group, divisional, company and site level to analyse performance trends. This allows us to develop our safety strategy and drive performance improvements.
Injury Prevention
We want safe behaviour to become a way of life for our employees. We promote this through our safety programme, Injury Prevention and are seeking to drive cultural change in safety across the Group. We promote Injury Prevention through proactive communication on safety issues and encourage all employees to take personal responsibility for their safety and the safety of those around them.
All employees receive Injury Prevention training and have a handbook to engage them actively in the process. Additional training is provided to directors, managers, supervisors and safety representatives to help them lead effectively. This is supported by ongoing programmes of briefings and specialist safety training for employees as required.
Key Developments in 2007/08
- Integration of the new North American operations into our safety structure commenced successfully. All new employees received an Injury Prevention safety briefing within one month of the acquisition. Work continues to ensure full integration.
- The Smith System Defensive Driving programme was introduced in our UK Bus division. All our bus drivers in the UK will be trained in these techniques by June 2008. The programme has proved highly effective in North America where the programme’s training processes continue to improve and evolve.
- Extension of our mobile phone policy to all staff, prohibiting the use of hands-free mobile phones whilst driving. It will promote safer driving and greater safety for our employees.
- Our data capture processes have been enhanced with the introduction of a new database to log the outcome of safety conversations.
- A drama based on safety issues and workplace behaviours has been produced on DVD and will be shown to all managers and supervisors in 2008.
- The First Safety Awards celebrating success were launched.
Providing Leadership In Road Safety
This year we joined several major international organisations for the signing of the European Safety Charter. This effectively creates a task force of major organisations who will share best practice and the latest thinking across the Continent to make tangible improvements to road safety across the European Union.
Safety Awards Donated To Charity
Our annual safety conference in December re-emphasised the message that safety is our number one priority and core value. The conference was attended by over 120 senior managers. First TransPennine Express, First Hull Trains and our South Yorkshire bus operations received a special ‘safety award’ in recognition of their exceptional approach to safety performance. Their prize was £10,000 each to donate to local charity, or charities nominated by the staff of the company. First donated a matching amount (£30,000) to Save the Children.
| Our Group Safety Performance Trends 2007/08 | |
|---|---|
| Performance Trend April 2007-March 2008 compared to the previous 12 month period | |
| Lost time injuries (over one day) per 1,000 employees per year | -23% |
| All injuries per 1,000 employees per year | -9% |
| Passenger injuries per million miles | -10% |
| Vehicle collisions per million miles | -15% |
* Figures exclude injury arising from assaults on staff.
There were no employee or passenger fatalities this year. A number of third party fatalities occurred in circumstances outwith our control. We deeply regret these incidents and continue to work to minimise their occurrence. Injuries to our staff also arise from physical assaults. The number of physical assaults on staff continues to reduce. We have zero tolerance to assaults in the workplace and continue to do everything we can to further reduce their occurrence.
We continue to achieve safety performance improvements in relation to all our safety key performance indicators. We will seek to achieve further improvements in performance in the coming year.