By sampay At the close of a successful 2019 RoSPA Health and Safety Awards, 20% of entries received were from international organizations… that’s more than ever before! From Mauritius to Hong Kong, our community awards continue to grow year after year.
Based at their head office in Shenzhen, China, we spoke to Huang Yuan Zheng, President of China General Nuclear Europe Energy (CGN EE), about their awards journey towards their first RoSPA Health and Safety Award…
What motivated you/your organization to enter the RoSPA Awards?
RoSPA is an international organization for the prevention of accidents, it is an honor for CGN EE to receive recognition from this institution.
What benefits does winning a RoSPA Award have for you/your organization?
The Awards help us to demonstrate our commitment to excellent standards. In addition, it contributes to motivating our workforce to become better and better in that field. We are always looking for ways to improve our organization.
Which innovative approaches, risk assessment practices and/or control measures to manage health and safety are you particularly proud of from your most recent RoSPA Awards submission?
At CGN EE we have adopted a range of tools which help us in many ways to standardize practices, be more efficient and communicate in advance of upcoming dangerous weather conditions during maintenance work.
Five HSE tools have been acquired:
- Software managing all statutory checks of our assets and helps us to manage training, all safety equipment and HSE documents
- Software dedicated to regulatory analysis in all the countries where CGN EE is located
- Software for the HSE induction of our contractors
- A system for the forecast of lightning in order to keep our contractors informed about dangerous weather conditions
- HSE audit software.
What outcomes have come from your organization’s approach to health and safety management (eg fewer accidents, reduced absence/lost working days, greater feelings of staff wellbeing etc.)?
We are able to communicate and share a range of indicators via monthly SHE reports and as part of our management reviews. The indicators include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Status of the current construction site
- Accidents and near-miss
- Incidents and hazards
- safety observations
- Initiatives
- Training/inductions
- current issues
- Environmental management
- Behavioral safety observations and performance
- Audits and inspections
- Safety actions required to be flagged.
What do you enjoy most about the RoSPA Awards process?
It takes time, effort and hard work to improve HSE within a company. CGN EE has always placed this field as a critical business operation on a day to day basis. This recognition confirms that we are working in the right direction since the beginning of our activities in 2014, but it is just the beginning…
What do you think entrants could do over the year to keep drafting an award submission simple?
To keep drafting an award submission simple, entrants should keep track and proof of the efficiency of their system throughout the year. They also need to think about continuous improvement and how to improve HSE performance.
What advice would you give to organizations considering entering the RoSPA Awards for the first time?
The RoSPA Awards is a long term process, it reflects the effectiveness and commitment of an organization in terms of HSE. My advice is to focus on improving the HSE performance of your organization and the Awards process will be naturally delivered to those who can demonstrate this efficiency.
How would you convince organizations not entering the RoSPA Awards to start entering?
RoSPA is a well-known organization for the prevention of accidents, it helps companies to improve their HSE performance based on the continuous improvement approach. Following RoSPA guidelines is a guarantee to work in the right direction for the management of HSE. In addition, the achieved internal and external recognition will be motivating for all interested parties.
Has your organization got what it takes to achieve a RoSPA Award? Our internationally-renowned RoSPA Health and Safety Awards provide the perfect opportunity to globally benchmark your organization. Click here to read how winning a RoSPA Award has benefited other organizations…