Builders Merchants Journal – BMJ Publishing to Builders Merchants and the UK merchanting industry for more than 95 years
AG (formerly Acheson + Glover) leads the way in committing to a positive health and safety culture across the company, with the launch of the “SafeDay” programme for the entire 200 strong workforce.
The specialist building products business with manufacturing locations in Fivemiletown, Toome, Ballygawley, Dunganon and Carryduff chose October to highlight Health and Safety, as a core employee engagement theme.
The initiative, led by CEO, Stephen Acheson with support from health, safety, environment and quality manager, Cathy Maguire, focused on raising awareness of four industry hazards with Mobile Plant, Isolation and LOTO, Silica Dust and Working at Height. The intensive programme also included a reminder of AG’s Covid-19 risk assessment and safety session for remote workers.
A “SafeDay” theme and logo were created, employees were encouraged to take a logo board home to take a photo of what they enjoy doing outside or work and show what is important to them when they get home safe. The campaign was marked by the issue of a high visibility fleece with the “SafeDay” logo and a branded water bottle to help promote the company’s well-being value.
Companywide TV screens were used to communicate important Health and Safety messages as well as share team photos from the SafeDay campaign. 
Maguire said: “The aim of this campaign was to raise awareness that AG wants all employees, contractors and visitors to leave our premises in the same healthy and safe condition in which they arrived. However, we can only achieve this by everyone taking personal responsibility and acting vigilantly and with full respect of company policy and procedures when on AG sites”
“SafeDay attracted a lot of very positive feedback across all our sites and we are keen to ensure our emphasis on health and safety continues all year round. We encourage reporting of hazards through our good catch programme via our Engage app, to keep the focus on AG’s commitment to Health & Safety. We want everyone at AG to #GoHomeSafe to their families each day.”
Group CEO, Stephen Acheson added: “At AG, the wellbeing of our employees is one of our core values. Safety is an essential component of all activities and it needs to be managed in such a manner as to avoid, reduce or (at the very least) control risk. Safety is the most crucial investment we can make – the question is not what it costs us, but what it saves.
“The objective for AG’s SafeDay campaign was to help make safety personal. We want to encourage more reporting of near misses, hazard spotting and good catches. We have made great progress to improve how we can manage health and safety throughout the business but there is no doubt that we can still get even better.”
