Continually improving safety

Stores depots in ESB Networks celebrate 1000 days without a lost time incident.

Managers, supervisors and Network Technicians across ESB rely on a particular group of staff to get a huge and varied amount of materials (poles, transformers, cables, meters etc.) to them on a regular basis so that they can carry out all their day-to-day work.

The Materials Function, Supply Chain, ESB Networks consists of 50 store staff across 35 main depots. Their function is to ensure that the materials required by ESB Networks' staff to connect customers are available when and where required. The main depots are divided into seven areas and some staff also manage satellite stores in smaller locations.

Not alone have all the Materials staff worked hard to ensure that materials are available across the country, store staff in the depots have continually worked to improve safety in their working environment. Last September, the store staff in the depots passed an exceptional 1000 days without a Lost Time Incident (LTI) achievement this was celebrated at an event in Athlone before Christmas.

So just what was involved in this?
This excellent safety performance was achieved during a period which included heavy demands for materials to meet the requirements for contractors and ESB Network's staff to carry out the Network Renewal Programme, amongst other things. Over this period, the stores have supplied ESB Networks with huge quantities of materials, including vast amounts of heavy, bulky and awkward to handle material such as substation units, large drums of cable, steel poles, cross arms and pole transformers all the way down to P.P.E., small hand tools, first aid kits and nuts and bolts. The vast majority of this material was moved through the stores by manual handling and forklift operations, both of which are high risk activities if not properly managed.

In order to ensure that material is received on time, detailed planning is required over a five year period. ESB Network's material requirements are conveyed to Materials department. Tenders are put in place and suppliers and manufacturers are selected from all over the world. Material delivery programmes are agreed with the suppliers to meet ESB Networks' planned maintenance or project schedules. Materials may be delivered direct to the depots from the supplier or via Dublin Supply Stores. As the materials arrive from the suppliers, the stores staff in the depots kick into action to ensure that it gets to its destination on time or is stored as appropriate. Typical day-to-day stores activities include manual handling, forklift operation and clerical work. The stores staff have shown that this can be done in a safe manner while at the same time meeting the demanding requirements of ESB Networks.

Since then, they have continued to improve safety with safety management systems including local safety plans, site specific risk assessments and wide communication of near miss reports throughout Supply Chain. In addition, infrastructure and equipment in depots has seen great improvements in the past few years. Training is also a key factor in continual safety improvement. A forklift truck refresher training programme across all the depots has also being recently completed by all stores staff and this was also made available to Network Technicians who may at times be required to operate forklifts in the depots.

The store staff have now exceeded three years without a lost time incident. With a commitment from all Supply Chain staff at all levels to continually improve safety, every hazardous operation is assessed so that it can be carried out in a safe manner and safety cannot now be separated from a task, they are inter-twined so that no task will be undertaken if it cannot be done safely. Five stores, Galway, Castlebar, Ballina, Athlone and Tuam, under the supervision of Mike Healy entered the ESB Networks Gerry Campbell Safety Awards as a team in 2006. This was the first time that a group of stores entered as a single entry. This year will see a further confidence in materials with three additional Supervisors intending to enter 15 stores between them. Well done to everyone involved. EM