Bachy Soletanche is proud to announce that it has been selected as this year’s winner of the Victor Award, recognising the company’s advancements in health and safety performance throughout 2022.
The awards were set up by Soletanche Bachy in 2001 to reward its subsidiaries that have implemented the most impactful health and safety initiatives each year. Each business is assessed in areas such as health and safety performance, initiatives, training, and occupational health management.
The achievement marks the third time Bachy Soletanche has been crowned the winner of the Victor Award, with previous successes coming in 2004 and 2006.
Soletanche Freyssinet QHSE Director, Lorenzo Alessi recently visited the team in London to present the trophy. Commenting on the achievement he said:
“The ability to learn, from both failures and everyday performance, has strongly contributed to Bachy Soletanche’s success in the Victor Awards. The judges were impressed with the practicality and effectiveness of Bachy Soletanche’s health and safety innovations, especially the auger stem cleaner and ‘iGuard’ device. These are examples of innovations and practices that could be successfully deployed in the wider Soletanche Bachy Group.”
In March, Bachy Soletanche was invited to Poland to present its submission to the Soletanche Bachy Club Action Safety (CAS) group. As the nominated UK entry, Bachy Soletanche was one of 60 Soletanche Bachy businesses competing for the acclaimed prize. The award submission detailed a wide array of health and safety advancements it made last year – some of the most notable ones being the iGuard system, the Rig Operators Training Scheme and the Auger Stem Cleaner.
iGuard Safety Innovation
One of Bachy Soletanche’s standout health and safety achievements last year was the comprehensive iGuard and training solution that it developed alongside TSS2. The iGuard (Ignition Guard) is a multi-functional authorisation device that can be fitted to plant and workshop machinery, and only grants access to authorised and competent personnel. The system works in conjunction with a training programme to ensure employees are fully qualified to operate the equipment and also offers a sustainability benefit by gathering data on engine idling times. Read more…
Rig Operators Training Scheme
In 2022, Bachy Soletanche developed an in-house rig operator training course. The two-week structured course enables trainees to achieve their initial CPCS ‘red card’ status. The programme includes rig simulator training and health and safety training related to platform operations.
Upon successful completion of the training programme, trainees are then enrolled onto a two-year NVQ course where they will gain the necessary skills to gain their CPCS (blue card) Competent Operator status.
Auger Stem Cleaner
Bachy Soletanche’s site and plant department teams collaborated to design an excavator mounted CFA stem cleaning device. This innovative solution removes the need for site operatives having to work within the danger zone while having to unblock the CFA. Therefore, it has removed the risk of operatives being sprayed by pressurised wet concrete as the blockage clears. Read more….
Alongside these initiatives, Bachy Soletanche’s submission highlighted several other health and safety performance improvements that the company made in 2022:
Management Commitment
- Carried out over 500 employee engagement tours to gain feedback on safety issues
- Responded quickly and efficiently to high potential incidents
Safety Leadership Transformation
- Provided the latest safety training to employees in leadership and frontline supervisory roles
Campaigns and Events
- Delivered monthly campaigns to employees covering important health, safety, quality and environmental issues
- Hosted a successful 2022 VINCI Safety Week with training on lifting operations, as well as complimentary health checks and cancer awareness sessions
Employee Health Services
- Offered physical and mental health programmes to employees, including annual health assessments for safety critical staff, 24-hour access to an Employee Assistance Programme and a team of Mental Health First Aiders (Read more about our approach)
Awards
- Achieved nine consecutive RoSPA (The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents) Gold Awards
- Won the Safety Innovation prize at the 2022 Federation of Piling Specialists (FPS) awards and the 2022 Ground Engineering Health and Safety Award
Contributing to Soletanche Bachy Initiatives
- As part of the Group’s 2022 “Team up for Safety” initiative, Bachy Soletanche organised a ‘Presenting Skills’ training workshop. This encouraged employees to effectively communicate about health and safety during pre-start briefings
- Shared safety best practices across the wider Group via safety alerts, meetings, storyboards and Toolbox Talks
- Contributed to safety working groups within Soletanche Freyssinet and the wider industry
