When Enterprise Inns plc wanted to help its 6000 leased and tenanted pubs across the UK improve their compliance position, it set about developing a safety management solution (SMS) that would match those normally found among well-known high-street retailers.
The objective of the SMS was to offer a simple compliance package, encompassing a range of ‘hard’ services, such as fire system inspection and maintenance, and fixed wire installation and gas testing, combined with ‘soft’ services, in the form of on-site consultancy.
The company selected Praxis42 to help deliver the consultancy services – initially through a consortium and, latterly, as a direct partner. The selection of Praxis42 was based on its competence in delivering a range of services, including a health, safety and environment review, food safety audit, guidance and advice on access to goods and services, and a fire risk assessment.
When carrying out consultancy visits, the company aims to help publicans better understand what they need to do in a simple and straightforward way. Either during the visit itself, or shortly afterwards, a comprehensive report of priority actions is provided, along with a health and safety manual. In a situation where the publican wants additional help, they have access to an ‘ask the expert’ service.
Ryan Kershaw, group health and safety manager at Enterprise, commented: “The SMS we have developed with Praxis42 is leading edge in the sector and has brought some great benefits to our leased and tenanted publicans. The success has come from working closely with Praxis42, which has the underpinning health and safety knowledge to understand what is required and to apply pragmatic solutions. Coupled with this, they use technology to deliver efficiencies that I never thought possible until I saw it in action. The SMS has made a huge impact on Enterprise and is seen as a key part of our business.”
Keith Paxman, managing director at Praxis42, commented: “The Enterprise SMS is a great example of how much we value working closely with our customers to find pragmatic, simple and smart solutions. Our in-house adviser team is able to deliver exactly what is required and feedback on issues that improve the service for both the publican and Enterprise, which, in turn, helps continually develop the service.”
On this final point, the SMS has recently started to include asbestos-condition management surveys. Kershaw explained: “Ensuring that asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) are being managed in premises is an important aspect of risk management in the SMS and we have recently developed a condition survey, which helps highlight where ACMs are being managed effectively and where they are not.
“The Praxis42 team have the competence to identify ACMs from the premises surveys and compare the condition from the time the survey was undertaken. This new feature of the SMS has again been a great benefit to our publicans.”
For further information on how this type of service could help your organisation manage risks across a large premises portfolio, e-mail [email protected] or call 0870 446 4201.
