Highway Care | Highway Care Holds It’s Second Safety Stand-Down Day

Chris Harris, HSEQ Manager leads discussions

In construction, the term ‘Safety Stand-down day’ commonly known as ‘Black Hats’ day is used to describe a wide variety of activities where normal work is paused and the attendees focus on particular safety concerns.

The day provides management with the opportunity to share a wide range of information among staff and help instil the safety procedures and policies already in place.

Highway Care held their first ‘Black Hats’ day in January 2019 which focused on

• Roles and Responsibilities
• Workplace Scenarios
• Accident Response and Investigation
• Transport and equipment
• Open Forum

Due to the days’ success, a second Black Hats day was held in March 2019 for all supervisors and team leaders. The day was led by Andrew MacCuish, Director of Operations and members of the management team.

Glen Aspinall, Operations Manager, leads safety exercise

The day consisted of expert lead topics, toolbox talks, regulation awareness, worker participation and workplace scenarios with an emphasis on the importance of accurate and consistent completion of documentation and innovative discussions.

Expert led talks 

Talks were led by employees with experience and knowledge within their respected fields throughout the day. One of the more complex topics was led by John Townsend, Transport Manager which focused on ‘Driver Hours and The Working Time Directive’. The talk highlighted how serious the risk of driving long hours are as well as the regulations that govern the number of hours that can be undertaken.

Worker participation

An important part of a ‘Black Hats’ day includes gaining hands-on experience and skills to use in everyday scenarios at work. The operations management team, Andy King, Kevin Shaw, and Glen Aspinall facilitated numerous practical exercises and workplace scenarios with a focus on Risk Assessments, Method Statements and Lift Plans.

The group take part in workplace practicals

Regulations and procedure awareness 

Chris Harris, HSEQ Manager, shared his knowledge and expertise with the group, emphasising the legal requirements for risk assessments and the importance of reflecting dynamic situations presented when on site.

Innovative Solutions for a Safer Future

To round up the day, Neil Levett, who recently joined the senior leadership team, lead a presentation and discussion on communicating and capturing innovations. Neil shared his 20 years of experience and knowledge with the group to encourage strategic thinking, implementation, and innovations. Find out more about Neil’s appointment here.

The day was very informative and a great success, with positive feedback from all involved. Highway Care look forward to future ‘Black Hat’ days and the opportunities for learning, communicating and sharing ideas and best practice.

Find out more about ‘Black Hats Days’ and whats involved here .