R&C Williams | FORS Accreditation rubber stamps quality, safety & sustainability
The Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme (FORS) is a voluntary accreditation scheme for fleet operators which aims to raise the level of quality within fleet operations, and to demonstrate which operators are achieving exemplary levels of best practice in safety, efficiency, and environmental protection.
Now, R&C Williams joins this exemplary collection of businesses, operating its fleet to this widely recognised standard of excellence by achieving the FORS Bronze accreditation.
Led by Transport Manager Richard Toy, the R&C crusade to FORS has been a long-held objective. As Richard himself tells us, when he joined the business in August last year, becoming FORS accredited was extremely high on his ‘to do’ list.
“It was possibly the number one objective set to me by the Director team here.” Richard explained.
“This was something we wanted to achieve to prove to our clients and workforce that the fleet is managed & operated in a sustainable and safe manor. The business is extremely passionate about this, and now with the approval of FORS we can well and truly say that we walk the walk, as well as talk the talk.”
VIEW FORS BRONZE ACCREDITATION
We asked Richard about the process itself, and how as both a new addition to the business and indeed, the sector, tackling FORS accreditation as major task number one was as an experience:
“It wasn’t easy starting from scratch coming from a motor industry background with little transport knowledge other than the highway code but gaining the FORS accreditation was going to be something we could be proud of so as with any challenge, we worked out step one and went from there with all our energy.
“Staff training was step one.
“Due to COVID-19, I was unable to deliver the training in one day to all of our operatives. So, I made a guide for all the operatives to follow so they could individually complete the required training. We had over 40 operatives that needed to complete 2hrs worth of training which covered van safety, pedestrian safety, load securing, cycle safety, smart driving, and security & counter terrorism.
“As it happens, making it safe for everyone to safely complete the training was a task in itself, and it took 2 months to work around everyone as we were still delivering daily and we didn’t want to disrupt any of the day-to-day work schedules.
“The result of this was actually the majority of operatives completing the training at home in their own time – which showed us their commitment to the company and the achievement of FORS accreditation.”
Moving Forward
R&C Williams becoming a FORS member means that the company is managing its work-related road risk (WRRR) – and demonstrates to both customers and the supply chain that the business is committed to not just meeting, but exceeding industry standards.
Richard adds:
“Moving forward, we want R&C Williams to stand out amongst tender applications as we continue to grow and deliver across the country. Actively seeking out accreditations like FORS to display the quality processes that we implement only helps that aim.”
GIV£1
The R & C GIV£1 initiative sees company employees make a £1 a week donation from their salaries, then matched by the business and donated to a local charity on a monthly basis.
R&C urges other companies across the sector to take up this initiative and aid their local communities with charitable donations.
