Abseiling access company becomes a member of the Safecontractor Health and Safety Assessment Scheme

April 26, 2010 - PRLog -- Hancock Industrial Access Ltd is a leading supplier in industrial rope access services, scaling some of the UK’s most recognisable landmarks and buildings including Tower Bridge, London Bridge, Albert Bridge and many City of London buildings, in order to carry out vital repairs and maintenance.

The subcontractors hired by Hancock Industrial Access Ltd use industrial abseiling equipment to carry out a variety of tasks, including, high rise window cleaning, structural surveys, fitting & repairing lighting, installing safety eyebolts and bird proofing buildings. The specialist service negates the need for costly scaffolding in difficult to reach areas.

Working at such heights can be a very risky business and companies such as Hancock Industrial Access Ltd have to ensure compliance with the Working at Height Regulations 2005 and other relevant regulations, especially in the light of recent legislation Health and Safety (Offences) Act (2009) and the Corporate Manslaughter Act (2008).

Kate Deyn who runs the company with her husband Ryder said: “The environment we work in has the potential to be extremely dangerous and therefore it is important to us that we always operate in the safest way and that we are up to date with all recent legislation in health and safety.

“We are continually promoting a safety conscious culture and carry out detailed risk assessments and method statements prior to each job. Our ropes and rigging equipment are subject to inspection prior to every use, updated on a regular basis and replaced if there is any wear and tear.

“Being a member of SAFEcontractor has reinforced this safety culture and has streamlined the process of managing our risks. It’s great for our business because we can prove to our customers that we take safety seriously.

“We decided to opt for SAFEcontractor, as it is one of the most respected and well known schemes amongst our clients. The process of reaching accreditation was extremely thorough and we were well supported by the SAFEcontractor team, who gave us clear information and helpful advice on how to meet their criteria.”

The Essex based company was established in 1999 by Kate and Ryder Deyn, who turned their love of abseiling into a business venture. Hancock Industrial Access Ltd employs around 20 subcontractors on a regular basis and has a £150k turnover.

Darran Hughes, Business Unit Director for SAFEcontractor (http://www.safecontractor.com) said:  “Industrial Abseiling is a profession that presents obvious risks of injury due to working at substantial heights. Companies similar to Hancock Industrial Ltd need to have extremely robust measures in place when it comes to monitoring health and safety issues.

“It is an organisation’s legal requirement to ensure that any external contractors they employ have been properly vetted and are compliant with legislation such as the Working at Heights Regulations 2005. It makes good sense for companies working within high risk industries to adopt a scheme that can assist in upholding these obligations.”

Under the SAFEcontractor system, businesses undergo a vetting process, which examines health and safety procedures and their track record for safe practice. Those companies meeting the high accreditation standard are included on a database, which is accessible to registered users only via a website: http://www.safecontractor.com.

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The SAFEcontractor scheme is a third party accreditation assessment scheme that assesses the health and safety competency of contractors and service providers.

Currently SAFEcontractor has almost 150 clients and around 18,000 contractor members.