Specialist offsite contractor M-AR has recently undertaken an innovative new company-wide health and safety training programme, Pay it Forward Safety, and the benefits are already clear to see
Pay it Forward Safety training is an exciting innovative health and safety training programme based on the simple premise, “Work Safe, Be Kind, Repeat” – an approach that fits perfectly into M-AR’s ethos as a people-centric business.
The idea behind the health and safety training, which was delivered by Lattitude Safety Productions, is to put the onus on staff to take responsibility for their own working environment and look out for each other.
Pay it Forward Safety is inspired by research at two leading universities
Inspired by research at two of the world’s leading universities, Pay it Forward Safety training takes a positive and proactive approach, looking at what staff can do to stay safe rather than focussing on all the things they should avoid doing.
Centered on getting people to use and share their knowledge
The training is centered on getting people to use and share their knowledge, experience and instincts in order to create a more thoughtful, kinder organisation people want to work for and with.
The majority of M-AR staff have now participated in the programme’s interactive and practical workshops which focussed on safety, health and wellbeing. Each workshop involved small mixed groups selected from a cross-section of departments and levels of management to encourage employees to interact with people they wouldn’t normally within the working day. The mixed groups also ensured that each workshop included as many different perspectives as possible.
‘Work Safe, Be Kind, Repeat’
Tony Frost, health and safety manager at M-AR commented: “We’re always looking for innovative new ways of doing things and we knew straight away that the Pay it Forward Safety behavioural training programme would be the perfect fit for us as a company.
“Staff seemed to really enjoy the training and get a lot out of it with their feedback showing that they felt it had helped them think differently while the concise message to ‘Work Safe, Be Kind, Repeat’, was easy to understand and remember.
‘Creating a kinder working environment’
“Our aim is to be a company that people want to work for and with and that is why we put people at the heart of everything we do.
“By creating a kinder working environment where people actively look out for each other and themselves, it will make us more productive as individuals and as a team.
“We’ve already noticed a difference and this will no doubt have an impact on our client’s projects going forward too.”
Showing that M-AR practices what it preaches, the company is ‘paying it forward’ by offering everyone who took part in the training a £10 Starbucks voucher which they can either use themselves or pass on to someone else who they feel would benefit.
M-AR provides a free, healthy breakfast for the factory team
The training has also led to the creation of M-AR’s new breakfast club for factory operatives which is proving extremely popular. M-AR provides a free, healthy breakfast including cereals, bagels and fresh fruit for the factory team to help themselves to at breakfast or in their mid-morning break.
For more information call 01482 635 08, email buildingrelationships@m-ar.co.uk or visit www.m-ar.co.uk
