Culture of safety is key to success

Mark Tartaglia, HSEQ manager at eGroup, has led the introduction of the golden rules initiative and says he is excited to build on strong foundations

North-east businesses can ensure continued growth by creating a culture of safety, in order to attract and retain staff.

That is the view of Mark Tartaglia, HSEQ manager at eGroup – a leading provider of integrated services to the construction and oil and gas industries.

He believes that through working with personnel at all levels, the company is not only educating people about their own roles and responsibilities, but increasing awareness of how these impact upon others through the roll-out of key initiatives.

Mark was previously operations director at an

HSEQ consultancy, where he worked with clients to deliver health, safety, environmental and quality principles.

“Having recently joined eGroup, I am excited about the challenge to build upon the strong foundations already in place here and foster a culture of openness where safety is paramount,” said Mark.

“Operating in high-risk industries such as construction and oil and gas, our team is well-versed in the importance of safe working practices and compliance.”

As eGroup is spread across an 18-acre site in Kintore, with staff on sites across the country, this can present challenges and opportunities from a health and safety perspective.

Mark has led the introduction of the golden rules initiative, and believes it will vastly improve safety culture.

Based on HSE standards, the golden rules are a set of 10 core areas that affect personal safety, and are used to communicate critical requirements to employees in all operations; ranging from working at height and driving safely, to confined spaces and handling chemicals.

“Another initiative we are introducing to further help prevent accidents at eGroup is the new intervention system, which allows all employees to record and highlight any unsafe activities,” said Mark.

“Most importantly, this tool empowers staff to stop work if they have any concerns over safety.

“Safety is a vital part of our culture at eGroup.

“But for this to be truly successful we need to make sure that these values are properly embedded right across the company.

“Ultimately, our priority is to ensure that everyone gets home safely and in good health at the end of every working day.”

PRIORITY: Mark Tartaglia was operations director at an HSEQ consultancy