A company in Huddersfield providing air conditioning and refrigeration services has been recognised for its commitment to health and safety.
Crowther & Shaw, based at Queenmill Industrial Estate, Lockwood, has received accreditation from safecontractor – the third party accreditation scheme which recognises very high standards in health and safety management amongst UK contractors.
Crowther & Shaw, which has 23 employees, is principally involved in the commercial air conditioning, refrigeration and ventilation sector and has a turnover in excess of £2m. Clients include RBS, McDonalds and several local authorities, NHS trusts and universities.
The safecontractor accreditation will enhance the company’s ability to attract new contracts – and its commitment to safety will be viewed positively by its insurers when the company liability policy is up for renewal.
Safecontractor is applicable to most sectors, although it is particularly relevant to food manufacture, property, facilities management, retail and leisure sectors, all of which are big users of contracted services.
John Kinge, technical director of safecontractor said: “Major organisations simply cannot afford to run the risk of employing contractors who are not able to prove that they have sound health and safety policies in place.
“More companies need to understand the importance of adopting good risk management in the way that Crowther & Shaw has done. The firm’s high standard has set an example which hopefully will be followed by other companies within the sector.”
Under the safecontractor scheme, businesses undergo a vetting process which examines health and safety procedures and their track record for safe practice. Those companies meeting the high standard are included on a database, which is accessible to registered users only via a website.
Client organisations signing up to the scheme can access the database, enabling them to vet potential contractors. Clients agree that, as users of the scheme, they will engage only those with accreditation. More than 170 major businesses from several key sectors have signed up to use the scheme when selecting contractors for building, cleaning, maintenance, refurbishment or electrical and mechanical work.
