BSI Case Study BS OHSAS 18001 Occupational Health & Safety Management

Arriva, one of the UK’s largest bus operators, achieves a competitive advantage with BS OHSAS 18001 Occupational Health and Safety Management certification

“When our operating companies Customer objectives Customer benefits tender for local authority • A consistent occupational • Consistent, robust management contracts, certification to the health and safety management of health and safety standard will make the pre- system qualification process a lot easier. • A culture of continuous The fact that we’re audited by • Reduce workplace accidents improvement and potentially BSI – an independent third and illnesses fewer accidents party – provides customers • Achieve a competitive • Internationally recognized and prospects with critical advantage certification from BSI reassurance.” • Strengthen the Arriva brand • Improved employee awareness Christine Dargon , and engagement Safety Operations Manager, Arriva UK Bus • Be seen as a leader in the passenger transport sector • Reassurance to clients and prospects • Competitive advantage BSI Case Study Arriva BS OHSAS 18001 Occupational Health & Safety Management

Customer background and they work with private and public sector Following an initial company-level gap analysis Arriva was formed in 1997, when several partners to deliver effective transport solutions. by BSI in March 2013, health and safety companies and cultures were brought together Although the work activities carried out in the 7 managers were briefed on where changes were under the new Arriva brand. Today, the Arriva operating companies and their bus and coach needed and action plans were put in place. group is part of and provides a operation – from vehicle maintenance, refuelling Christine and Adrian then conducted their own range of commercial and contracted bus and and cleaning, to back-office administration - individual gap analysis for each Arriva location train services across Europe. In the UK, Arriva health and safety issues were being managed that was subsequently earmarked by BSI for is one of the largest bus operators, with 6,000 differently across their 88 locations. an audit inspection that year. “It was a big commitment – for three months we focused buses and employing 18,000 people. It provides “BS OHSAS 18001 requires a consistent services in , the north-east, north-west entirely on implementing BS OHSAS 18001,” approach, and this has been a major benefit © BSI Group BSI/UK/xxx/SC/1214/en/BLD says Christine. and south-east of , Yorkshire, the for us,” says Christine. “It has made our system Midlands and Wales. much stronger.” She adds, “This focused approach was worthwhile. I was pleasantly surprised by In 2014, Arriva achieved certification to She continues, “From the start, we decided to how well our current practices fitted in with BS OHSAS 18001, the best practice framework go for a single certification that would cover the standard. We only had to make modest for an occupational health and safety all our sites. This meant we would all pass or adjustments to meet the standard, but we also management system, at all its operating fail together, so we’ve had to work as a team to chose to reinforce awareness – for example, companies that comprise UK Bus. achieve it, sharing best practice.” through some dedicated, interactive safety days.” Why certification? Adrian adds that the certification process has Arriva’s bus services are in constant use by given a new injection of enthusiasm to health BSI’s role millions of passengers. The safety of these and safety management at Arriva, with “an “BSI has been a huge support,” says Christine. passengers and its employees is one of the outstanding level of commitment”, not only from “Its gap analysis was very comprehensive. It company’s core brand values and occupational its specialist health and safety professionals, but was great having a third party coming in with health and safety within its support and services at all levels right across the company. another set of eyes to help us identify areas for improvement. It gave us a clear plan of action operations is where BS OHSAS 18001 comes A specific area of improvement has been the and made us more comfortable with the audit into play. process for management review of health and and certification process.” A safe and healthy workplace and compliance safety, which was previously conducted at PLC with the law is underpinned by BS OHSAS level. This is now carried out in more detail at Adrian adds, “BSI’s training for our health and 18001. It has allowed Arriva to develop a robust divisional level by the Arriva UK Bus leadership safety managers was very thorough, getting us system to help it to identify hazards, assess team. “The results of the review are fed into up to speed on BS OHSAS 18001, explaining risks and take appropriate measures to mitigate our forward plans, making them much more the terminology used and highlighting key consequences. effective,” says Christine. areas.”

Christine Dargon, Safety Operations Manager, Most important of all, BS OHSAS has A formal process to deliver annual independent for Arriva’s UK bus operations explains, “We given Arriva a commercial advantage over audits in each operating company is in place, developed our internal audit process over competitors. “When our operating companies with Adrian aiming to visit a third of all a period of four years and by 2012 we’d tender for local authority contracts, for example, locations once a year. BSI then provides the formally launched our revised health and certification to the standard will make the pre- independent assessment to confirm whether safety management system. We already had qualification process a lot easier,” she says. “The the company is continuing to work to the a lot of good practices in place, but we hadn’t fact that we’re audited by BSI – an independent standard, through a six-monthly assessment at documented them terribly well,” she says. “We third party – provides customers and prospects UK Bus Head Office and a rolling programme naturally progressed to considering BS OHSAS with critical reassurance.” of surveillance assessments conducted at a 18001 to improve our documentation and help sample of sites. us ensure our system was effective.” Implementation Having received support for the project from UK Next steps BS OHSAS 18001 was initially highlighted during Bus leadership at the end of 2012, Christine and The company’s next priority is to enhance a BSI lead auditor training course attended Adrian began the process of implementing reporting of ‘near misses’ in accident statistics. by Adrian Lancaster, the internal Health and BS OHSAS 18001 in early 2013. “It’s all about continual improvement,” says Safety Auditor for Arriva’s UK Bus. “On my Christine. “It was never just about having a return I discussed the merits of the standard “There was some apprehension about the certificate on the wall; it is about changing with Christine, it was presented to our director, proposed implementation of BS OHSAS 18001,” the way people look at safety and making a received the approval of the UK Bus Leadership, says Adrian. To equip us for the certification difference to the business.” and at the end of 2012 we took the decision to journey, BSI was engaged in January 2013 to adopt BS OHSAS 18001 and seek certification” conduct an initial two-day training programme She concludes, “This has been demonstrated in says Adrian. for all 14 health and safety managers. “Once the way that managers have taken ownership of familiar with the requirements of the standard health and safety issues, ensuring we continue Benefits the health and safety managers really got to meet the requirements of the standard.” Arriva has strong regional management teams behind the implementation and it went very that are well placed to serve customers locally smoothly,” he says.

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