Sword of Honour Awarded to Impress Merthyr Tydfil

The British Safety Council's prestigious Sword of Honour was awarded at the end of last year to representatives from Impress' Merthyr Tydfil plant in recognition of achieving 'Excellence in Health and Safety'. The Sword was presented at a ceremony held at the Goldsmith's Hall in the City of London. Her Majesty the Queen sent her best wishes to all those involved and the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown also added his congratulations.

The ceremony, which recognised achievements home and abroad, marks a rapid turn around in the fortunes of the factory which Impress acquired in 2006. Paul Fox, the Plant Manager, recognised the need to address the below par performance of the site and needed to rapidly improve morale and address quality, absenteeism and above all, safety. Paul passionately believes that "If you can't manage safety, you can't manage your business." 

John O'Malley, Russell Sherwood and Gareth Jones were key members of the team who were given the responsibility for coordinating Health and Safety and changing the culture on site. Initiatives of the British Safety Council (BSC) were quickly implemented, training courses were introduced and since May 2007 more than 150 employees have passed the one-day training course. This represents a huge commitment for the business but well worth the result.
 
In 2006 Impress Merthyr Tydfil was awarded 3 Stars by the BSC following the first audit and went on to win an International BSC Award. The plant adopted a programme of continuous improvement, guided by the BSC, and in January 2007 was awarded 4 Stars. The team then set a 3 year goal but all expectations were exceeded when the site achieved the 5 Star Award in July 2007. What is even more remarkable is that six weeks later Merthyr attained the ultimate prestigious award: the British Sword of Honour for 'Excellence in Health and Safety'!

Impress Merthyr Tydfil is a major success story where safety is now of the utmost importance and the staff is considered a valuable asset. Absenteeism has fallen from 4.5% to 1.4%, employees are able to assess risks in their working lives and apply the same principles to life in general and morale is excellent. Safety-first demonstrates a true feeling of caring, encouraging employees to work harder and remain loyal.
 
This Award gives global recognition of Impress' relentless pursuit of the core values of 'Excellence and Safety' in its plants around the world. Ken Wood (Impress Group Risk and Excellence Manager) says, "Excellence in Safety is the heart of the success of any excellence programme," and Paul Schuil (Risk Manager, Impress Specialities Division) adds, "The British Sword of Honour Award is the icing on the cake and marks another significant step for the Specialities Division of Impress. We are extremely proud of this ultimate prize. Safety is our number one priority and this award proves the outstanding commitment to safety by Plant Manager Paul Fox and the Merthyr Tydfil team.''

''The Sword of Honour continues to be one of the most prestigious and sought after achievements in Health and Safety; the number of exceptionally high quality applications received from such a variety of businesses across the globe and industry sectors, is a testament to this,'' said Brian Nimick, Chief Executive British Safety Council, in his message of congratulations. ''This year's scheme recognises that in addition to protecting its workforce, a business can also positively impact on other individuals. Winners this year have demonstrated they do look after the welfare of their employees and are also beginning to address the impact their business has on the wider environment.''

Ysabel Noel: Talents et Compagnie :Tel: +33 1 56 89 56 52    Fax: +33 1 56 89 56 50     e-mail: noel@talents-compagnie.com

Mary Chapman: Mary Chapman Communications: Tel:  +44(0)1452 720208    Fax:  +44(0)1452 723724    e-mail:  marychpm@aol.com

Discover Impress at: www.impressgroup.com