A Community Media Company
Our aim is to serve local communities by meeting their needs for local news, information and advertising services through a range of media including print and digital channels which together achieve unparalleled levels of market reach.
Health and Safety
The Group has rigorous Health & Safety management and reporting processes in place. Health & Safety is at the core of our operations, and is a specific item on all business agendas at the local, regional, Group and Board levels. There are Health & Safety Committees in every Group Company and the Chief Operating Officer chairs the Group Health & Safety Committee, which undertakes audit visits, sets Group policy, monitors compliance with those policies and spreads best practice.
Our consistent reporting processes have now been in place for more than five years allowing us to report some meaningful statistics and comparisons. Our reporting procedures ensure that every accident, including the most minor laceration or abrasion,
is reported, and this reporting is a key part of our control environment. It should, however, be noted that the vast majority of these are not reportable under RIDDOR requirements.
As can be seen in table 1, 2009 was another year of progress across the Group in reducing the number of accidents. There has been a reduction in the number of employees involved in accidents in both our printing and publishing operations when
compared to 2008 and overall the percentage of employees involved in accidents reduced to 4.4%. This is our third consecutive year of improvements on these measures. Following improved categorisation of accident reporting in 2007, we know that 67%
of the total number of accidents recorded relate to slips, trips, falls, manual handling and bumps.
Table 1 - Health & Safety Statistics
Accident Reporting
| 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | |
| Average total employees in Group (FTE) | 6,146 | 7,124 | 7,664 |
| Employees involved in accidents | 273 | 359 | 409 |
| - Publishing | 3.2% | 3.9% | 3.8% |
| - Printing | 15.7% | 14.4% | 17.8% |
| - Total | 4.4% | 5.0% | 5.3% |
| Employees with RIDDOR reportable accidents | 30 | 44 | 38 |
| - Publishing | 0.3% | 0.5% | 0.4% |
| - Printing | 1.9% | 1.8% | 1.5% |
| - Total | 0.5% | 0.6% | 0.5% |
| Total working days lost through accidents | 881 | 1,197 | 718 |
This represents a slight increase in percentage terms (2008: 66%) although the total number of such incidents reduced. The year saw a reduction in the number of RIDDOR reportable accidents. The rate per employee has remained static across the past three years although this is due to the reduction in our workforce. Poster campaigns
relating to the dangers of slips and trips and manual handling accidents were run which has heightened awareness, improved working practices and increased reporting on minor accidents.
Total working days lost reduced sharply in 2009 compared to 2008 and remained well below the national average.
The Group also has a rolling programme of independent audit visits covering property and Health & Safety risks. These visits are targeted at the locations which have the highest risk profile along with a sample of other sites. Detailed reports and recommendations are produced after each visit which require follow-up and implementation by local management. This process is monitored by the Group Management Board.