TURNING STEEL INTO GOLD

Transcription

1 RoSPA AWARDS 2016: JOSEPH ASH GALVANIZING TURNING STEEL INTO GOLD In conversation with Stuart Whitehouse, Director of Business Improvement. Joseph Ash, the son of a Birmingham chemist, founded the company in 1857 with a unique vision focussed upon technical expertise allied to something quite unusual for the time: outstanding levels of customer care. This guiding principle is one that has sustained the company ever since and remains at the core of everything Joseph Ash does. WHAT IS GALVANIZING? Galvanizing is a corrosion protection process for steel, where steel is coated with zinc to prevent it from rusting. The process involves dipping cleaned iron or steel components into molten zinc (which is usually around 450 C). A metallurgical reaction between the iron and zinc forms a series of zinc-iron alloy layers creating a strong bond between steel and the coating. Stuart Whitehouse, Director of Business Improvement. The hot dip galvanizing process requires a number of stages to achieve the final finish. Omitting the interim rinse stages, these include the following immersions: Degreasing uses acid or alkaline-based proprietary products, either heated or at ambient temperatures, to produce a clean, oil and grease free surface. Pickling in dilute hydrochloric acid dissolves rust and scale to produce a chemically clean surface that will react with the molten zinc. Fluxing, using a standard fluxing agent such as a zinc chloride and ammonium chloride mix, at temperatures between 50 C and 70 C to help the steelwork dry after it is withdrawn. Drying is important as it helps prevent zinc splash. A separate drying stage is sometimes included. Zinc Immersion involves dipping the clean steel into a special bath holding molten zinc at 450 C. During submersion, the zinc alloys with the iron in the steel to form zinc/iron alloy layers. As the steel withdraws from the galvanizing bath, a final free zinc layer is laid over the top of this layered base coat. 64 HSE INTERNATIONAL

2 Joseph Ash excels in health and safety by investing in our people through the delivery of in-house, bespoke health and safety training courses aligned to the company s business operations. HSE INTERNATIONAL 65

3 RoSPA AWARDS 2016: JOSEPH ASH GALVANIZING The life of a zinc coating is directly proportional to its thickness. Hot dip galvanizing results in a coating that not only has great abrasion resistance but one that, according to the most recent exposure tests, lasts between 34 and 170 years (before the base steel is exposed). Q Tell us about your history and capabilities as the UK leader of steel finishing services. Today Joseph Ash Galvanizing maintains its position as the leading galvanizing service provider in the UK. With eight strategically located plants providing unrivalled technical expertise combined with industry-leading levels of customer service, Joseph Ash meets the most exacting requirements of our customers and their end users. Currently, we are involved in projects ranging from multi-storey car parks to waste management, energy plants and overhead railway line electrification. Our ethos of outstanding technical expertise and customer care is not just evident in the quality of the work we deliver, but also through the additional services we provide, which include collection and delivery, onsite storage facilities, bundling, packing and export containerisation, a one-stop shop service for shot blasting, galvanizing and powder coating (at our Medway plant). Wherever you are in the UK you are never far away from a project that contains steel that Joseph Ash has galvanized. We galvanize steel for numerous industrial sectors including construction, transport, agricultural and infrastructure, to name but a few. From sports stadia to retail developments, transport, infrastructure and commercial offices - they all use galvanized steel. Our extensive range of galvanizing bath size capacities means that we can galvanize any item, from small nuts and bolts through to large structural steelwork fabrications. Q Can you tell us about your position as Director of Business Improvement at Joseph Ash? At Joseph Ash, I oversee all health and safety, and human resources issues within the company. With focus on succession planning and employee development, I spearhead and propel Continuous Improvement Teams within the company in order to create a culture of continuous improvement and best practice. I am driving the review and implementation of a new, employee-generated set of company values, with an emphasis on customer care. Q How important is health and safety to you and to what levels do you and your organisation go to ensure standards are met? Joseph Ash excels in health and safety by investing in our people through the delivery of in-house, bespoke health and safety training courses aligned to the company s business operations. Directors, managers and supervisors all hold formal health and safety qualifications. Personally, I hold an MSc in Health Safety and Environmental Management, CIPD Diploma in Human Resources Management and am a Chartered member of IOSH. Galvanizing at Joseph Ash plants adheres to the coatings requirements of BS EN ISO 1461:2009 and we operate a Quality Management System in accordance with the requirements of BS EN ISO 9001:2008. The content of this policy and the management system as a whole are both reviewed annually or in response to any significant event. We re extremely proud of our health and safety credentials. The future aim is for all Joseph Ash plants to receive OHSAS in We have 3 sites that are accredited to OHSAS and this is important for the following reasons: It reduces workplace hazards and boosts employee morale It provides a safe environment in which to conduct operations and business It is a framework for an occupational health and safety management system It minimises the risk of production delays. We recently conducted a safety climate survey to assess the safety culture on sites and the results were encouraging. The objective was to engage the workforce to identify the good, the bad and the ugly. We are implementing an action plan to further improve our safety culture based on subsequent feedback gathered from the workforce. We have replaced all of our notice boards with digital screens. Updates are now more frequent and are visually pleasing and interesting. This also enables us to link H&S messages to other areas of the business, and initial feedback has been positive. In terms of suppliers and subcontractors, although we don t look for specific accreditations, we do ensure that all contractors provide the appropriate RAMS documents which are thoroughly assessed prior to any work commencing. Health and safety is no longer viewed as a priority at Joseph Ash. It has been embedded into the company culture, so is seen as a company value and is something that we do as part of our daily routines. Priorities in business change, and the only way to continuously improve your H&S standards is to make it a part of what you do and engage with your employees at every opportunity. Q What is your approach to occupational health and well-being? Joseph Ash has a long and well established occupational health programme that ensures our workforce remains healthy. The programme has been successful in catching a few medical conditions (not work related) early on which resulted in early contravention and treatment. If these ailments had not been identified by us, they could easily have manifested into serious conditions. We have replaced the old vending machines at one of our sites that used to sell snacks high in sugar with much healthier choices. This has been successful and the plan is to roll this out across the company. The company s Manual Handling programme (including a bespoke training video and programme) also focuses on using manual handling techniques outside of work. Our Substance Misuse Policy allows employees who have a drug or alcohol problem to come forward and speak with us. On more than one occasion, we have arranged and paid for external help and support for individuals. 66 HSE INTERNATIONAL

4 GALVANIZERS ASSOCIATION The pioneering spirit of Joseph Ash led the company to be a founder member of the Galvanizers Association (GA), to provide users of galvanizing with the highest possible levels of technical and product support. The GA website was set up to provide the public with information about how the galvanizing industry is playing its part within the context of sustainable construction. Galvanizing is energy efficient throughout its production and whole lifecycle. The galvanizing process uses natural resources considerately to ensure a relatively low environmental burden. Today, the GA supports its members through a highly qualified full time team based in the West Midlands. Joseph Ash is as active as ever in providing and serving on every single committee to help mould and strengthen the Galvanizers Association s service to specifiers and end users of galvanized steel. Health and safety is no longer viewed as a priority at Joseph Ash. It has been embedded into the company culture, so is seen as a company value and is something that we do as part of our daily routines. HSE INTERNATIONAL 67

5 RoSPA AWARDS 2016: JOSEPH ASH GALVANIZING Proud suppliers of chemicals to Industry We are a leading UK supplier of Industrial Chemicals, including Hydrochloric Acid, holding a number of sole distributorships with leading UK producers. We own and operate our own Transport and Bulk Storage Facility ensuring maximum flexibility to meet customer requirements on a 24/7 basis. RoSPA AWARDS 2016 Tel: Fax: Jason@chemtek.co.uk The RoSPA Health and Safety Awards are not only internationally recognised, but have fast become the most sought after accolade by organisations from every sector. The RoSPA Awards recognise organisations for dedication and improvement in occupational health and safety management systems, including practices such as leadership and workforce involvement. To win an award, entrants must demonstrate the ways in which they have continually raised the bar to maintain a safe and healthy environment for employees. Q Can you tell us about your success as winners of the RoSPA Gold Award? Whilst customer service and quality of finish are at the heart of everything Joseph Ash does for our clients, the health and safety of employees at our plants is also our prime concern. In recognition of our hard work when it comes to exceeding health and safety standards, we have again been awarded the Gold award from RoSPA. This is the third consecutive year we have won Gold and we couldn t be happier. It s an exciting year to win as RoSPA is celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Health and Safety Awards. In order to be considered for the award, a panel of judges from RoSPA assessed our health and safety management policies, procedures, systems and industry leading safety record. These were reviewed and the type of award given was based on the information we provided. The recognition from RoSPA is important as it helps us demonstrate that our H&S systems and processes are up to a high standard and what we are doing is right. Julia Small, RoSPA s head of awards and events, said: To win an award at such a highly regarded event is a great achievement for our winners. It recognises their commitment to maintaining an excellent health and safety record and raises the bar for other organisations to aspire to. We offer them our congratulations. Stuart added, Here s hoping for success again in 2017! Q How does Joseph Ash demonstrate corporate responsibility towards the environment and the world around you? Joseph Ash works hard to protect the environment through an ever-growing list of recycling activities with processes supported by an Environmental and Sustainability Policy. We make every effort to enhance galvanizing s contribution to society and to ensure that the services we provide are in harmony with the natural environment, now and in the future. We are advocates for the safe use and responsible management of galvanized steel. We encourage and support waste minimization through recycling and the recovery of zinc from the waste stream. The Joseph Ash Quality and Environmental Management System ensures all products and services provided consistently meet or exceed customer and regulatory requirements, as well as international standards. The system also ensures operational impact on the environment is minimized. Employee engagement is also important. The Quality and Environmental & Sustainability Policies are communicated to all employees via notice boards and inductions, where clear quality and environmental objectives are set. All employees familiarise themselves and comply with policy procedures and are encouraged to highlight any opportunities to improve environmental or quality performance. We also value public consultation and employee participation, promote transparency and openness in relationships and treat employees, business partners and the communities in which our plants are located in a fair and respectful manner. All of our plants are regulated to Integrated Pollution Prevention Control (IPPC) permits. It requires each installation to have a permit containing emission limit values and other conditions based on the application of Best Available Techniques (BAT) and set to minimise emissions of pollutants likely to be emitted in significant quantities to air, water or land. Permit conditions also have to address energy efficiency, waste minimisation, prevention of accidental emissions and site restoration. Q Can you offer any tips to other health, safety and environmental professionals? Try and do something different every year. Health and safety cultures and standards can sometimes plateau, so to ensure that you keep improving, you must try different methods of engagement. It s the small things that matter and make a difference. 68 HSE INTERNATIONAL

6 The Joseph Ash Quality and Environmental Management System ensures all products and services provided consistently meet or exceed customer and regulatory requirements, as well as international standards. The system also ensures operational impact on the environment is minimized. Q Why should customers select Joseph Ash Galvanizing? Why use Joseph Ash? Simply because we are the UK s premier hot dip galvanizer. Our guiding principle of providing outstanding levels of customer care has sustained the company for over 150 years and remains at the core of everything we do. We maintain our position as the leading UK provider by offering unrivalled technical expertise, industry leading levels of customer service and by treating every customer as an individual to service their most exacting requirements. We really are the best! For more information, please visit or call Unit 23 Horton Court, Hortonwood 50, Telford, Shropshire TF1 7GY Specialists in providing bespoke occupational health services and health screening/surveillance programs. Services include: Audiometry, Spirometry, Hand arm vibration screening, Safety critical medicals, Sickness absence management, Health promotion, Drug & Alcohol testing, Workplace risk assessments. Congratulations to Joseph Ash Galvanizing on winning the RoSPA Gold Award info@spiritoccupationalhealth.co.uk HSE INTERNATIONAL 69