Success for Alumasc as improved safety measures pay off at Burton Latimer

The hard work is paying off here at the Alumasc manufacturing facility at Burton Latimer, as our latest Health and Safety audit has revealed.

Following the two-day full-site audit in June, we are very happy to announce that we have achieved 90% compliance: an overall increase of 15% since 2022.

Due to the varied range of processes carried out here, this success required a huge and committed team effort, led by Health, Safety and Environmental Manager, Vikki McManus. Burton Latimer incorporates a number of departments, each posing its own challenges.

Fabrications and welding houses a range of machinery under one roof, for the manipulation of raw materials into standard and bespoke products. Standard procedures are hard to write for bespoke product manufacture, given the variety of potential processes involved, and product movement has to be well-managed as it travels along each station on its manufacturing journey.

Our foundry melts down aluminium ingots for casting. The traditional methods used in the production of our Heritage range present a number of Health and Safety considerations for our vigilant staff to maintain.

Following fabrication, products are moved to powder coating, where they are stored on the shop floor. Conditions are close and hot, with a lot of two-person lifting. Our cast iron systems are finished on the wet coating line, involving heavy products and the use of hazardous materials.

Finally, our warehouse space, which is used for product storage, also requires the operation of forklift trucks and a lot of working at height.

The last 12 months have seen improvements to signage, staff training at all levels, updated processes and documentation, and revisions to occupational health and PEEPs. Improvements will continue into the future, covering shop floor, planned plant maintenance, manual handling and control of visitors.

Every department has been so progressive in adopting the new H&S processes. We have empowered them to take ownership of their own procedures, and we have seen a noticeable culture change sitewide. During this period we also celebrated a full 365 days with no lost time accidents. Huge congratulations to all involved.

- Vikki McManus - QSE Systems Manager