Ryebridge Construction is an ISO 45001 organisation, recognising our commitment to the highest standards of health and safety. Ryebridge progressed to the ISO 45001 standard in 2019. The elements of the ISO 45001:2018 standard where the changes are most significant include context, leadership and worker participation, planning, and operation.
This certification helps organisations improve workplace safety and minimise employee injuries.
It provides a framework for building an effective Occupational Health and Safety Management System (OH&S Management System) to identify and mitigate risks and monitor workplace activities. By implementing ISO 45001 and integrating employee wellbeing and wellness activities, organisations can proactively prevent workplace ill-health and injury.
This global ISO standard also supports the development of health and safety policies and objectives, determines hazards and health risks, and implements controls and procedures to reduce the risk of harm.
Successfully achieving ISO 45001 certification shows that Ryebridge encourages active employee involvement, leading to a safer workplace and less disruption to operations due to staff illness or health-related absence.
Ryebridge performs regular audits to ensure compliance with all safety protocols and regulations. These audits help identify areas for improvement and ensure that safety practices are continuously updated and enhanced based on audit findings and feedback. Regular audits help maintain high safety standards and ensure ongoing compliance with regulations.
In addition, Ryebridge is accredited by CHAS, Constructionline, Achilles and the Considerate Contractor scheme. More recently Ryebridge achieved its Cyber Assurance accreditation, vital assurance around online safety and security.
By making health and safety a priority we continue to play our part in improving workplaces for our employees, clients, partners and the public.
We concentrate on basic issues which, together with a strong focus on health and safety leadership, result in regular reductions in both our Accident Frequency Rates (AFR) and Accident Incident Rates (AIR).
We provide information and training to enable our employees to develop and maintain essential health and safety skills and also to encourage the growth of a positive Health and safety culture.
We are committed to ensuring all our site managers and supervisors hold either the Construction Skills Site Managers or Site Supervisors Safety Training Scheme (SMSTS or SSSTS) certificate or a recognised equivalent qualification, and we are working towards this target.
Ryebridge Ltd has gained CHAS accreditation which is a nationally recognised accreditation scheme. This helps demonstrate to clients a level of compliance with health and safety law in terms of competence as well as enabling compliance with the health and safety elements of the construction industry.
Ryebridge Ltd is also a member of the British Safety Council which will help in meeting legislation and raising health, safety and environmental standards.
In 2020 Ryebridge was awarded its tenth Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (ROSPA) award It scooped gold for its work at London Luton Airport.
Ryebridge founder and owner Daniel Coyle said: “Health and safety is at the heart of all we do and to be recognised for our commitment to excellence is a proud moment.”
Julia Small, RoSPA’s head of awards and events, said: “The RoSPA Awards are the most prestigious in the world of occupational health and safety, and held in high regard around the world, as winning one demonstrates an organisation’s commitment to maintaining an excellent health and safety record. Achieving the standard required is no mean feat.”
As part of the company's commitment to health and safety all staff receive this Health and Safety handbook - designed to remind staff of the hazards they encounter every day in their job and to make people stop and think about what they do, how they do it and what affect actions may have on others.
Mental health
Ryebridge has reinforced its commitment to men’s mental health by becoming a supporter of Lighthouse, the only charity dedicated to the emotional, physical and financial wellbeing of the construction industry and their families.
The company is doing its bit to support Lighthouse’s work with an annual donation, and continuing to highlight its services across all its workplaces.
Stress, depression or anxiety accounts for 20 per cent of all work-related illness in construction, and every single working day in the UK two construction workers take their own lives.
Ryebridge HSQE (health, safety, quality and environment) manager Karen Carter said: “I first heard about Lighthouse during Covid, and donated personally to help towards the support they were offering to construction employees who were unable to work.
“We were recently visited by Lighthouse’s Make It Visible team, who shared their real-life experiences in construction with staff. Our lads were so engrossed in what you were saying you could have heard a pin drop, and some of them stayed behind afterwards to talk further with the team.
“In supporting Lighthouse we’re also supporting our lads, so everyone is benefiting from the relationship.”
For information on the work of the Lighthouse charity, visit https://www.lighthouseclub.org/mental-health/
Defibrillator training
A cohort of Ryebridge staff are fully trained in what to do in the event of a colleague or a member of the public suffering a life-threatening cardiac arrest.
A team from the company received training in life-saving defibrillator and CPR skills from Andy Lewis of East Anglian Air Ambulance.
The out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survival rate in the UK is around 8 per cent if only resuscitation/CPR is attempted. However, if a defibrillator is used alongside effective CPR within the first 3-5 minutes, the chances of survival can increase to between 40 per cent – 70 per cent.
The hour-long training covered the difference between a cardiac arrest and a heart attack, as well as how to recognise a cardiac arrest, calling emergency services, starting CPR and using a community defibrillator.
Being confident in using a defibrillator to restart someone’s heart is vital. For every minute that the patient is left without defibrillation, their chances of survival decrease by 10 per cent.
It included an element of practical hands-on, which the Ryebridge team enthusiastically participated in.
Ryebridge also purchased some portable defibrillators to keep in company vehicles, ensuring they are able to give somebody the best chance of survival and recovery in the event of a life-threatening medical emergency.