Health and Safety is a major concern for D-Drill (Master Drillers) Ltd. – practically, morally and financially.  Ray O’Connor, health and safety, training and development manager at D-Drill, explains why it all comes down to a question of training.

“Fortunately accidents happen very rarely these days in the drilling and sawing industry.  However the nature of the work drives home the importance of health and safety practices.

Why is health and safety so important ?  We have a duty to protect our staff from harm while at work and our staff has a duty to protect their colleagues.   The harm might be immediate, an injury from machinery, a fall, a trip, or slip.  It could be minor or it could be fatal.  Harm can mean long-term illness caused by exposure to harmful chemicals or dangerous substances like asbestos.

The financial implications if people are injured are huge, not only to the employee and their family, but also the company.  Productivity and deadlines will be affected; your health and safety rating by the client will be reviewed with the possibility of loosing the client, and you could be under investigation by the HSE which could end in a prosecution.

Clients are now expecting you to provide proof of compliance before any tender is issued.  Proving your health and safety credentials is now as important as demonstrating your technical expertise.  We are asked on a regular basis for proof of CSCS certification for operatives, accident figures, assessment figures for vibration and noise – all this information and record keeping is expected by the client.

Construction is an inherently dangerous industry, but within the “big picture” of all building processes, diamond drilling and sawing is relatively safe.  This specialist service is used increasingly for cutting all types of construction materials in every location.

Over the past 40 years, D-Drill have been undertaking accurate diamond drilling, sawing and silent demolition, in a cost effective, quick and clean manner with noise, dust, vibration and debris all kept to a minimum.

Serious accidents are rare thanks to the extensive training program for operators within D-Drill. With the addition of a new training room and an outside training area, the company is showing its commitment to a first-class Health & Safety Policy.

D-Drill’s approach to health and safety training is rigorous, establishing good working practices with good leadership as a solid example.  The company has enrolled several new starters on the Drilling and Sawing Association’s apprenticeship scheme and all recruits train “on the job” with experienced operators”.

As Ray O’Connor explained further: “If assessment is required for a particular operation, I am called in (as a qualified industry assessor)  to carry out the assessment.

The national safety standard is now an NVQ, leading to a Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) card.  Around 80% of D-Drill’s operatives are CSCS accredited and the rest are working towards their NVQ.

To complement external training, there are regular internal training sessions. “Toolbox Talks” – covering a different topic each week – risk assessment, fire and chemicals, working at heights, how to lift heavy objects, and so on.  These are carried out by D-Drill managers at each of our eight locations.

Feedback from our employees shows that they find the information a useful reminder of on-site requirements; questions are raised about each of the topics encouraging participation from all involved”