Sodexo Health And Safety Case Study

© Ashford Tailored Training 2009. All rights reserved.

To find out how Ashford Tailored Training can help your business, visit www.ashfordtraining.co.uk

Case study

Sodexo Health and safety

The challenge

Sodexo’s Corporate Services segment has 12,000 employees in environments such as food service, cleaning, hospitality, grass cutting, reception services and security.

Many individuals in these roles work part-time, face educational challenges or do not have English as their first language.

However, the current health and safety materials were pitched at too high a level to appeal to these learners, who needed to understand the practical implications of working safely.

At the same time, Sodexo needed to reduce the number of accidents that were leading to high employer and public liability claims and, consequently, elevated insurance premiums.

It became clear that 55% of all accidents were as a result of slips, trips and falls, so this was the priority topic. A further 19% were linked to manual handling, and 18% to cuts and burns.

Part of the challenge was to find a fresh, witty, clear, simple and different way to say many things to many people.

Key facts

Company

Sodexo UK & Ireland

ATT solution

Health and safety booklets:

Slips, Trips and FallsManual HandlingCutsBurns

(In production):Food SafetyAccident Reporting

Sodexo is a world leader in food and facilities management services. Sodexo UK & Ireland has approximately 55,000 employees operating in segments including Education, Defence, Healthcare and events (such as Royal Ascot).

Supplement to Health & Safety Passport: No. 002Manual Handling

Too much to handle?

Get help with Manual Handling

Your safety is no accident

Slips,trips

& falls

Supplement to Health & Safety Passport: No. 001

Slips, Trips & Falls

Your safety is no accident

© Ashford Tailored Training 2009. All rights reserved.

To find out how Ashford Tailored Training can help your business, visit www.ashfordtraining.co.uk

The solution

Health and safety is a notoriously difficult topic to train in new ways – not so much because of the content, but because it’s perceived as dull, or boringly necessary, or ‘just’ a legal requirement.

ATT’s solution was to use a visual, ‘less is more’ approach.

The solution involves a series of small booklets that are predominantly picture-driven.

Text is minimal, largely in bullet points, and supports the visual messages using simple and clear language.

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The books are A5 and limited to 12 pages so as not to intimidate learners.Simple statistical facts about injuries and their effects answer the question: ‘Why do I need this book?’The learners test their own understanding by completing a straightforward ‘spot the problem’-type activityManagers check that the activity has been completed correctly (and specify the action taken if not) and both manager and learner complete a sign-off sheet.

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Sodexo Health and safety

The brief

Develop a flexible solution that:

applies across all Sodexo segments

is portable, so that it can be completed by casuals employed at events such as the Chelsea Flower Show

ensures two-way engagement between learner and manager and at the same time tests learning – all in no more than 30 minutes

can be delivered by site managers who do not have extensive specialist health and safety knowledge

can also be offered to Sodexo’s clients to add value throughout the clients’ businesses

allows people to have some fun while learning

is good value, without looking cheap.

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Covers are glossy and full colour for impact.

Supplement to Health & Safety Passport: No. 004 Cuts

Cuttingedge

Your safety is no accident

How we did it

ATT’s writer produced a draft in Word using simple, ‘snappy’ bullet points, and scribbled down a few ideas for images.

The graphic artist created pencil sketches that deliver the health and safety messages with an appropriate amount of humour.

The writer and graphic artist made amendments following feedback from the client.

ATT proofread the text and the client approved the content, and the booklets were sent to print.

4 Your safety is no accident

Knives and blades: use• Always carry

knives by your side pointing down• Make sure

knife handles are clean and dry

• Concentrate when you use knives!

• Don’t allow distractions

• Use safety blades for openingpackages

• Are you trained in the correct techniques?

• Use the right knife for the job

• Never hold goods to cut them – always use a chopping board

• Cut away from your body where possible

• Remember to use chopping boards

• Place damp kitchen towel or cloth under board to secure

Inside pages are black and white, partly for cost reasons and also to ensure that colour does not distract from the strong messages.

© Ashford Tailored Training 2009. All rights reserved.

Bottings Industrial Estate

Hillsons Road

Curdridge

Southampton

Hants SO30 2DY

UK

Telephone +44(0)1489 788577

To find out how Ashford Tailored Training can help your business, visit www.ashfordtraining.co.uk

The results

There was a significant drop in accidents and claims following the launch of the booklets, indicating:

safer workplacesgreater awareness of hazardsa financial saving for Sodexo in claims and other accident costs.

One of the primary drivers of this solution was to communicate key safety messages to staff whose language and literacy skills (not to mention the constraints of time and location) meant that more conventional delivery formats weren’t working.

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Comments from units in business, government, public sector, education, defence and healthcare strongly illustrate the success of this approach. The comments also indicate that learners’ behaviour and attitudes have changed.

The approach also contributed to achieving a reduction in Sodexo’s insurance premium for the new financial year (commencing September 2008).

Sodexo Health and safety

“It involved scenarios which we are very familiar with and the text used was simple and clear. The pictures conveyed the correct message but with a touch of humour.”

“Staff are more aware of their surroundings and act with more urgency to potential hazards.”

“We have had no accidents or near misses since the training.”

“They liked little books, and spotting the hazard at back of book helped me as I have a member of staff with a learning disability.”

“Excellent training booklet, easy to understand and follow, as not all my staff can read /write.”

“Made the workplace a safer place for everybody.”

“Can we have more of these types of training aids?”

Comments from units in business, government, public sector,

education, defence and healthcare

Supplement to Health & Safety Passport: No. 003

Burns and Scalds

Your safety is no accident

Too hot to handle

10 Your safety is no accident

Spot the hazardsThere are 10 ‘burns’ hazards in this picture. Clearly circle and number each hazard before completing the “Your answers” section on page 11.

The fi rst example has been done for you.