Flexi Narrow Aisle, manufacturer of the Flexi range of articulated forklift trucks, has been awarded accreditation from Safecontractor for its commitment to achieving excellence in health and safety.
Safecontractor is a third-party accreditation scheme which recognises very high standards in health and safety management amongst UK contractors.
The company's application for Safecontractor accreditation was driven by the need for a uniform standard across the Flexi business.
"Safety is a key consideration in the design and implementation of any piece of materials handling equipment and, of course, it is paramount with the manufacturing process," said Peter Wooldridge, managing director of Flexi Narrow Aisle.
It is felt that Safecontractor accreditation will further enhance Flexi's ability to attract new contracts and the company's commitment to safety will be viewed positively by its insurers when the company's liability policy is up for renewal.
Safecontractor is applicable to most sectors although it is particularly relevant to food manufacture, property, facilities management, retail and leisure sectors, all of which are big users of contracted services.
John Kinge, technical director of Safecontractor said, "Major organisations simply cannot afford to run the risk of employing contractors who are not able to prove that they have sound health and safety policies in place."
"More companies need to understand the importance of adopting good risk management in the way that Flexi has done. The firm's high standard has set an example which hopefully will be followed by other companies within the sector.
"Safecontractor plays a vital role in supporting our clients in meeting their compliance needs, whilst working with their contractors as they progress through the accreditation process."
Under the Safecontractor scheme, businesses undergo a vetting process which examines health and safety procedures and their track record for safe practice. Those companies meeting the high standard are included on a database, which is accessible to registered users only via a website.
Client-organisations who sign up to the scheme can access the database, enabling them to vet potential contractors before they even set foot on site. These clients agree that, as users of the scheme, they will engage only those who have received accreditation.
Over 210 major, nation-wide businesses, from several key sectors, have signed up to use the scheme when selecting contractors for services such as building, cleaning, maintenance, refurbishment or electrical and mechanical work.
The Safecontractor accreditation follows the recent announcement that Flexi Narrow Aisle has had its ISO 9001 Accreditation renewed.
John Maguire, Flexi Narrow Aisle's sales and marketing director, commented: "ISO 9001 Accreditation demonstrates our compliance with proven international business practices and appropriate standards and is invaluable to our operation – particularly when it comes to tendering for contracts with larger companies."
He added: "ISO 9001 recognition shows that all aspects of our business comply with best practice standards that are acknowledged the world over.
"Flexi Narrow Aisle has been ISO 9001 compliant for many years, but our recent audit was particularly pleasing because our quality control systems and procedures were shown to exceed the requirements laid down within ISO 9001.
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