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BRFS Ltd, specialising in the design, supply and installation of external envelope solutions to private and public sector industrial and commercial buildings, has a large and prestigious portfolio of successful contracts completed in Ireland and the UK.
The successful reputation of BRFS is founded on three of the key basic tenets of our industry:
Health and Safety
- Recognition of risks inherent in our operations, which often involve working at heights
- Addressing the risks in the planning stage of our works through careful consultation with our clients leading to practical and comprehensive Safe Plans of Action.
- Delivery of these safety plans and the zero tolerance message to our own workforce pre commencement on site works.
- Careful monitoring and reinforcement of the safety protocols prescribed in our site safety plans right throughout the execution stage of our works through constant supervision and collaboration with our workforce.
Budget Recognition
BRFS firmly believe that Main Contractors and Clients who engage early with specialist sub-contractors through constructive consultation at pre tender stage along with an assistance orientated collaborative approach during the construction stage, will ensure that the external envelope of the building can be delivered safely and in accordance with building regulations and within the projects budget parameters.
Program Delivery
Key to the safe delivery of BRFS projects is the reinforcement of our existing ‘Safe-T-Cert’ health and safety management system which ensures the continuous development and improvement of our positive safety culture within our organisation.
Due to the nature of the work in the construction sector being diverse and constantly changing where workers are exposed to many different hazards throughout the day, a construction crew who feels comfortable about talking about safety issues is more willing to share information about their experiences and consequently allow learning to take place both individually and at a group level. Creating this space where workers are confident to discuss openly safety issues and concerns is a challenge to any management team.
The management team at BRFS recognise this challenge and firmly believe the key to a good safety culture developing in the company is good communication. There are many different ways to communicate the health and safety message to the workforce. Engaging with them must be a two-way top-down and bottom up means of communication. Due to the dynamic nature of the construction sector, the methodologies and means employed need to be tailored to the size and scope of the building project.
We find that by leading from the top in health and safety our workers see this and feel more relaxed to discuss safety with BRFS management. This in turn leads to our workers becoming more aware of the consequences of unsafe behaviour and potential workplace hazards.
Put simply, verbal communication instigated by the foreman/supervisor/project manager involving the workforce is key and will deliver positive results where the site operatives produce their feedback to the management safety communiques.
In practical terms, BRFS have found that the safety awareness of our workforce has been greatly heightened when we cater for operative feedback while delivering site specific structured tool box talks, relating to the site specific relevant risks.
Follow on implementation of relevant operative feedback and safety recommendations, in a timely manner, is key to ensuring that both management and operatives recognise that there is a requirement for collaboration and cooperation between all parties in establishing and maintaining safe working practices on site.
Positive behavioural reinforcement of constructive employee feedback and recommendations as well as general safe behaviours, delivered by Company owners in the form of rewards and incentives are to be commended.
For more info visit www.brfs.ie/
Dualta Conway Grad.IOSH, EHSS Manager, BRFS Ltd.