John Tainton ramp up safety with a ‘never settle’ approach

2 mins read

As stockholders and distributors of high quality steel throughout the UK and Ireland, John Tainton have built their reputation on quality, service and reliability.

Their health and safety processes were just as solid, with a sound track record and satisfactory standards – but they wanted to do more than simply make the grade. So after an incident cued a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) visit, John Tainton looked to Southalls to give their processes an expert edge.

Small-scale start, large-scale improvements

When competitor software products didn’t deliver, John Tainton implemented Safety Cloud – Southalls’ flexible, online H&S management tool – to take charge of their procedures and record keeping. They then moved to a fully-managed consultancy service in February 2017 to address a business-wide brief:

Cover all the bases. With a suite of high-risk equipment and a catalogue of compulsory inspections to maintain, John Tainton wanted a simple solution to ensure their team’s and tools’ peak performance. Safety Cloud’s tailored schedules and automated reminders took care of all tracking and follow up, helping managers keep pace with training priorities and machinery checks.

Fill the knowledge gaps. With 90 staff, John Tainton weren’t looking to employ an in-house professional, but felt the health and safety responsibilities were too large for a single employee to shoulder. Southalls provided the hands-on support to transform H&S awareness and consistently hit compliance targets, while team members stay on task.

Make safety manageable. John Tainton were fighting a challenging compliance curve, never completely confident they were capturing the correct data. Backed up by one-to-one consultant guidance and the web-based flexibility of Safety Cloud, all H&S information is now recorded, reliable and ready for reporting.

Building safety into everyday business

John Tainton’s proactive approach to H&S management has delivered a raft of measurable results – boosted efficiency, significant time savings and a safety-wise workforce with full-time customer focus. So it’s business as usual, only better.

  • A culture of compliance. With Safety Cloud at the centre of routine staff tasks, compliance has become a fundamental part of the John Tainton philosophy. Employees in every corner of the company are engaged, aware and committed to continuous improvement.
  • Current and correct data. Safety Cloud has replaced laborious paper-based processes and Excel spreadsheets with a risk-free, round-the-clock solution. Clear, relevant health and safety information is captured on a rolling basis – rather than in a pre-audit panic – keeping the John Tainton team confident, compliant and in control.
  • Know-how where it’s needed. Tapping into Southalls’ specialist services, John Tainton have added an extra layer of expertise to their day-to-day safety processes. With all the details documented on Safety Cloud, due diligence can be demonstrated at the touch of a button.

“Southalls provide excellent value for money and targeted expertise, allowing us to sleep soundly at night, confident that we are fully compliant. Safety Cloud keeps us on track and simplifies the health and safety management process with time-saving checklists, alerts and reminders. Once you've worked with the system, you will never go back. If I were to return to the start of my time at John Tainton, I would bring in Southalls and Safety Cloud from day one.”

Richard Wandless, Operations Director, John Tainton