Meet the Team - Paul Clarke-Scholes

Clifford Devlin's Health, Quality and Environmental Manager

How has the discipline of managing health and safety in the construction industry changed since you have been involved?

When I started out in the health and safety business in the 1980s risk assessment was a relatively novel concept. However since the “six pack” of regulations were introduced in 1992, assessing risks to the health and safety of operatives on-site has become a fundamental part of our day-to-day activities.

Has achieving OHSAS 18001 changed the way you manage health and safety?

The high risk nature of the demolition business means we could not operate without a system for managing health and safety. However, formalising it to the International Standard has helped us to develop our mechanisms further. The ‘continuous improvement’ ethos of OHSAS 18001 has encouraged us to push health and safety further into the front line and introduce the concept of behavioural safety.

What does that mean in practice?

We have a number to initiatives to encourage operatives to take more responsibility for their own safety. We have introduced on-site discussions where we ask them to analyse and challenge the health and safety measures contained in the Method Statement with reference to their own experiences or individual situations.

We encourage them to suggest alternative control measures that will protect them from risks and more immediate actions which need to be put in place to enable them to continue working safely that day.

It is really all about getting them to take personal responsibility and ownership for their own safety as espoused by OH&S champion Ken Woodward among others.

Is it working?

Without wanting to blow our own trumpet, our safety data in terms of reportable accident and incident rates is extremely low but we have seen an incremental improvement in performance over the last year. There remains a good way to go yet, though!


ABOUT PAUL
Paul has worked in health and safety since 1987, specialising in demolition and asbestos removal activities. He joined Clifford Devlin as Health & Safety Manager in 2001 and has now taken on responsibilities for the company’s quality and environmental systems.

His duties include managing all aspects of health and safety including training, site inspection and auditing, CDM safety plans, risk assessments. He has executive authority to attend and inspect any Clifford Devlin site, issue authoritative instruction on any matter of health and safety and ultimately instruct the cessation of work, should he see fit.
Paul studied for a degree in Civil Engineering and is a Chartered Member of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (CMIOSH).