GW Leidingtechniek BV is a familiar name to many water boards, drinking water companies and infrastructure contractors. The company specializes in the design, construction, renovation, cleaning, repair and aftercare of waste and drinking water pipelines in particular. Safety is a top priority. GW Leidingtechniek BV has already been certified for level 3 on the Safety Culture Ladder, but is now - under the inspiring leadership of QHSE manager André van der Meijde - aiming for level 4.
Safety is a big thing for our employees and therefore automatically for the company, both in the office and in the field, begins Van der Meijde. The company is called in for pipe repairs or life extension of a sewer system, for example. "Our people then go into the concrete duct to carry out any concrete repairs, obviously equipped with the necessary PPE. Think harness protection, a full face mask with breathing air and gas detection, and additionally an alarm in case of imminent high water. We take no chances; safety is top priority. Yet we believe there is still room for improvement, hence our ambition to step up to step 4 on the SCL."
The Safety Culture Ladder provides insight into the safety culture within an organization. It is a tool to measure safety awareness, attitude and behavior. The emphasis here is on safety culture. "The interpretation of the safety culture within our company has a lot to do with awareness," says Van der Meijde. "You don't achieve that by calling a meeting once a year about wearing a helmet and safety glasses and the right way to lift. Someone who works safely does so not only for themselves but also for colleagues, family, friends. That is why it is important to remind employees of this on a regular basis; everything that gets attention grows. It has to come alive. Risks increase as soon as attention slackens." Step 4 on the SCL means that safety rules are not only considered important (step 3), but that safety is a high priority and continuously improved.
Van der Meijde started on February 1 to give substance to a proactive safety culture at GW Leidingtechniek BV. "In the market, certificates help demonstrate where you stand as an organization; at the same time, they open new doors. However, a certificate must not be an obstacle, but must be integrated in such a way that everyone understands its usefulness so that it is complied with automatically. A task that you can only achieve by talking to each other properly. Not by putting up a poster. The same applies to the safety culture. It must be supported and only functions if every link in the organization is in sync. To achieve that, we use, among other things, Deming's Quality Circle with, of course, a strong focus on internal safety issues."
GW Leidingtechniek BV has quite a few certificates hanging on the wall, including ISO 9001, VCA, SCL and a number of industry-specific management certificates focused on quality, employee health and the environment. "With step 4 on the SCL, we set the bar a little higher for ourselves by proactively working on the safety culture." A culture that, by the way, is indeed already present at GW Leidingtechniek BV, otherwise Step 3 would not have been achieved either. "The certification for step 3 is absolutely right, but it is also true that at a certain point people are blind to certain processes. It is good to hold the organization up to the light. There is always something to learn and it never stops. It is a continuous process and a condition for success. This applies not only to the number of meters of pipe that GW Leidingtechniek BV installs, but also to the quality of the work delivered, occupational health and safety ... it all contributes," Van der Meijde concludes.
Neem dan rechtstreeks contact op met GW Leidingtechniek BV.