Posted 24 Mar 2023
At Field, health and safety sits at the heart of everything that we do. Our experienced HSE manager, Andy Reay, helps us to ensure that our health and safety policy and procedures go above and beyond what is required of us as both an employer and operator of grid-scale power plants. From carrying out safety audits and inspections on Field’s project sites, to liaising with local fire brigades to establish emergency response plans, Andy’s work day is health and safety focused from start to finish.
We sat down with Andy to take a closer look at what a typical day as an HSE manager at Field looks like.
A morning at Field’s offices
Today started with a meeting with our Project Development team, who work to build Field’s greenfield pipeline of battery storage projects. Our discussion is focused on the safety requirements for our current projects under construction in Gerrards Cross, Auchteraw, Whitebirk and Newport. As the projects we work on at Field are grid-scale power plants, we need to manage and mitigate any health and safety risks from the very beginning.
By regularly meeting and collaborating with all of the teams at Field, I help to ensure that we are ahead of the curve in relation to safety and that our teams are prepared for any challenges they may face.
Later on, I’m working on documents that are enabling Field to strive towards achieving ISO accreditation for the Quality, Health, Safety and Environment (QHSE) and physiological health and safety at work. These accreditations are important, as they will allow Field to operate across all of our markets from one QHSE framework. This framework ensures that best practices are delivered across Field’s portfolio.
Lunchtime
Over lunch, I’m usually travelling to one of Field’s storage sites to conduct a health and safety visit. When on site, I tend to take this opportunity to carry out safety audits and inspections. These ensure that the standards outlined in Field’s robust Employers Requirements are being adhered to.
Today, I’m heading up to our Gerrards Cross site, which is currently under construction, to conduct a site safety audit.
Afternoon
Once on site at Gerrards Cross, I attend a site management meeting to catch up with the construction project managers, as well as any contractors. This is a chance to be updated on whether there have been any health and safety related issues that we need to be aware of and if all is in hand with applying Field’s Employers Requirements and Safety standards. These standards include Accident and Incident reporting, PPE requirements and the Field ‘Stop the Work’ policy.
At every stage of a project, we’re always ensuring that we’re keeping everyone on the site safe. That’s why it’s important to check that contractors are adhering to Field’s safety standards. Whilst it is the principal contractor’s responsibility to do this under Construction Design and Management regulations, we do conduct spot checks by reviewing their health and safety documentation, such as Risk Assessments and Method statements (RAMS).
Whilst the risks we’re dealing with as a battery storage company are low, we still strive to go above and beyond to protect our assets, workers, local communities and the environment. Safety is one of our values and underpins any action we take at Field. Our HSE team are just one of the ways that we ensure safety is being adhered to and that we keep improving how we work, build and operate.