TRAD UK, one of the UK’s leading scaffolding and safety systems suppliers, has achieved a remarkable milestone—over one million work hours without a Lost Time Injury (LTI) across its six depots and site operations.
This achievement, reached in August 2024, highlights the company’s unwavering commitment to the health and safety of its nearly 200 employees in an industry where risks are always present.
Alan Slater, TRAD UK’s Head of Technical & Product Support, and Nick Smith, HSEQ Manager & Fleet Controller, are quick to credit this success to an improvement in the company’s already high standards in safety culture over the last five years. “This isn’t just about hitting a number—it’s about a whole new mindset,” said Alan. “We’ve made safety everyone’s business, from the top down.”
Nick Smith added that a big part of the change came from making sure the right resources were in place. “You can’t expect to improve safety without putting the proper support behind it,” he explained.
“We’ve invested in more people dedicated to health and safety and made sure our depot managers have the tools and training to take charge of safety at their sites.”
“This isn’t just about hitting a number—it’s about a whole new mindset,”
One key initiative that helped drive this achievement is TRAD UK’s Personal Engagement Programme. The program focuses on regular, meaningful interactions between senior management and employees across the company, helping to create a sense of ownership regarding safety. Additionally, TRAD UK have introduced clear, visual safety standards that give workers easy-to-follow guidelines on maintaining safe environments on site.
TRAD UK also implemented a near-miss reporting system, allowing workers to anonymously flag potential hazards by simply scanning a QR code. This system has been a game-changer in encouraging an open dialogue about safety and enabling the company to fix issues before they escalate.
The company’s milestone is particularly impressive given the challenging nature of TRAD UK’s work—especially in sectors like construction, where there are daily inherent high risks present, which need to be managed correctly, or safety standards can easily slip. “We’ve worked hard to change the safety culture here,” Alan explained.
“We want our teams to feel empowered to stop work if something doesn’t feel safe, and we’ve made sure they know they won’t be penalised for doing so.”
TRAD UK has rolled out banners across its depots to celebrate this achievement, with a formal event having taken place in Birmingham to mark the occasion officially.
However, Alan and Nick are clear that this is just one step in an ongoing journey. “This is something we’re incredibly proud of,” said Nick, “but it’s not the end. We’re always looking for ways to improve—whether that’s further engagement, communication or more training and development, helping us to address new challenges and existing risks more effectively as they arise.”
Coln Dobson, TRAD UK’s Managing Director added, “I am extremely proud of this achievement, and express many thanks to all of the TRAD UK Team, without their dedication and hard work this milestone would not have been possible.”
