Working the safety system

Occupational health and safety is often plagued by a culture of non-compliance; it is often only enforced when auditors are coming to town, or only the bare minimum is done in order to adhere to legislation … Wilec, a division of ACTOM, is not such a company.

Wilec – a manufacturer, importer, stockist and distributor of input materials to the electrical-motor and transformer repair and manufacturing industries – serves a diverse range of industries with more than 6 000 products, which are stocked in five major distribution centres nationally …

It’s no wonder that the company uses some hi-tech logistical IT systems to ensure that the right products get to where they need to go.

Logistics isn’t the only “discipline” that Wilec values, however, as its operations executive, Howard Eldridge, reveals:

What does occupational health and safety mean to Wilec?

With the aid of the NOSA CMB 253 occupational health and safety management system, it gives us peace
of mind to know that we have a systemised focus in our organisation that drives the health, safety and well-being of our people at all levels of our structure.

What are your sentiments regarding the Noscar Awards?

These awards recognise the contribution of organisations, and their people, in achieving a consistently high standard of health and safety focus in the business. Winning one of these awards speaks to a team-wide achievement in an organisation.

What value do these accolades add to the industry?

These awards drive the systems already in place to a new level, and underpin the commitment and contribution of organisations in ensuring a safe and healthy work environment. I believe the awards are achievable with dedicated hard work. They are highly prized and sought after.

How many Noscars did you win this year, and how many have you won, in total, thus far?

We won one this year – our second in total.

Why, would you say, did you win these?

Winning a Noscar is a team accomplishment; it speaks to the achievements of our people. The team identified this as a goal that we then set out to reach. We are extremely proud of what we have achieved.

What are your health and safety plans going forward?

We plan to focus on improving our systems from both an implementation (shop floor) and development perspective.