Weetabix
In an effort to mitigate potential risks to their manufacturing staff, Weetabix have called on Peoplesafe’s 24-hour personal safety service – protecting those working in secluded areas and surrounded by heavy machinery.
Weetabix is the UK’s largest breakfast cereal manufacturer, exporting to over 80 countries worldwide with an international workforce of around 1,800 employees. Tasked with cleaning and preparing the wheat that goes in to their renowned breakfast cereals, a large number of their staff are located at their vast Northamptonshire manufacturing facility.
Research into the safety of UK manufacturing carried out by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) revealed 70,000 non-fatal workplace injuries were reported to employers last year. With one of the highest rates of injury compared to other sectors, food and drink proved one of the most hazardous types of manufacturing. Of the 70,000 injuries reported, the most common types were slips, trips, and falls, lifting and handling, being struck by an object and facing contact with machinery. Alarmingly, 16 workers were fatally injured.
Secluded areas of vast manufacturing facilities coupled with the noise levels produced by large machinery, heightens the risk for staff. Should they take a fall or become trapped, their calls for help may not be heard. With no immediate backup to hand, situations requiring emergency or medical assistance are likely to deteriorate, putting the employee at greater risk of life-changing injuries.
In order to reduce the rate of accidents, not only in manufacturing environments but across all organisations, health and safety legislation is formed. Where failings occur, inspectors may serve improvement or prohibition notices and in more serious cases, prosecutions and hefty fines. As an established and well reputable brand, Weetabix valued its Duty of Care towards manufacturing employees by introducing Peoplesafe’s personal safety service.
Designed to protect employees who are at risk of accidents or injuries, Peoplesafe’s personal safety service operates 24 hours a day. Through state-of-the-art safety products, users have a means of calling for help quickly and easily in the event of an incident.
Working on a 24/7 basis, Weetabix needed a system that would support them at all hours, and they found this in Peoplesafe.
The keyfob-sized SOS alarm used at Weetabix features a central SOS button which when pressed, alerts Peoplesafe’s Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC). Trained Alarm Controllers will communicate with the member of staff via the device’s built-in two-way audio to assist and reassure them. If necessary, Alarm Controllers can summon the emergency services to the user’s exact location using the device’s GPS and GPRS capabilities.
Accreditation to the highest industry standards – such as BS 8484:2022, allows Peoplesafe direct access to police control rooms, bypassing the 999 service and guaranteeing a faster response in the event of an emergency.
Should an employee slip, trip, or fall – a fall detection capability within the MySOS device will automatically raise an alert. This is ideal for Weetabix’s manufacturing staff as alarms will still be raised if an employee is knocked unconscious and they cannot be seen or heard by others.
As just one of many organisations in the manufacturing industry safeguarding their workforce through Peoplesafe, Weetabix can rest assured that professional backup is at hand whenever they need it.
