Case Studies

Jayne, you work for James Hall and Company ltd. Can you tell us a little bit about the organisation?
James Hall and Company Ltd. is a family-owned group of companies and primary supplier to SPAR retailers across the North of England. The group is multifaceted, covering a diverse range of industries from a variety of manufacturing outlets to wholesale, transportation, retail stores including butchers’ counters, a property division, engineering and maintenance and head office support services. The company is one of the largest employers in Lancashire with over 3,500 employees.

Your role with James Hall and Company ltd. is as a Health and Safety Director. What does this involve?
When people think what the role of a Health and Safety Director entails, they would probably say ‘to ensure compliance with health and safety laws and guidance’. Whilst that is part of what I do, my role is so much more than that: my role is to care for the health, safety, and wellbeing of our employees and all of our customers. It is also to ensure that we do everything to not only keep them safe and not negatively affected by our business operations, but also to help improve their overall health.

In my role I do a lot of root cause analysis work to further develop and support our health, safety, and wellbeing strategy, monitor performance, consult with employees, think about how we can improve what we do, look at market leading technologies and mentor and encourage people to look out for themselves and others. I also support our onsite medical team who provide medical services including physiotherapy advice to our employees across the group. My role is to be someone that people can come and speak to about any concerns or to share ideas for initiatives they may have.

In terms of the health and safety profession, I like to think of myself as someone who is an advocate for improving the perception of health, safety, and wellbeing by highlighting the personal benefits it offers to individuals, employees and society as a whole. I also try to explain that ‘health and safety’ is not one concept; ‘health’ and ‘safety’ are both separate and interdependent, preventative and proactive, related to work and also not related to work.

Can you tell us about your previous professional experience and what led you to pursue a career in health and safety?
I joined James Hall after I finished my Master’s degree at Lancaster University. I wasn’t sure what career path I wanted to embark on and didn’t really know anything about health and safety. After working my way around the business and learning about each area, I knew health and safety was not only the department I wanted to work in but the profession that I wanted to pursue. It is extremely people focused, varied, challenging, and rewarding. I wanted a career that enabled me to make a difference, to give people a voice and ensure that it is heard and to actively contribute to protecting other people’s welfare, so it was a perfect fit!

You have completed your NEBOSH National General Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety and NEBOSH Level 6 National Diploma for Occupational Health and Safety Management Professionals. Why did you take these qualifications and what made you choose NEBOSH?
NEBOSH is very highly valued and recognised in the industry, which is one of the reasons why I completed a Certificate and Diploma. However, I also found the structure and approach they follow is very practical, and the open book method reflects how I deal with any issue that comes up at work. The content of the syllabus for the Certificate and Diploma are both very engaging and cover breadth as well as depth for lots of health and safety issues and legal frameworks.

How did these qualifications benefit you?
The qualifications really benefitted me in terms of making me more aware of what resources were out there to help me help our managers and employees. Both courses also covered leadership and management skills which were very helpful and developed my professional conduct as well as technical knowledge.

Can you explain how your role developed or any changes you made/want to make in the business after completing your Diploma?
Shortly after qualifying, I became the Health and Safety Director for the company, which I am still immensely proud of. Since completing my Diploma I have been working hard to ensure that health and safety is more aligned with our business strategy so that it can help support and progress the business and our employees. I find that working with employees and managers and understanding their roles, interests and priorities allows us to have a more tailored and practical approach to health and safety.

My team and I have also focused on being more data driven in our approach. For example, looking at topical issues and then running campaigns or audits on certain areas. We have a layered approach and look at health and safety performance holistically. We have also tried to make health and safety more engaging for employees; modernising the look and feel of our forms, posters and noticeboards. Continuously thanking employees for their contributions to health and safety has really furthered our safety culture here at James Hall.

Going forward, I want to continue to drive improvements in occupational health, mental health and wellbeing. Looking after employees should extend beyond the workplace and into society. People can spend a lot of time at work and things that happen at work can really impact someone personally as well as professionally. Therefore, having an active interest in improving general health is something employers and health and safety departments should encourage. I am currently working on health campaigns and initiatives that will hopefully support this goal and as always, consulting and collaborating with employees to ensure that they can relate and take on board the messages.

Can you tell us about the recent health and safety event you organised to inspire your colleagues?
At my graduation I was privileged enough to listen to guest speaker Jason Anker. Jason’s story was really thought provoking and made me think about how workplace health and safety has such a wide impact on families, friends, communities and the world. As 2024 marked 50 years of the Health And Safety At Work Act, my team and I decided to celebrate the difference the Act has made to workplaces and take the time to recognise what we do as a company for health and safety. Jason attended our event to speak to colleagues and share the same story and message that I heard at the NEBOSH Graduation.

This has had a huge impact and it’s a privilege that my colleagues have been able to hear and see a different perspective on health and safety. It also allowed my team to reflect on what a difference the legislation has made across the UK and the world in the last 50 years. As a health and safety professional, I can’t wait to see how much further the industry can go to support workplaces and make a difference to people’s lives.

What’s next for you in terms of your professional development?
I am soon going to be working towards chartered membership of IOSH, which I am looking forward to. I want to investigate environmental health and safety and increase my understanding of subjects like workplace and general wellbeing, including fitness, nutrition and mental health. I also want to continue to progress within the company as we develop and expand into different areas.

What do you enjoy most about being a health and safety professional?
I enjoy being able to regularly collaborate with employees from other departments most of all. Knowing that we have assessed risk and allowed people to do their work or shop in our stores safely and go home to their families and friends provides so much job satisfaction. I also enjoy that we can actively make a difference; if someone tells us something and we find a solution for them, we make that person feel valued, supported, healthier and safer.

One thing I often remind myself of is the ripple effect of what we do. Improving the health, safety and wellbeing of our employees means that we have contributed to the health, safety and wellbeing of our community and society – this is something that those in the health and safety profession should always remember and be extremely proud of.

Looking back on your career to date, what achievements are you most proud of?
In terms of my career at James Hall, I am most proud of how my team have changed the perception of health and safety, with the inclusion of wellbeing, in our workplace. Once I was made Director, I was really keen to move away from health and safety being associated with compliance. Our Policy Statement was amended, and the first line is now ‘We Care About You’ – because ultimately, that is at the core of health and safety. It is about caring for everyone affected by our work and encouraging staff to care about others. We do not comply with health and safety because it’s the law; the law is there because it’s the right thing to do.

We have also added numerous ways employees can engage with us, from QR codes, more regular meetings and walk arounds, noticeboards and campaigns to communal inboxes. In the last year this has enabled us to increase near miss and concern reports by 47% and reduce accidents by 41%; I am really proud of all our employees who have engaged and joined us on our journey.

Another area I am proud of is our inclusion of wellbeing. As previously mentioned, my team and I have a view of health, safety and wellbeing that extends from the workplace. We want people to leave work not just as they arrived, but even better, so they can go home and share what they’ve learnt and contribute to a healthier, safer, and happier society. The inclusion of wellbeing really helps with this goal.

On a personal note, I am proud of achieving Best Candidate for the NEBOSH Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety in 2023. I really enjoyed the course and had fantastic support from my Learning Partner, Astutis, and my colleagues. Achieving the Diploma itself was a fantastic career highlight so the award was something extra that I could be even more proud of. Studying and having a full-time job is not always easy alongside a home life but it was worth the reward!

What would be your advice to anyone at the start of their health and safety career?
It isn’t always easy and there are both quick wins and things that take longer to achieve, but you should embrace that you are taking people on a journey. Make health, safety, and wellbeing relatable and understandable, speak with people, get out into the working environment, ask questions, teach people, listen and most of all be curious! Watching people leave work every night or customers leaving happy, healthy, safe and knowing they are heading home to be with their loved ones is the reward; something that we all so often take for granted.