Background to the case study
Our client has been with Ligtas for over 18 years and sees us as an extension to their business, rather than just a supplier who audits them annually. As a business, we support them both as a corporate retail client with over 975 properties and with each property as a small business. This allows Ligtas to provide a flexible, unique approach that proves that no client is too big nor too small.
The client has a well established internal health, safety and compliance team. From their external compliance supplier it is vital that a partnership approach has been developed as opposed to an enforcement regulator. They want a partner who will support them to ensure that they protect their brand reputation while remaining compliant to both legal standards and accreditation requirements, such as the NHS.
Like all businesses, the global pandemic and subsequent lockdown came as a surprise. The operational aspects of the business were reduced greatly to emergency services which resulted in having to furlough staff from March through to June. As their business returned to full operational trading in July it had to be ensured that COVID Secure environments were provided to ensure that safety of not just colleagues but members of the public.
Client requirements
To enable safe trading and the provision of COVID Secure environments the client developed internal control measures covering 5 core requirements for their stores to recommence trading:
- Workplace Risk Assessment – which was to be tailored and made specific for each location
- Individual Colleague Risk Assessment – to enable each colleague to return to work from furlough all staff were to be assessed individually and to be fully briefed on the new workplace requirements
- PPE standards and guidelines – ensuring that all equipment used will protect the user against health or safety risks at work and guidelines understood
- COVID Secure Poster to be displayed – informing the public that each property was safe to use
- How social distancing measures had to be applied to ensure safe practices are applied
Our solution
Even with the stringent measures put into place, and the ability to share information quickly via the client's online compliance portal, our client could only provide minimal monitoring and management. The Ligtas solution included:
- Ligtas consultants attend the client's stores routinely; anything between 80 and 120 locations per calendar month
- Access to our UK wide consultants, ensuring that support was provided as needed without any undue constraints on the client’s team
- The clients developed internal standards that became embedded into the Ligtas H&S Audits bespoke to them
- COVID-19 question sets were introduced into their weighted audit scoring system
- As trained COVID Assessors, the Ligtas consultants were able to assist immediately with any short comings identified at the store level
Benefits
- This solution has given immediate reassurance to the client that their retail stores not only provide but maintain a COVID Secure environment for both colleagues and members of the public alike
- The net result is with our support, the client can be assured that trading can continue even under difficult and unforeseen circumstances
Customer testimonial
Here at Specsavers, we have been working with Ligtas for more than 18 years to provide tailored health and safety solutions to our business. Our relationship with Ligtas is more than simply a customer and client one. With their expertise in health and safety and their intimate knowledge of our retail estate, I see them as a valuable asset and extension to our in house health and safety team providing real insight into how our partners manage health and safety in their stores. With a team of regional experts in both health and safety as well as fire safety, they are on hand to provide risk-based audits as well as fire risk assessments to our ever-growing estate of stores both here in the UK, ROI and the Channel Islands.
Phil Sleet - Specsavers - Head of Health & Safety UK/ROI Retail