Achieving HSE standards at GHD

Engineering, architecture and environmental company GHD continues to grow the number of its operating centres certified to international standards. Its Tasmanian operations were recently included in this certification, achieving the widely recognised occupational health and safety management systems standard OHSAS18001.

CEO Ian Shepherd says recent improvements in GHD’s approach to health, safety and the environment (HSE) have been focused on simplifying health and safety, as well as targeting the highest areas of risk. “We have made HSE information more readily available, targeted and project-appropriate through the intranet portals that our people use for winning work and delivering jobs,” Shepherd explains.

“The implementation of new safety initiatives - such as our GHD Safeguards¹ system, improved crisis and emergency management processes, and streamlined travel risk management - should see us achieve sustained improvement in the future.”

As a result of a continued HSE focus, the company’s health and safety indicators have experienced significant improvements in the past financial year. GHD achieved a 67% reduction in its lost time injury frequency rate (LTIFR) and a 30% reduction in the total recordable injury frequency rate (TRIFR).

Shepherd says that GHD has also recently introduced an environmental stewardship procedure, as well as green vehicle standards. A new environmental data platform is being developed that will provide greater opportunities to consistently track environmental performance.

“We have also begun a secure printing initiative that, when fully implemented, is expected to achieve a 30% reduction in paper consumption and printing costs,” Shepherd says.

“Furthermore, the continued integration of videoconferencing between both local and international teams will contribute to substantial savings on fuel consumption.”

The anecdotal HSE culture also continues to improve internally at GHD, with its 2013 survey of its people showing growth in the view that the company is committed to their safety (94%, a world-class figure according to survey provider Kennexa) and to the environment (80%).

¹GHD Safeguards is a system that focuses on highest sources of health and safety risk for the company.