Drama unravels at Galliford Try HS&E Conference  

Topic Health and safety, People

Date 06 Nov 2024

Galliford Try’s annual HS&E Conference was interrupted as an incident unravelled during an event to focus on reinforcing health, safety, and environmental standards across the business.

As Chief Executive Bill Hocking and Group HS&E Director Mike Webb introduced the day to 140 employees on the grounds of St George’s Park, the conference was disrupted by an emergency in the lobby.

Delegates assembled outside as they watched an incident unfold before them, with paramedics arriving at the scene.   

Fortunately, for them, the incident was a staged accident set up by HS&E Leadership Team and the drama group Dramanon, simulating a workplace incident.

The incident became the focal point of the event, and attendees were tasked with guiding actors through a series of HS&E scenarios to make safe, effective decisions, reinforcing the importance of proactive and informed leadership. The event included ‘flashbacks’ from the actors explaining their thought processes in the lead up to the accident, observations from key protagonists who were involved in the lead-up to the incident, and time for participants to reflect on the critical actions needed in the "golden hour" after an incident.

With role play and “murder mystery"-style exercises, the day was a thought-provoking and impactful event and additionally featured contributions from Divisional Managing Directors Ian Jubb, and David Lowery.

The second day saw an ‘Ask the Experts’ industry panel comprising Peter Gibbs from Ainscough, Rob Lowe of Nationwide and Patrick Flannery of Flannery Plant Hire.

Commenting on the conference, Mike Webb, Group HS&E Director for Galliford Try, said: “Continually raising HS&E standards across the board is critical to the success and safety of our projects. This conference was a chance to deepen our commitment to these standards and reinforce the importance of planning and doing the right thing in an interactive and engaging way, to ensure everyone understands and contributes to a safer and more sustainable workplace.

“I’d like to thank everyone who attended for their participation in making the event come to life, with special thanks to the team who made all this happen.”