PPE demands a safe pair of hands

In this case, the challenge is notable for both complexity and scale. “The customer has more than several thousand employees processing their products in chilled environments in across multiple sites across the UK and Ireland,” states Nicholson. “Safety and hygiene is of paramount importance to them, so having top quality PPE that’s been ethically sourced as well as hygiene cleaning tools and equipment that can help them to maintain the exacting standards necessary in food is critical."

The health and safety regulations in food production and processing are exacting because of the dual risk involved. “There are two aspects to the health and safety regulations in food manufacturing,” explains Nicholson. “One is protecting employees and making sure they get home safely at the end of the day. The other is keeping the product safe in terms of food hygiene, thereby protecting the end consumer.

“PPE therefore has two meanings in food manufacturing: keeping the operatives safe and the food itself safe.”

This customer came to RS Safety Solutions when looking for a PPE provider for footwear, gloves, clothing and above-the-neck products across of all of its UK and Ireland facilities. There is, however, more to the contract than simply ensuring continuity of supply, says Nicholson. “Our experience and expertise allows us to collaborate with the customer’s group health and safety and technical teams, supporting them to mitigate different types of risk, whether that’s biological, chemical, physical, ergonomic or psychosocial hazards."

“What happens on site really matters,” continues Nicholson. “Site visits are therefore crucial, helping us to understanding what’s going on, what’s working and what can still be improved.” 

As a result, the dedicated account manager visits all sites every month. As well as helping to build trust and a rapport, these visits provide an opportunity for ongoing support and continuous improvement. “We operate a project tracker,” says Nicholson, “And this is where collaboration comes in.” 

In the second half of 2024, for example, the RS Safety Solutions team worked with the customer on a PPE standardisation project. “We completed a full head-to-toe PPE survey,” recalls Nicholson. “We went into every department at every site to look at the equipment and understand the current product performance then identify where it was possible to improve wearer comfort and deliver cost savings for the customer. 

“Through our surveys and data analysis, for example, we quickly discovered that there was a big opportunity to make improvements. Take footwear: they were using more than 160 different styles of shoe. We’ve now created a locked-down, standardised list of PPE for use across the board. 

“The implementation of the standardised PPE list will undoubtedly deliver annual cost savings,” notes Nicholson. “Furthermore, this list will also protect the customer’s employees, brand and reputation because it ensures that all PPE products have been specified and signed off by the group’s health and safety and technical teams.” 

Standardising PPE has already led to some significant results. The customer has saved over 5% annually across their PPE spend.

Financial savings are not the only benefit. “Another advantage is that we run our own logistics,” adds Nicholson. “They’re our drivers and we have tracking on all the vehicles so can provide live updates.” At one of the customer’s largest sites, which receives up to 15 pallets per week, this makes a big difference. “They absolutely love it because they know our runs are always the same. They know our drivers will arrive within a similar 20-to-30-minute window each week so they can have someone prepared and ready to offload the delivery with a forklift.” 

“It’s a partnership,” reiterates Nicholson – and it’s one that the customer values.