We speak to Richard Henderson, head of health and safety at Cavanna Homes, about his career path and the importance of his role in the housebuilding industry.
Please tell us a little about yourself and your current role.
I started my career as an apprentice estimator after studying at South Devon College (formally Torquay Technical College) in early 2000, and then moved into the construction industry in 2004, where my path into health and safety began.
I joined Cavanna Homes in April 2017, where I am now head of health and safety – a role which I thoroughly enjoy. The main part of my job is ensuring health and safety standards on site are followed to maintain a safe place for people to work, and looking into ways we can utilise technology to support our health and safety objectives.
How did you start your career in health and safety?
After starting off in demolition and asbestos removal gaining a great deal of knowledge working with many organisations, I became an acting health and safety director in 2013. This role took me all over southern England, working with national companies undertaking large construction projects in the UK, such as Network Rail infrastructure.
This was a brilliant opportunity which then led me to set up my own health and safety consultancy specialising in rail, road, quarries, factories, manufacturing, utilities and housebuilding.
Housebuilding was an area I was particularly passionate about, and when I started my role at Cavanna Homes I was given the brilliant opportunity to take on the day-to-day health and safety responsibilities. It was a blank canvas to ensure health and safety for staff on site was a key priority for the business.
What steps are Cavanna Homes taking to ensure they remain vigilant on health and safety on sites for employees and sub-contractors?
Since Keith Miller was appointed as Cavanna Homes’ managing director in 2017, a clear vision was formed to promote the firm as an industry leader, embracing new technology and at the forefront of new developments in health and safety.
We have seen a significant improvement with accident statistics being at an all-time low including our RIDDOR (Reporting of Injuries Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations) statistics compared with the Home Builders Federation (HBF) published statistics.
CSCS cards are now mandatory across all of our sites, and all staff both in the head office and contractors, must be SSIP (Safety Schemes in Procurement) accredited.
We’re keen to ensure that our staff are well at work, both physically and mentally, which is why we have welcomed occupational health and health surveillance medicals, including mini-health checks and wellbeing checks. This is an area we are passionate about and have been advising contractors to firmly embed health surveillance into their companies, as well as providing guidance where necessary.
Have you found it challenging bringing in new protocols and procedures for health and safety, or has it been welcomed by staff?
When you introduce new protocols and procedures into an established company it can often cause unease, however I have full support from the board and staff across our head office and sites to push our health and safety objectives to achieve and exceed the very highest levels.
Do you think health and safety in the housebuilding sector is improving?
Safety in the commercial housebuilding sector has definitely reached a higher standard over the last ten years. However, health standards across the UK must continue to improve.
Cavanna Homes is implementing various initiatives to ensure our skilled trades become better aware of the health risks associated with their area of work. We recently invited numerous companies to sit with the Working Well Together event where many topical subjects were covered. These included exposure to respirable crystalline silca, hand-arm vibration, noise-induced hearing loss, wellbeing, anxiety and depression. At our contractors’ conferences I ensure these subjects are covered in more detail.
Cavanna Homes has started its mental health campaign, which includes training members of staff as Mental Health First Aiders (MHFA).
What is it about your current position that you really enjoy?
I really enjoy being an ambassador for health and safety at Cavanna Homes and working with such a fantastic team of people. We’re always on the lookout for new methods and procedures to continue improving on health and safety, and in my role, I am fortunate to have a blank canvas to explore this. Being part of the mental health campaign with a focus on awareness and stigma is a great opportunity to make a significant change in this industry which is typically filled with male bravado. By encouraging and supporting colleagues to talk about mental health in the workplace I am sure we will see change.
Are there any projects or accomplishments that you are especially proud of?
It has been brilliant to see the company’s accident/incident levels reach an all-time low – a positive reflection of our continued efforts.
I had the opportunity to speak at Cavanna Homes’ annual suppliers conference to discuss our improvements to health and safety on site, which was well received by staff and contractors. This was a highlight in my career so far, to be able to demonstrate the improvements we’ve put in place and effect they’ve had.
One project I am particularly proud of is introducing various new technologies into the business, including a cloud-based safety auditing software that allows people to live-track the progression of each site in real time. We’ve also implemented wireless-linked fire alarm systems across all our sites for both timber-frame and traditional builds.
What opportunities are there for young people looking to start a career in health and safety within the housebuilding and construction sector?
As a local employer we’re keen to promote the variety of routes available for young people to join the construction and housebuilding industry.
We’ve recently been working with Eat That Frog, a community interest company in the South West that provides courses to young adults to give them a helping hand into the construction sector. As part of the firm’s involvement we invited the students to visit our sites for an introduction to housebuilding, a tour of the site, and to gain experience of what working on a site is like.
We have also invested in apprenticeships as part of our commitment to nurturing up and coming talent in the construction industry. There are so many apprenticeships available for young people to choose from, both on-site and off-site.
What is your advice to anyone considering a career in health and safety?
For any young people considering a career in health and safety or housebuilding, I would certainly recommend undertaking an apprenticeship to gain a wide breadth of experience to find out what’s right for you.
