Case Study: Ballantyne Edwards

Ballantyne Edwards

Health and Safety outsourcing is a great fit

Matthew Edwards is a director of corporate clothing specialists Ballantyne Edwards. Since its formation in 1976, the company’s vision has been to offer the very best in quality, reliability and service with regard to the supply of work wear, promotional items and custom clothing. All production services are managed in-house to give a true one-stop shop offering exceptional value for money.

What are the main health and safety challenges in your type of business today?
“To keep up with the raft of health and safety legislation, which can be horrendous! My aim is to obviously try and stop any accidents from happening and for that I need access to up-to-date knowledge.”

Why did you decide to outsource health and safety?
“It was an easy decision to outsource our health and safety. It is such a specialist area with legislation changing all the time that it needs a specialist to know where to start and keep on top of things. And, from a purely practical point of view, a small business like ours could not carry the cost burden of a dedicated internal resource.”

How long have you been outsourcing health and safety to MBHS?
Two years

Why did you choose MBHS?
“I wanted to have a supplier that was local to me as I thought that would mean they would be more responsive in an emergency. I researched a number of companies through the internet and Yellow Pages and MBHS came back with the best response and looked the most competent.”

How do MBHS work with you to make you compliant?
“I can be confident that MBHS will cover everything we need to know and do as an organisation to stay compliant. My MBHS consultant updates me on legislation changes and relevant case studies and completes all necessary paperwork such as Risk Assessments. He also trains the team both on the job, for things such as manual handling, and in a more formal classroom situation.”

How does that work day to day?
“We see our MBHS consultant at least once a month and he will check our staff on site and update me as necessary.”

Do you think that you have saved money by outsourcing health & safety?
“I take my role as a director seriously and know it would be me that had to ultimately answer for any unsafe practice or serious accident that involved our workforce or site. I therefore think the money I spend on outsourcing health and safety is well worth the peace of mind it brings to ensure that we continue to be compliant and lessen the risk of anything untoward happening.”

How does the cost of health and safety impact your business?
“The total cost of health and safety to our type of business is not an undue burden. By having MBHS on our side, I am kept updated and that has helped me to control the costs.”

Are there any other benefits to the business from outsourcing health & safety?
“It all boils down to peace of mind, knowing that I have a competent health and safety department at the end of the phone who can be on site quickly if needed. The proof is that, in our time with MBHS so far, we have had no reportable incidents, just minor cuts and abrasions. Hopefully things will continue that way!”

So how would you sum up your outsourcing experience?
“Excellent. MBHS really have taken the stress out of an area that used to be such a concern – now I don’t mind it when someone mentions the words ‘health and safety’!”

Interview conducted with Matthew Edwards, October 2008