PJ Carey Plant Hire (Oval) Ltd – Year 5 as a Gold accredited company

Careys has been in existence since the 1970s. Established in Wembley it has become a national organisation in the construction industry with the majority of our HGV work centred in and around London.  We transport plant and equipment to construction sites with some collection of waste material. After 5 years as a Gold accredited company Gary Condon, our Managing Director, has been keen to take stock of the company’s progress towards FORS accreditation and what it continues to bring to the business. Gary reflects as follows.

“From our Bronze accreditation in 2013 through to achievement of Gold in 2014 FORS has greatly assisted us in navigating a path towards high quality standards and excellence which provides our staff, stakeholders and clients with continued confidence of our standing in the industry.

Our promotional activity over the years through involvement with CLOCS and proactive vetting of contractors in our supply chain has ensured quality in our activities and ensuring they also aspire to our high standards.

We have increased our order book year on year with FORS Gold membership providing positive benefits and successful tendering opportunities.

FORS continues to provide the checks and balances of our systems, processes and compliance through its regular auditing and re-accreditation activity.

In the past 12 months, we have continued to adapt to the continuing requirements of our work in London, purchasing further Euro 6 vehicles built to our specification to include additional FORS safety features which protect vulnerable road users. The HGV seen in the picture above is an example of one of our latest additions.

The achievement of the gold standard has helped us to secure competitive advantage.”- Gary Condon MD of PJ Carey Plant Hire

FORS has helped us greatly in knowing, understanding and analysing our data in a professional way. The Behavioural Driving workshops delivered by Fleet Source have given us real driver focus and has helped our fleet operatives become more involved in ensuring the fleet operation is professional and competent with the suite of e-learning safety modules also providing reassurance that road risk is seen as a daily consideration when undertaking their duties.

We will continue to take advantage of the benefits that FORS offers” – Gary Condon MD of PJ Carey Plant Hire

The table below provides data which shows performance comparisons between periods of vehicle use. By adopting an approach of progressively training our drivers, distinct improvements can be seen, including in Co2 reduction where although total distance travelled has reduced due to more local contracts the impact of drivers’ behavioural training and an increase in Euro 6 vehicles to our fleet has seen positive changes over the past twelve months.

The current Gold standard requirements have also helped us to focus on criteria which we have used to build on our existing practices as follows:

• We always ensure that our drivers are aware that we have their health and fitness in mind when they are deployed to driving duties, protecting both themselves and the company. We therefore screen new drivers at recruitment to check for any medical conditions potentially impacting on their ability to drive for the company. Ongoing medicals are then carried out by our external occupational health provider every 2 years to ensure they remain fit to drive. We also have an in-house gym which all staff, including our drivers, are encouraged to use.
• We are currently fully manned but are aware of the current professional driver shortage and are working with schools, colleges and other partners to promote our industry in addition to our participation at industry events where applicants can register an interest for any vacancies as they arise. We are proud of our achievement in securing “Fleet of the Year” at the Commercial Fleet Awards in 2017. We also continue to work with external partners including the Met Police during our Cycle Safety Days in raising awareness of vulnerable road users and these are also seen as opportunities to engage with the public and provide a further platform for promoting Careys and the industry.
• In relation to noise assessment whilst our customer sites are based in non-sensitive areas around London and the nature of our operation and activity is below the legal health and environmental requirements we regularly risk assess and measure all our operations and provide our operatives with a noise level reference chart which is posted on site and provides levels of protection to be used when levels are exceeded.
• Building on our work at Battersea Power Station where last year we where the mode option of river transport of waste material was agreed with the client we are, as a matter of course, exploring with existing and potential new clients this method of transport for future work. We currently have no alternative HGV’s in our fleet. Whilst there are currently no suitable alternative vehicles on the market for our operation our new trucks are Euro 6 compliant and have a pay load 1.2t greater than our old trucks which will reduce our operational miles driven. We also have engine management linked to the GPS so the interface can monitor driving behaviour, idling and routing.

In summary the Standard continues to give recognition to the transport operation within the company and is being recognised by our customers. Becoming a Champion of CLOCS (Construction logistics and cyclist safety) through working in partnership with Transport for London has provided even greater credibility. Going forward our aim is to continue with the promotion of quality and safety of our transport operation through further engagement with partners and stakeholders whilst continuing to take full advantage of the benefits that the standard undoubtedly provides. We have also developed a “Traffic Management Plan” as part of a package offered to clients and local councils which is discussed at the tender stage.