Great news for Wales – Welsh Transport Forum 2019
BN SHE has a number of clients based in South Wales, so it was only natural for us to want to understand the strategy and direction of travel for transport infrastructure for the region. So, we attended the Welsh Transport Forum, which was held in Cardiff on Thursday, 4th April 2019.
As Wales is an area we operate in on a regular basis, for rail, ISO and health and safety consultancy, it makes sense for us to understand the potential investment and priorities for transport infrastructure in Wales.
It’s fair to say that, like other areas of the UK, Wales has suffered from a lack of investment into its transport infrastructure over many years. However, in 2018 the Welsh Government publicised a £5 billion investment in the rail franchise over a fifteen-year period.
The 2019-20 draft budget paper describes a total £4.7 billion public investment including:
- £3 billion for services
- £793m for the South Wales Metro and Taff’s Well Depot
- £900m to operate and maintain the “core” South Wales Valleys once ownership transfers to the Welsh Government
This means a new era for rail in Wales, with an increase in frequency of services, capacity and quality of rolling stock, as well as the creation of 600 new jobs. A full report on investment into the Wales and borders rail infrastructure can be found on the Rail Magazine website.
We were really interested to hear from all five speakers on the night, but of particular interest was the keynote speech from Bill Kelly, Managing Director (Wales and Borders Route) Network Rail. Bill talked about Network Rail’s strategy to become a more customer focussed, service driven organisation, which we believe is long overdue ‘good news’ for passenger.
We had a really enjoyable night, met and connected with interesting people and companies from all over Wales. We came away feeling positive that we will be doing more and longer-term business with our existing clients as well as new business with clients needing the right accreditation to become part of the supply chain for the Welsh rail industry.
Beverley HeathMooD Account ManagerCACI Ltd (Information Intelligence Group)
"Neil supplied us with the technical expertise, business acumen, and encouragement to achieve what we knew to be a challenge: achieving ISO 45001 certification in less than 2 months. At the time we brought Neil, and his company BNSHE, in to advise us, our organisation was very comfortable with the people aspects of Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S). The technical side, the understanding of the ISO standard, and the minute level of detail needed to evidence the wider OH&S landscape, was new territory for us. Neil quickly absorbed information on the essence of our core business and tailored a package of policies, procedures, registers and forms that filled any gaps left by our company's other documents. This ensured we had every clause of the ISO standard covered by a cohesive OH&S Management System that was relevant to us, and therefore would not be simply "shelf ware". As our internal auditor, Neil was rigorous in seeking out non-conformities and opportunities for improvement and put us on a sound footing for the audits that followed rapidly. The service Neil offers in continued support and advice, and provision of tailored OH&S updates, is important to help us maintain a strong OH&S system and we have happily contracted with BNSHE for this. Neil's patience, calmness and good humour were reassuring at all times and we very much enjoyed working with him. We are very grateful to Neil for what he has helped us achieve: in fact we are not at all sure we could have done this without him."
Megan McHaleCompliance ManagerFlatley Construction Limited
"We worked closely with BN SHE Consultancy Ltd, to implement an integrated management system; IS0 9001, 14001 & 45001. After getting to know our business, BN SHE produced a system which is reflective of us as a company, easy to understand and therefore easy to implement. We would like to thank Neil and the team at BN SHE for being available evenings and weekends to answer any questions we had leading up to our audits. We would also like to thank them for helping us become an ISO certified business, which will allow us to tender for further work in the future."
Michael Cirstean Managing Director Dynamic Group Limited
"Dynamic Group were looking for a company to help us with an integrated management system; ISO 9001, 14001 AND 45001 that would incorporate our rail management system to give us a solution for the whole business. We were referred to BN SHE and Neil was assigned to us to review our current systems. As soon as we were able to present to Neil our audit results he attended our offices and put together an action plan to adopt all the necessary processes and procedures required for us to reach the acquired standard. The speed in which Neil put our systems together is testament to the great service they provide. We gave them a narrow window within which we wanted to achieve these standards and working management system and they certainly delivered with time to spare. To help us through the process Neil often dealt with enquiries outside of office hours and this still further helped with a smoother process. Very professional at all times and highly recommended. Thank you to the BN SHE Team "
Ciprian OstafiePlanning and Compliance ManagerEncompass Environmental Ltd
"Here at Encompass Environmental Ltd, we were looking for a consultancy to assist with our management system to obtain ISO Certifications. BN SHE was recommended to us, and we are so pleased that we got the help and support of Neil and his team – we couldn’t have asked for more. In a very professional, efficient, and cost-effective way, Neil and the team have assisted us to set up our Integrated Management System and obtain the ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015 and ISO 45001:2018 Certifications. And not only that, the Integrated Management System that has been set up by them also meets the requirements of RISQS. We would like to take this opportunity to say thank you for all the help and support throughout this process and to any organisation out there that is looking for consultancy within Health and Safety and Management Systems, we believe, without a shadow of a doubt that BN SHE Consultancy Ltd is the company to steer you in the right direction."
Clive IllingworthSHEA ManagerEssential Fleet Services
"BN SHE Consultancy Ltd were, up until December 2015, assisting our company through various business changes. As the Health & Safety Manager for the company I have found both Bonita and Neil extremely professional in not only dealing with our internal sites and depots, but also our external customers when required. Their meticulous approach when dealing within specific criteria for vehicle repair workshops is second to none. With their proactive approach in dealing with problems, identified as part of the audit process, they were able to assist our staff with on the spot advice on how to rectify the issue/problem; this pragmatic approach and attitude helped make the whole auditing process work extremely well."
Mike Wilding DirectorDT Contracting (SW) Ltd
"After many years working with a multitude of consultants negotiating the myriad of compliance accreditations necessary to operate within the highly regulated construction industry we were fortunate to be introduced to BN SHE Consultancy Ltd. In a relatively short time Bonny and Neil have streamlined and updated all our internal SHEQ systems resulting in our ISO9001:2015 certification being achieved in less than a year. We are currently working towards ISO14001 and ISO45001 with the full guidance of BN SHE Consultancy Ltd, who also provide us with effective ongoing support in maintaining our SSIP and RISQS accreditations. The service extends to regular site audits and clear, objective reviews of our contract documentation in relation to SHEQ. Above all the support our team receives is always proactive and entirely professional, giving us an extra level of confidence in our day to day operations in what can still be very much a high risk industry. We would have no hesitation in recommending BH SHE Consultancy Ltd to other companies within the industry"
Dr. Noel JohnCompliance Director LCI Rail
"We enlisted BNSHE to implement an integrated management system during 2018 that would be in compliance with ISO 9001, 14001 & 45001. This project was to be from start to finish and they should also attend the ISO certification audit (UKAS). We worked with both Neil and Bonny at times during this project which was seamless from beginning to end. Neil even managed to cross reference and signpost to existing processes required for our Rail RISQS compliance. We started in April and by September we were a certificated organisation. I have no hesitation in recommending the BNSHE team to any organisation who is looking for someone who delivers on what they promise they are just brilliant!"
Katie ShooterManagerAesthetiCare & Ferndale Pharmaceuticals Ltd
"Health and Safety is no longer something to be scared of in our company. We have been working with BN SHE Consultancy Ltd for over a year now, and this has just become a part of our daily routine. BN SHE always ensure we are fully compliant with Health and Safety regulations, and that we have the correct Risk Assessments in place which fall in line with business change. I would highly recommend BN SHE Consultancy Ltd."
Luke WellingsManagerTrueline Expanded Products Ltd
"Trueline got in touch with BN SHE following a visit from the HSE in which an improvement notice was issued. In order for us to comply with health and safety legislation we needed a fully compliant health and safety management system that was not only comprehensive and effective but enforced and communicated to employees. BN SHE immediately identified what we needed at Trueline and designed a bespoke action plan to achieve results in a short period of time. Not only was an action plan created but Bonita created all policies and procedures we needed to become compliant and made sure I was involved at every stage so I could understand and enforce our new system. The service BN SHE provided was extremely professional and we could not have been any happier, not only did our health and safety culture improve but Bonita gave me the confidence and knowledge to continue to improve the health and safety of our employees."
Joe Reynolds Operations DirectorAK Industries
"BN SHE were approached to form part of our HSE support network and aid AKI with our Health & Safety (ISO 45001) and Environmental (ISO 14001) certification. Not only did BN SHE support with the development and implementation of a new integrated HSE management system but they proved invaluable in skilling up internal staff and worked directly with the external accreditation body during the initial audits, making them both pain and non-conformance free. BN SHE currently form part of our health & safety committee and provide invaluable direct day to day support for all our HSE needs. In summary BN SHE have helped remove the fog of confusion around HSE and made it something AKI are now proud of."
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