C J LANG & SON LTD – SAFETY COMMITMENT THROUGH STAFF TRAINING INVESTMENT

Dundee based C J Lang & Son Ltd, Scotland’s largest independent retailing and distribution company is further investing in staff safety management training to continually encourage a culture conducive to healthy and safe working. The company is ensuring that senior management appreciate the importance of a good health and safety culture in influencing the wellbeing of all stakeholders. Therefore, several managerial staff from across all divisions including company stores, distribution, sales and marketing, property and wholesale have now passed a nationally recognised IOSH Managing Safely course. Established in 1919 and employing over 2100 employees across its 3 operating divisions, the family run business is the wholesaler for 400 SPAR convenience stores across Scotland of which 91 are company owned stores. Good health and safety makes for improved staff morale and a better shopping environment for customers. Moreover, responsible for running a very large and busy distribution warehouse with 24hour picking and a transport department with deliveries 6 days per week, effective staff training is a corner stone of the company’s success. C J Lang & Son Ltd also operates 3 Martex Cash & Carry sites and a Foodservices and Catering division. Therefore, getting health and safety right to protect all teams takes into consideration location, people, equipment, activities whether that be in the offices or cash and carry. Given that the health and safety of all company stakeholders is paramount, whether staff or customers, and, recognising that managing health and safety is becoming increasingly demanding, the IOSH Managing Safely course is proving a very worthwhile investment. Provided by Stirling based Safety Consultancy Occupational Training Services Ltd (SCOTS), the course lasts four days and is split into various modules with a project to complete. John Connolly, CJ Lang Group Human Resources Controller states, “The course raises the education bar for management to more ably equip them to meet the increasing complexity of health and safety legislation. Moreover, it sets ever improving standards of operation which keep people safe and expands the CJ Lang Health & Safety culture. I’m pleased to say that we’ve had 100% passes on the course.” The course covers assessing and controlling risks along with the demands of the law. Course participants are trained to ably identify hazards including entrances and exits, work traffic, fire, chemicals and electricity. Participants are trained on how to investigate accidents and how to check performance to improve health and safety. Dealing with physical and verbal abuse, bullying, stress and noise is also covered. Finally, the course also includes a look at how organisations and individual managers can get involved in cutting environmental impacts. Furthermore, Tom Boyle, C J Lang & Son Ltd Warehouse Operations Manager, states, “I found the course to be a great refresher on my existing knowledge and I now have a greater understanding of responsibilities and if the ever changing legislation which effects the way we work within the guidelines and laws of health and safety. The IOSH course is a very important tool and I am sending further warehouse shift managers and supervisors to attend.” C J Lang & Son Ltd will continue to invest in staff training and meet their absolute commitment to safety of all customers with further managerial employees attending the courses in August and November this year.