Newsletter

Welcome

Welcome to the first edition of Xmo Strata's online newsletter. We'll be sending you this on a quarterly basis and updating you, not just on the services we offer (some of which you will not even be aware of!), but with lots of other content that has nothing to do with the company's commercial position.

You probably already know that we issue health and safety bulletins on a regular basis and that this company has a reputation for health and safety which is second to none. This doesn't help us sell our services - but it's something we feel we ought to do, and as a market leader, we have an obligation to provide thought leadership on this topic. We'll also be covering health and safety in the newsletter.

We've been awarded on the of the world's toughest safety and loss prevention accreditations - for the fourth time! The International Contractors' Safety Rating System is so tough that it's normally applied to companies working on nuclear power stations and sub-sea pipelines.

Our crews have a raft of credentials designed to ensure that they work safely even in hazchem and high-risk environments (such as fuel forecourts, which have speeding traffic, manoeuvring cars, electrical work, flammable fluids, explosive vapours etc), but we're constantly seeking to enhance their proven skills base - and reduce both our liability and that of the customer.

Why should customers care? Because customers cannot subcontract the requirement to provide a safe working environment and if accidents occur it is the customer, as much as the injured or deceased person's employer, who is potentially in line for legal consequences.

The ICSRS is just one of the planks in a broad-reaching strategy designed to reduce and manage that risk.

Our boss, Managing Director Steve Martin, said: “The team's done a terrific job. It's a highly intrusive assessment and there's no hiding place - you won't pass unless your company's got superb procedures.”

Email mail@xmostrata.com for further information or look for more detail on our website at www.xmostrata.com

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Very few companies are spending capital on new sign programmes during the recession. But as any retailer will tell you, signage which is shoddy, dirty, has failed lighting and is potentially in a dangerous condition, will reduce footfall and may leave you vulnerable to civil or criminal action.

But we can help. A sign refurbishment and maintenance programme can deploy the very latest technology to keep your signs looking bright, clean and fresh for much longer than their original design-life - and at a fraction of the cost of replacement.

Retailers facing the worst of the recession do need to keep their image polished and smart - but they also need to watch every penny. That's what the refurbishment and maintenance programme is about.

For further information go to the sign maintenance on our website or call Kate Parmentier on 0845 2300 640.

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We have a hard-won reputation for delivering a superb service for our clients in adverse weather conditions - and that's critical, because when storms bring down large signs it can lead to the closure of retail stores and forecourts on health and safety grounds. The cost is measured in thousands or tens of thousands of pounds in lost revenue.

During the blizzards in late January and early February our crews, once again, put in a heroic effort, keeping forecourts across the UK open and safe for hard-pressed motorists. Staff at our head office in Marden, Kent, coordinated crews across the UK, as they drove thousands of miles through the worst storms in 17 years, to reach problem sites.

And they earned a slap on the back from the boss. Our Managing Director, Steve Martin, said: “Every time there are adverse weather conditions and customers are in real trouble our crews excel themselves, and they've done so yet again.”

And the best thing: whilst some of the guys were unable to move from their bases, not a single crew got stuck out on the road - despite being directed into the heart of the storms to fix the worst of the damage!

If you want to know more about our ability to keep your signs in tip-top condition despite the worst the weather can throw at them, call Kate Parmentier on 0845 2300 460

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We helped generate £2,800 for Cancer research - by showing a DVD to our employees at our safety day! How? The DVD was made by scaffolding company SGB, but executives from an oil company, who attended the day and saw the video, were so impressed they wanted to show it to their several hundred employees. We asked SGB if our oil company client could buy the DVDs . and big hearted bosses at the company said yes, but the proceeds would go to Cancer Research! It's a bit convoluted, but the upshot is that because we showed the DVD, cancer Research got £2,800!

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From the very start, our company has been strongly focused on health and safety - but if you really believe in a health and safety culture, then you are constantly seeking improvement, and it is always a 'work in progress'. Our annual safety review showed some distinct improvements to the safety culture at Xmo Strata. In 2008, 87 near-misses were reported - a 77% improvement on 2007 - and 1,863 toolbox talks were given, a remarkable increase from 876 in 2007.

It is very promising that Xmo Strata teams are becoming less fearful of reporting safety issues relating to themselves and their colleagues; we hope to develop this throughout 2009 with the introduction of the Hearts and Minds initiative and related workshops.

Some companies will seek to discourage near-miss reporting, because - on paper - it makes their health and safety record look bad. That's not our view. We focus on preventing injury and death, and reducing liability for our own company and our clients - not in making ourselves look good.

Our Managing Director, Steve Martin - himself a technician grade member of IOSH - said: “We'll openly declare health and safety issues on our web site. This has led some competitors to point with glee to our supposed poor health and safety record, but informed customers will understand the transparent nature of good health and safety practice and appreciate the importance of honesty. We will share our experiences with anyone - even our competitors - if it helps to reduce accidents. It is annoying that some competitors still see health and safety merely as a marketing issue but we'll remain above that. Our health and safety record is there for all to see - no customer will ever have to guess at what is being hidden from them.”

Our management team has continued to lead from the front, with senior managers passing significant health and safety qualifications during 2008. This includes a NEBOSH General Certificate, an accreditation to Tech IOSH status, a short-listing to the top five in the UK IOSH/SHP Achiever of the Year Award, an increase in site presence and an 83% increase in site inspections.

We will be seeking further improvements in the course of 2009.

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A record number of employees, sub-contractors and customers attended the 2008 safety awareness day held on 12 December at Kent's Turkey Mill conference venue in Maidstone.

Presentations were given by Marigold Industrial and our very own Kate Parmentier who took attendees through the procedures and importance of Lock Out Tag Out and risk assessments.

The day also involved an overview of the company's safety performance in 2008, looked at the initiatives due to be introduced in 2009 and culminated in a prize giving of Xmo Strata Safety Recognition Awards.

Thanks goes to all those who attended, supported and were involved in a very successful day.

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Throughout 2009, we will be showing our support for the Energy Institute's Hearts and Minds initiative. This will focus on on-going improving of the safety culture at Xmo Strata and setting clear safety objectives within the company.

Six one-day workshops have been arranged which all crews will attend throughout the course of 2009, topics will include:

• How we receive and respond to safety messages
• Who accidents affect and how
• Accident liability
• Near-miss identification and reporting
• The implications of unsafe working practices
• How we can make a difference

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You've heard of companies incentivising sales staff for bringing in big orders? Well, we incentivise our crews for their health and safety record - and that includes the reporting of health and safety related incidents.

And we're not kidding. The winning two crews at the end of 2009 will be taking their partners to New York, staying in one of Manhattan's finest hotels - and will even get some pocket money to help with the inevitable shopping trips!

They'll have to demonstrate proactive safety behaviour, an ability to identify risks at source and show improved quality in near-miss reporting.

The winners of this fantastic trip will be announced at the 2009 safety awareness day. Then they can look forward to the brownie points they'll earn when they tell their partners!!

It's all part of the effort to impress on crews that health and safety really does lie at the heart of the company's operating ethos, and that reporting health and safety incidents isn't a question of 'fessing up and being told off', but a question of helping others to avoid making the same mistakes.

Any company can claim that it places a high level of importance on health and safety. Making employees genuinely believe that they are required to do more than pay lip-service to it can be a difficult cultural challenge. We believe our bold and no-nonsense approach has got the message across to our employees - but we won't rest on our laurels. Watch this space.

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New Years Day, freezing temperatures and a dip into Scotland's River Forth. Sound like fun?

We chat to Ramsay to explain what appeared to be a moment of sheer madness.

Ramsay, tell us why you would voluntarily plunge into a river (especially in Scotland) in the middle of winter?

I know it sounds crazy and although it was incredibly cold, it was all for a good cause. Since moving to Edinburgh six years ago, I have been involved in fundraising events to raise money for various charities. The first year, I got involved to help raise funds for the victims of the Tsunami. I was so shocked by the tragedy and wanted to do something to help. Once I had done this, I decided that there was far more that could be done to raise not only money but awareness of other charities.

For the last couple of years I have been involved with fundraising for Children 1st, a leading child welfare charity in Scotland. The dip in the river started as a local event in Queensferry and has been running for over 20 years now. Over 500 people took part alongside me on New Years Day. In total I managed to raise £4,000. BP also runs a 'matched giving policy' which means that the company will donate an equivalent amount in dollars to the total I raised through sponsorship. Hopefully our combined contribution will exceed £7,000.

In the pictures you look quite comfortable, was it really that cold?

Yes. The water was, at most, 5 degrees and the air temperature was -2. It wasn't just the plunge in the water that was cold either, everyone meets at a pub beforehand and a piper plays while you all walk down to the water. You then have to run into the river and run back out again. I always try to stay in for as long as possible and this year I managed ten minutes. My sponsors also challenged me to submerge myself underwater three times and swim underwater. They really made sure they got their money's worth.

I imagine dipping into water at that temperature is a good wake-up after a late night on New Years Eve?

It certainly is yes. This event has actually become a part of the New Years celebrations in Edinburgh; you need a very hot bath afterwards to recover though! Some people would pay £100 to go to a spa, but you can raise an awful lot of money by braving the elements!

You managed to raise a fantastic amount of money, were people reluctant to donate so close to Christmas?

Quite the opposite actually; Christmas is an ideal time to help those less fortunate and I think everyone was pleased to be able to help and give something back. Children 1st is a great charity and the work it does is remarkable. It's such a pleasure to be able to help in anyway we can.

For further information on Children 1st or on the events planned by the organisation, please visit www.children1st.org.uk

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In addition to our existing valeting service, we have added purpose built VW Crafter vehicles to our fleet, which allow us to clean hard-to-reach areas without the need for ladders, access equipment, or the need to be near a water tap.

This service is particularly aimed at fascia signs, large building facades and undercanopy sheeting of the type found on retail stores and petrol forecourts.

The vans carry their own water tanks, cold pressure washers and hoses, lighting and a full health and safety pack including fire extinguishers and first aid kits.

This enhanced valeting service sits alongside our sign refurbishment product Vicom HQ, and has been developed to assist customers in fighting the recession and making their existing signware last longer.

For enquiries, please call Kate Parmentier on 0845 2300 460.

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We have recently taken delivery of two highly specified cherry pickers in response to an increase in demand for refurbishment work.

The vehicles will give operators the ability to work safely at heights of up to 13.4 metres (44 feet), and the boom can be controlled from the ground or from the platform.

Cherry pickers allow us to provide work at height without incurring potential liabilities for ourselves or our customers.

Our Operations Manager Kate Parmentier commented: “The number of new sign installations has decreased as the recession has begun to bite, but the amount of refurbishment work we are doing has increased significantly. We are using our Vicom product and a special package of refurbishment services to help our customers maintain bright, clean signs for longer.”

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