Health, Safety and Environment

Our vision is to create a work environment where safety is never compromised. To achieve this, we implemented a robust five-year HSE strategy built on four key pillars: Culture, Competence, Collaboration, and Supply Chain. These pillars are the cornerstones of our continuous improvement journey, ensuring we meet the exacting standards expected of a leading housebuilder.

We believe a strong safety culture requires open communication and a shared understanding of compliance across all departments. To help achieve this, we’ve implemented a more linear working routine, empowering teams and fostering a collaborative environment where everyone feels responsible for safety.

The new Building Safety Act presented a significant challenge. We responded by setting up a dedicated working group to ensure comprehensive understanding and adoption of the legislation throughout the company. Proactive planning, including implementing select change control procedures one year ahead of the mandate, ensured a seamless integration into our operations.

Our commitment to excellence is further solidified by a class-leading suite of accreditations, including ISO 9001, 14001, 45001, and 50001 energy management.

Honesty and self-reflection are at the core of our safety culture. In 2023, we acknowledged that our Accident Incident Rate (AIR) reached an unacceptable high of 401. Through a comprehensive safety campaign that addressed root causes, we achieved a significant turnaround. By the year’s end, we had halved our AIR to 210, even amidst a record daily workforce of over 4,600 employees.

We believe strong leadership is vital for safety. Our leadership team is committed to delivering consistent feedback, praise, and encouragement, ensuring everyone understands their role in creating a safe work environment. This includes senior leaders being visible on site. Operations teams, including technical leads and surveyors, are now fully integrated at sites, fostering a collaborative approach to HSE.

During these visits, they review KPIs, file reports, and hold our teams accountable for developing action plans to improve HSE performance across their sites. Regional Directors also meet with their top five and bottom five performing supply chain partners quarterly to address any concerns.

We take pride in the impressive performance of our sites in the Considerate Constructors Scheme, and to continuously raise the bar, we’ve increased our KPI target from 42 to 43 as a minimum required score.  This commitment ensures a relentless drive for improvement.

At Hill, we actively promote a welcoming and inclusive environment for everyone on our sites. In 2023, we improved our PPE offerings by enhancing our women’s specific items and following employee feedback, we reviewed our workwear policy to allow for the safe and controlled use of shorts on site during warmer months. We’ve also upgraded our welfare facilities to include female sanitary products and sanitary disposal bins in both female and male toilets, recognising the growing awareness of male incontinence. Our HSE team proactively addresses potential safety risks by conducting regular drink and drug testing across our sites.

Our approach to improving company-wide competence is strategic and focused. We prioritise thorough training and development programmes to ensure our team has the latest skills and knowledge. We now also employ a full-time learning and development partner to enhance our skills and take us beyond compliance, improving the competence of our direct employees.

We encourage a culture of continuous learning, supporting our employees in their ongoing education and professional growth. Each person in our business now has a comprehensive training matrix, rated by risk, with clear plans detailing the courses and training they need. This makes sure our people feel competent, supported, and empowered. Our training programmes also meet the requirements of the Building Safety Act.

By setting clear expectations for health and safety and providing regular, constructive feedback, we help our teams understand their roles and strive for excellence in their work. We also track and record the performance of our supply chain partners through our systems, providing feedback at monthly review meetings. Additionally, we foster a supportive work environment that promotes collaboration, innovation, and mutual respect, enabling our employees to perform at their best.

Supporting the government’s Building Safety Act 2022, we championed best practices by creating good practice guides. These industry-leading documents serve as a one-stop shop, clarifying the Act’s requirements and outlining operational processes for compliance. By equipping our employees, leadership, and supply chain partners with these guidelines, we ensure continued safety and compliance on our sites, upholding the standards we demand.

We recognise the importance of mental health in the construction industry. Partnering with the Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity, we delivered a series of ‘Toolbox Talks’ across a selection of our sites. These talks addressed the stigmas surrounding mental health and offered resources specifically designed for construction workers. Their ‘Help Inside the Hard Hat’ campaign resonated with our teams, raising awareness and fostering a more supportive work environment.

We have also increased the number of mental health first aiders across the Group to ensure everyone in the business has access to support at any given moment.

Building strong relationships with our supply chain is paramount. In 2022, we held our inaugural Supply Chain Awards evening, celebrating the achievements and contributions of our valued partners, including an Outstanding Commitment to Health and Safety Award. We’re excited to host our second awards ceremony in June 2024, further solidifying these crucial partnerships.

Demonstrating our commitment to leading the industry in health and safety improvements, our Group HSE Director, Paul Dyster, was appointed Vice Chair of the HBF Health and Safety Committee. Through this role, Paul plays a key part in shaping industry-wide best practices and fostering collaboration for a safer construction environment.

One crucial tool for collaboration is our ‘Safety Wires’ initiative. These digital digests communicate important HSE updates to our internal teams and, more recently, have been expanded to include our supply chain partners. This ensures everyone stays informed of the latest safety protocols and industry developments.

Furthermore, we require each of our operational regions to host a minimum of two supply chain engagement days per year. These events provide a platform for open communication, allowing us to discuss past, present, and future performance challenges with our suppliers. By working together, we can find and address potential issues before they arise, ensuring continued adherence to the highest safety standards. These engagement days also enable stronger relationships with our suppliers, encouraging a more collaborative and human-centred approach to safety within the industry.

By fostering a collaborative environment, empowering our people, and prioritising safety throughout our supply chain, we are committed to building a future where safety is never compromised.