Health & Safety

Every project starts with safe execution.

Safety is planned into the programme, not added to it. The controls below apply on every VSN site, from mobilisation to handover, and are audited centrally.

  1. Before work starts

    • 01

      Site induction

      Everyone entering site is inducted on its hazards, rules, emergency arrangements and welfare.

    • 02

      Risk assessment

      Hazards are assessed for each activity, with controls agreed before the work is programmed.

    • 03

      Method statements

      Safe systems of work are written with the people who will carry them out and briefed before starting.

  2. Every day

    • 04

      Toolbox talks

      Short, specific briefings on the day’s activities and the risks they carry.

    • 05

      Permit systems

      Hot works, excavations, confined spaces, electrical isolation and loading of temporary works are permitted.

    • 06

      Daily checks

      Access routes, edge protection, scaffolds and plant are checked and recorded each day.

    • 07

      PPE

      Task-appropriate PPE is specified in each method statement and enforced on site.

  3. High-risk activities

    • 08

      Work-at-height controls

      Collective protection first — edge protection, netting and MEWPs — before personal fall arrest.

    • 09

      Lifting controls

      Every lift is planned by a competent person, with exclusion zones and a lift supervisor on site.

  4. When something happens

    • 10

      Emergency procedures

      Fire, rescue and first-aid arrangements are planned, signed and rehearsed for each site layout.

    • 11

      Incident reporting

      Incidents and near misses are reported, investigated and shared across all projects.

  5. Assurance

    • 12

      Safety audits

      Central HSE audits test each site against VSN standards, independent of the project team.

    • 13

      Training

      Supervisors and operatives are trained and assessed for the activities they manage or carry out.

Operative in PPE guiding a concrete pour at ground level
Fig. 01Concrete pour, ground level — PPE and exclusion zone

—Our position on statistics

We publish verified figures only.

Safety statistics are only meaningful when they are independently verified and reported on a consistent basis. Until then, we would rather explain how we manage risk than quote numbers.

[Insert verified safety performance data, reporting basis and period.]

[Insert verified certifications, e.g. ISO 45001 — only if held.]

Stop work

Anyone on a VSN site can stop work they believe is unsafe — and will be supported for doing so.

Talk to our HSE lead about your project.

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