Achieving Excellence In Sheet Pile Supply
Specialising in the installation of sheet piles is what we do here at Sheet Piling UK, which is why, when it comes to sheet pile supply, we outsource our haulage requirements to HGV operators – but only to those that match our own principles and commitment to excellence.
We judge the latter on the basis of the accreditations that the HGV supplier has in their armoury and, in particular two schemes that both come with acronyms – FORS (Fleet Operation Navigation Scheme) and CLOCS (Construction and Logistics Cyclist Safety Scheme).
Accreditations underpinning our sheet pile supply chain
FORS is all about managing the risk of an HGV on the road and is a non-mandatory requirement. HGV operators who sign up to this voluntary scheme send out the right message to Sheet Piling UK, as that action demonstrates that they care about exceeding industry standards and are committed to safety, mirroring our own ethics. This is all about managing what is called WRRR – work-related road risk and that is precisely what Sheet Piling UK wants to see in its supply chain.
FORS and CLOCS
As a benchmark of excellence and best practice in the European transport industry, FORS is all about promoting well-trained drivers, measuring and monitoring their performance and enhancing safety on the road. Bronze, Silver and Gold levels of excellence can be achieved and when looking for transport for our sheet piles, we always look for hauliers who have Silver level or higher, unless they also or otherwise have CLOCS accreditation.
Silver-level FORS is on a par with the CLOCS accreditation, as it is the level at which safety equipment becomes mandatory and where all vehicles with a gross weight of over 3.5 tonnes have measures in place to eradicate their blind-spots as much as possible. This can be achieved through optical and audible signals and alerts, whether this be through ultrasonic obstacle detection, cameras, or speaking alarms. There is also an emphasis on reducing noise pollution, lowering another impact on the general public.
Benefits to our sheet pile suppliers
Having such accreditation helps a haulage contractor manage their reputation and win tenders, but also comes with other benefits. Well-trained drivers can generate 5% less CO2, have 12% fewer accidents and pick up 10% fewer fines. Choosing suppliers with drivers who are creating fewer environmental and public impacts matters to us as a steel pile and plastic pile contractor and fits with our above-and-beyond attitude to regulations such as NRMM (governing mobile machines that do not carry either passengers or goods when on the road).
When it comes to CLOCS accreditation, we are again looking to work with drivers who are mindful of the huge risks that surround lorries and cyclists. According to ROSPA figures, there were 271 collisions between cyclists and HGVs in 2016. As a result of these reported incidents, there were 16 riders killed, 56 who were seriously injured and a further 198 with other injuries.
A cyclist is 15 times more likely to be killed than a driver and even Policy Adviser to British Cycling, Chris Boardman, has suffered a family tragedy because of an HGV-related incident. His mother sadly died whilst cycling, after colliding with a pick-up truck.
Having hi-tech aids and enhanced awareness of who is alongside or around a truck is a huge advantage for lorry drivers and a big safety boost for cyclists, which is why CLOCS is one of the schemes that Sheet Piling UK wants to see in place when choosing a haulage supplier.
Best practice in sheet pile supply
We believe that insisting on best practice within our supply chain has been one of the cornerstones of our reputation and one of the reasons why we are the UK’s leading sheetpiling contractor. We maintain a watching brief for other schemes that could be relevant for our suppliers and continually improve the way in which our service is delivered to our customers, regardless of whether they are Tier 1 contractors, or smaller projects.
It all adds up to peace of mind when choosing to work with Sheet Piling UK, where our aim is to not just achieve standards, but exceed them.
NOTES TO EDITORS
Sheet Piling (UK) Limited is one of the UK's leading piling contractors. Owning and operating a comprehensive range of specialist piling equipment Sheet Piling (UK) Ltd also carry extensive stocks of new and used piles enabling rapid reaction to any urgent requirements or emergency situations.