Public service provider Amey has been recognised for their ongoing commitment to making road works areas as safe as possible for their people by reducing incidents involving the public by nearly 20%.
The company’s North Lanarkshire focussed public awareness campaign to tackle the terrifying issue of motorists driving into live roadworks areas was considered by a panel of judges to demonstrate excellence in travel information and marketing.
The best of Scotland’s transport industry were honoured at the prestigious Scottish Transport Awards (16 June). The awards recognise excellence, innovation and progress across all areas of transport.
Amey has worked with North Lanarkshire Council in delivering highways maintenance, street lighting and winter maintenance services across nearly 1,500km of road and 56,000 street lights for the last 10 years, and will continue to for the next 10 years also.
In 2010 over 30% of near misses recorded at Amey roadworks in North Lanarkshire were caused by driver behaviour compelling the company to take action.
Gordon Wilson, Amey’s account director explains: “At Amey there is nothing more important than the health and safety of our people. It’s my responsibility to ensure that my teams who set off from the depot at the start of their shift return safely at the end of it and can head home to their families and friends. This campaign is just one of the many ways we focus on safety and I hope that in achieving this award we can demonstrate again to our workers how important their wellbeing is.
“We continue to appeal to drivers to set the frustration of a few minutes delay to the side and consider how they might feel if they were toiling in a roadworks area next to live traffic.”
Amey’s campaign involved many facets of the North Lanarkshire community to help get the message ‘Be careful…people work here’ out to drivers. A press launch was hosted at Motherwell Fire Station and operatives’ children were asked to design a poster to be displayed on vans and road signage across the area. Infomercials ran on local radio along with an art competition for local schools.
Since the launch there has been a reduction in incidents of almost 20% - double the original target set as part of the campaign.
The win comes in the same month that Amey’s socially responsible approach was recognised at the Scottish Business in the Community Awards where the leading public services provider was named Large Company of the Year against stiff competition from Royal Bank of Scotland and Scottish Power.
North Lanarkshire Council Convener of Planning and Transportation, Cllr James Coyle, said: “Despite advances in measures to protect roads workers there is still a need to get the message across to the minority of thoughtless drivers who put lives at risk. Amey has to be congratulated both for its award-winning initiative and the 20 per cent reduction in incidents.”
-Ends-
Photo: L-R Grant Stott, radio presenter and awards host, Gordon Wilson, account director, Amey, Gemma Anderson, Communications, Amey, and Fidel Lopez, Managing Director Airports Division BAA.