Nothing is more important to Kier than the physical and mental health and wellbeing of our people.
Safety is our licence to operate and our most important priority. We want to ensure our people and our supply chain come to work and go home safely every day; to do this we want to ensure that everyone is given the time, training and tools to do their job safely.
Creating a safety-led culture
At Kier, keeping our people out of harm's way is far more than just encouraging words or one-off campaigns. In 2023, we launched our Culture Programme comprising guiding principles and our nine healthy behaviours to complement our existing suite of management and more general training courses. This approach is reflected in the Behavioural Training Programmes used throughout our business.
This approach now permeates every environment, at every level and in every discipline of our organisation. We expect similar standards from our partners and supply chain as well.
In addition, over 90% of our operations are ISO 45001 certified, ensuring we deliver occupational health and safety management best practice. This is reflected in our Integrated Management System, alongside ISO 14001, environmental management, and ISO 9001, quality management.
Strong visible leadership
A key element of our drive to improve safety and wellbeing is strong, visible leadership. We have developed a structured programme of regular visits by senior leaders, directors and senior managers to our projects and depots.
Wellbeing
Investing in our people and supply chain will help maintain their health, keep them energised and make them feel valued. To support this, Kier provides a number of wellbeing applications which can be accessed by apps and by phone to book free private consultations, advice and tests. This includes our Employee Assistance Provider (EAP) and online access to GP and Clinical advice services.
We have implemented a community of Wellbeing Champions across our business. The Wellbeing Champions are a point of contact and active promoter of our offerings that support both physical and mental health, and social and financial wellbeing.
We also have a network of Mental Health First Aiders who have been trained to support colleagues, provide the time to talk, and signpost to the appropriate services.
Lighthouse Club
Since 2023, we have partnered with the Lighthouse Club, the construction industry charity that provides independent mental, physical, emotional and wellbeing support to workers and their families. All employees and our supply chain can access support through a 24/7 helpline, a text support service and a network of people who offer a safe space to share and socialise with like-minded people in a face-to-face environment.
