Utility Week - authoritative, impartial and essential reading for senior people within utilities, regulators and government
Issue link: https://fhpublishing.uberflip.com/i/589314
UTILITY WEEK | 23RD - 29TH OCTOBER 2015 | 23 Operations & Assets traffic density – and package it into useful messages that can be sent across a range of mediums (website, Twitter, local radio). This sounds fine but oen it means shar- ing data between parts of the company that have little connection – at least in terms of data sharing. The customer service desk may be taking calls about a break in service but is there the connection with the control room that enables operators to say the interruption is known about and being acted on? Or are they connected with the dispatch office that has routing information and a traffic data feed that can predict when the work crews will be on site to effect repairs? Meter location Communicating with customers is a big part of the smart meter rollout programme – an initiative that itself is driving much innova- tion around the world and one that relies on the use of technical applications soware throughout the exercise. Making best use of the soware tools involved in planning and management of the installation, so they can also support the operational phases, will help smooth the impact of this change – both for the utility and the customer. So, geospatial or location intelligence tools used for route planning by the meter installation teams can be used to accurately record the location of the meter. This location can then be shared with the operational sys- tems that support maintenance programmes and emergency call out and response. Precise recording of the location of installed meters in this way ensures no meters are lost – and lost meters can lead to lost revenue. Accurate knowledge of where meters are positioned also means that when it comes to maintenance or repair, work crews can get straight to work. Knowing where the work crews are means you can inform the customer when work will be car- ried out. With field-based access to mainte- nance tracking soware back in the office, work crews can make their updates on the spot and any gaps in billing resulting from the breakdown or the work done can be rec- tified straightaway. Innovative ways of working are emerg- ing all the time, in engineering, in changes in the way utilities' businesses are run, in customer communication, and in the use of the soware tools to support those activi- ties. Collaboration across the organisation, essential for drawing together different data sources, is a necessary step towards success, and having teams in place with the skills to achieve that is important. Christine Easterfield, principal consultant, utilities, Cambashi Market view Playing it safe Peter McCormick applauds the work of the Powering Improvement initiative in making the electricity sector a safer place to work. T he 19th of October marked the start of the European Week for Safety and Health at Work (EWSHW), an occa- sion to recognise the importance of safe and healthy working environments across Europe and a chance to promote the message that everyone has a right to expect high quality working conditions. The message at the heart of EWSHW is exemplified by the UK electricity industry, which in recent years has taken a proactive approach to improving health and safety performance across the sector. In 2010, electricity companies came together with trade unions and the Health & Safety Executive to launch the Powering Improvement strategy, which set the ambi- tious target of establishing the UK power sector as a world leader in health and safety performance by 2015. This collaborative approach was ground- breaking and stemmed from the passion that existed across the industry, at all levels, to avoid the workplace injuries and fatalities that are so devastating to all involved. The success which Powering Improve- ment achieved over the five years since its launch has been built on partnership and engagement between all parties. The strat- egy does not simply prescribe how compa- nies should work, but instead brings people together to share knowledge, build on suc- cess, learn from and remember past experi- ences and identify areas to improve. Earlier this year the industry launched a second phase of Powering Improvement, which will build on the successes of the first five years. Partners from across the industry who first signed up for Powering Improve- ment in 2010 are participating in the new phase, demonstrating how successful the experience of collaboration has been and the commitment that still exists within the industry to further drive down incidents of work-related injury. As every practitioner in the field knows, zero is a target that may be impossible to reach but no-one should stop striving for it. Over the next five years Powering Improvement will continue to promote the overarching themes of leadership, compe- tence and worker involvement. The use of annual themes will continue to focus atten- tion on a range of areas that are crucial to any successful health and safety strategy. The theme for 2015 has been "Working with contractors", and in the spirit of Powering Improvement the emphasis has not been on the management of contractors but rather on working together to learn from each other's approaches. In a few months' time a new theme will get under way for 2016, which will focus on occupational ill health risks, including men- tal ill health. In an area like the electricity sector, where physical risks are so apparent, it is all too easy to overlook the less visible health risks workers face from stress and mental health issues. Management of stress and psychosocial risks at work is also the theme of EWSHW and it should be welcomed that two initiatives at the UK and European level are placing great emphasis on such an important area of consideration. All partners in the Powering Improve- ment initiative are committed to reviewing approaches to the management of stress and identifying opportunities for improvement, as well as developing policies for the rehabil- itation of individuals back into the workforce and ensuring that health surveillance and fitness for work assessments are being deliv- ered to national and legislative standards. By 2020 the UK electricity industry will have delivered a decade of sustained improvement in health and safety per- formance under the banner of Power- ing Improvement. The importance that the industry places on the wellbeing of its employees reflects the fact that a safe, healthy and competent workforce is good for individuals and good for business. These are the foundations Powering Improvement is built on and the principles that should be promoted front of mind for health and safety leaders across all sectors following this years' European Week for Safety and Health at Work. Peter McCormick, Powering Improvement representative, ENA