In day to day work almost any company is faced with a huge variety of tasks and challenges. A strong corporate culture is one of the key success factors when it comes to providing outstanding customer service and utilizing growth opportunities. The culture and values at SGB evolve around everything associated with people and processes, and continue to be developed every day. “Financials are important for us to deliver to our shareholders, but this has never stopped us from focusing on our goal of exceeding customer needs and expectations from the ground up.”, says Mark Paver, Regional CFO.
Health and Safety is a top priority in this regard, on all operating sites and facilities. It is beyond question one of the most important aspects all SGB employees work to achieve every day. “I have to make sure nobody is ever hurt during and after working hours”, says Willie Davie, EHS Director & Global Leader at SGB. “We have to follow the corporate rules and regulations and ensure our policies are properly implemented. By doing so, we ensure that our employees get back to their families safely.” Key elements of the safety culture which SGB applies as part of the BrandSafway Group include:
- Employee Intervention System (EIS): Field employee behavioural-based safety program which utilizes the Kaizen method of continuous improvement.
- Supervisor Observation System (SOS): This fosters an atmosphere of proactive ownership and accountability at the supervisor level through peer-to-peer observation and review, while affecting positive leadership development.
- Management Safety Reviews (MSR): Management at highest levels commit to performing site visits and yard walks to review the implementation of the corporate safety processes and policies.
- Brand Learning Network (BLN): A state-of-the-art web-based training program for a broad range of topics, including EHS.
- Gold Link Audit System: An in-depth multi-level internal evaluation of a site’s safety management system and processes through inspections.
The process never stops with the above. The parent company issues a monthly Safety Toolbox Talk which captures best practices and lessons learned to ensure everyone within the organization stays safe. “I am proud of the health and safety records of our Middle East, Africa and South East Asia region,” says Serge Bekhaazi, Regional Managing Director. “We have witnessed no lost time injuries in 2015 and 2016.”
Quality will always be a driver and focus area, both internally and externally. The effort and time spent within the organization on ensuring the quality of products and services is deliberately huge. SGB always strives to achieve its products are the safest, most reliable and most durable ones at any construction or industrial site. “We ensure all components leaving or entering our facilities are inspected and results documented as per our Quality Management System” says Adrian Curtiss, SGB Operations Manager for UAE. “Our engineering and design teams continuously strive to provide the safest and most optimized design solutions. Quality protects our name, this is what we are known for, this is why customers come to us and continue to do so.”
In addition to the EHS program and quality, the Code of Conduct is what drives business decisions every moment of the day. SGB’s most valued asset is its reputation, which is built on the daily decisions and actions of each of its employees in dealing with colleagues, customers, suppliers and other business partners. As per Anirudh Goyal, “As the Regional Legal Counsel, I am comfortable working in such a culture, where ethics, compliance and Integrity are all always at our top priority.” The Code of Conduct provides guidance to help any employee, officer and director of SGB, its parent company and affiliates to protect this reputation, work together with integrity and do the right thing. “Reputation is something we cannot jeopardize.” says Ali Hamroush, General Manager for UAE. “SGB has a 100 years of history and track record of trust that was built with our customers based on our integrity and compliance.”
The company is committed to an environment where open and honest communication is the expectation, not the exception. Every employee within the organization feels comfortable in approaching his or her direct supervisor, manager or a human resources representative. In addition, the company Ethics Point Hotline provides employees with a confidential method to report integrity issues or concerns. “Customers determine our success, and we have succeeded in building strong relations.” says Rabih Chehade, Region Executive. “We have basically succeeded by converting our Code of Conduct into real practice every day. Our customers appreciate and respect our performance and behaviour.”
SGB, the pioneer behind the legacy Cuplok® modular scaffold system, has a reputation that has existed for 100 years now. Consistently applied EHS, quality, integrity and compliance programs, combined with strong R&D efforts, have added to its strength and reputation. SGB is therefore well prepared to continue supporting the forming, shoring, and access scaffolding requirements of its customers on large construction, energy and infrastructure projects in the next 100 years to come.
