Top Safety Accreditation for Microdat

Microdat is on the latest group of successful companies to join a leading edge scheme, designed to help industry improve its safety record.

The Leeds-based firm recently received accreditation from SAFEcontractor, a programme which recognises very high standards of health and safety practise amongst UK contractors.

Employing 28 people, Microdat is principally involved in process and packaging solutions.

Specialising in the brewing industry and with a £4 million turnover, Microdat’s most recent clients have included major players such as InBev, Black Sheep Brewery, Timothy Taylor, Jacuzzi UK, Moorhouses, Otter Brewery and Scottish and Newcastle.

The company’s application for SAFEcontractor accreditation was driven by the need for a union standard across the business.

David Midgley, Microdat’s Systems Director says “In today’s high expectations of Health and Safety, the SAFEcontractor scheme gives our customer’s the knowledge that Microdat’s high Health and Safety practices are independently verified by a third party”.

SAFEcontractor accreditation is expected to enhance the company’s ability to attract new contracts and its commitment to safety will be viewed positively by its insurers when the company liability policy is up for renewal.

SAFEcontractor is operated by international safety, health and environmental risk management specialists, the National Britannia Group. The system is applicable to most sectors although it is particularly relevant to food manufacture, property, facilities management, retail and leisure sectors, all of which are big users of contract services.

Darran Huges, Operations Director for SAFEcontractor at National Britannia said, “Major organisations can no longer run the risk of employing contractors who are not able to prove that they have sound health and safety policies.”

“More companies need to understand the importance of adopting good risk management in the way that Microdat has done. The firms’ high standard has set and example, which hopefully will be followed by other companies within the sector.”

Under the SAFEcontractor system, businesses undergo a vetting process, which examines health and safety procedures and their track record for safe practice.

Those companies meeting the high standard are included on a database, which is accessible to registered users only via a website, www.safecontractor.com.

Employer-organisations who sign up to the scheme can access the database, which enables them to vet potential contractors before they even set foot on site. These employers agree that, as users of the scheme, they will engage only those who have received accreditation.

 Over 100 major nation-wide businesses, from several key sectors, have signed up to use the scheme when selecting contractors for services such as building, cleaning, maintenance, refurbishment or electrical and mechanical work.

For further information contact Kirsty Warneford, Marketing and PR, Microdat, kirsty@microdat.co.uk

Tel : 07944 318557

Note to editors:

Microdat

Microdat began trading in the late 1980s and quickly developed a reputation for being innovative within the specialist sector of the Keg and Cask packaging in the UK brewing industry. In January 2002 Stephen Midgley and his management team bought Microdat from BI Industries plc to further develop the company and its products and services.

Microdat designs, manufactures and installs a full range of Keg and Cask Handling Equipment including Cask Washers, Cask Rackers / Fillers, Cask De-Shive De-Keystone Machine, Cask Labellers, Cask Weighers and Keg Washers, Keg Rackers / Fillers, Keg Labellers, Keg Cappers, Keg Weighers. Microdat also produce a wide range of conveyors, palletisers, locator board solutions and robotic handling systems.

For more information on Microdat visit www.micordat.co.uk.

The National Britannia Group

The National Britannia Group is one of the UK’s largest independent safety, health and environmental risk management specialists, employing a total of 450 people within its UK operations. More than 200 of these personnel are scientists or other qualified professionals. The business provides leading edge solutions in disciplines such as health & safety, food safety and asbestos management. It also operates two major information services on behalf of the UK Health and Safety Executive. Its heavy commitment to research and development has led to the creation of e-riskMANAGER, the world’s first interactive web-based risk management systems. For more information visit www.WhatRick.com.

For further information about the National Britannia Group, contact :

Steve McCormack

Working Word Public Relations – 029 2048 8778