Coding and Marking specialist Linx Printing Technologies has been awarded accreditation from Safecontractor for its commitment to achieving excellence in health and safety.

Safecontractor is a leading third party accreditation scheme which recognises very high standards in health and safety management amongst UK contractors.

Linx’s application for Safecontractor accreditation was driven by the need for a uniform standard across the business.

“Safety for all Linx associates takes priority over anything and everything, whether they are based in the office, the field or in production,” explains Andy Mee, the company’s EHS Manager. 

Safecontractor accreditation will enhance Linx’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.  The accreditation 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 contracted services.

John Kinge, technical director of Safecontractor said, "Major organisations simply cannot afford to run the risk of employing contractors who are not able to prove that they have sound health and safety policies in place.

"More companies need to understand the importance of adopting good risk management in the way that Linx has done. The firm’s high standard has set an example which hopefully will be followed by other companies within the sector.”

Under the Safecontractor scheme, 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.

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

Over 210 major nationwide 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.