OrangeGenie wins Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo) award for 'Innovator of the Year 2009'
Date: December 01, 2009
The award was given in recognition of the solution OrangeGenie has developed for the health, safety and risk awareness training of its contractors. In making the award the judges commented 'in the increasingly regulated business environment, this year’s winner provided the recruitment sector, its candidates and customers with a simple, yet thorough and highly practical solution to a critically important issue.'
The responsibility for the health and safety of contractors at work is relatively complex as it is covered by several pieces of legislation. The problem is made more difficult to resolve as contractors often only spend relatively short times at each assignment or temporary workplace. There are 4 parties involved: the contractor; umbrella company; recruitment agency; and, end client. Whilst all have responsibilities in law the nature of contracting means the contractor’s welfare is often overlooked. The position is not helped by Health and Safety legislation whilst it deals with ‘Agency Workers’, ‘Freelance Contractors’ are not recognised.
Ultimately the contractors are the employees of OrangeGenie and the directors of OrangeGenie have a legal duty to ensure their employees are working in safe, healthy environments and are risk aware. OrangeGenie felt committed to taking a lead in coming up with a solution.
Although it involves more administrative work for OrangeGenie all contractors are made aware of their responsibilities and undergo online health and safety training. Contractors are tested and have to reach a minimum standard for certification, refresher training is undertaken annually. OrangeGenie also liaises with the end client to ensure formal health and training procedures are in place and that suitable training is available to the contractor at the start of their assignment.
Julian Ward, Sales & Marketing Director for OrangeGenie, was understandably full of praise for his team “I am very proud of our staff and how we have been able to make a real difference in an area that should be high on all agencies list when considering a PSL. Health and Safety is not only the responsibility of the employer (umbrella company, PSC) but also that of the company issuing work instruction (recruitment agency). Agencies seem to recognise the importance of getting this right and we are now working with a growing number of agencies. In working with us they are safe in the knowledge all contractors will have undertaken our on-line training, have a certificate to prove their competence and will, more importantly, be a safer worker, whatever their working environment may be. Julian added “In January we will be launching HSE Passport, this will offer the award winning portal to PSC and none OrangeGenie contractors.
Julian summed up what the award meant to him “In the last year OrangeGenie’s aim has been to make our service second to none, to offer a compliant and secure environment for our contractors while offering a unique service to our partner agencies. Winning the innovation of the year award for this underlines what we have been striving to achieve and being recognised in this way fills me with immense pride”
