Our site providers – valued and appreciated contributors to site safety

Autumn 2022
Contents

Foreword How EE and Three are strengthening the UK’s digital foundations to boost the economy The crucial role of digital connectivity to the city of Wolverhampton Connected Care: How mobile connectivity can transform the delivery of adult social care Our site providers – valued and appreciated contributors to site safety MBNL’s aspirations for giving back to the communities we work with

Our Site Providers – Valued & Appreciated Contributors to Site Safety

by Marc Smith, MBNL Health & Safety Manager

Having worked in Health & Safety for the telecommunications industry for nearly 20 years, Marc has witnessed first-hand the vital role played by site providers with regards to the provision of a safe working environment for frontline colleagues in the industry. Here, Marc writes about his appreciation for the contributions to site safety made by the site provider community and how they can continue to support MBNL to keep our sites safe for everyone.

Safety is the number one consideration for MBNL. Our vision is to have everyone going home, without injury, at the end of every working day. Everyone has the right to expect to be provided with a safe working environment that will enable them to conduct the activities they are employed to do in a safe manner and return home safe to their families at the end of each day; whether it be working in an office environment or an open-air environment, safety at work is paramount.

Due to the locations of telecoms equipment installations (e.g. purpose built ground-based structures, rooftops, street-furniture), our frontline colleagues constantly face both generic hazards, for instance, traffic management at street-furniture sites, and those which may either be site specific or dynamic, such as blocked access routes. Whilst we endeavour to ensure the health and safety guidance we provide to our colleagues is up-to-date and current, there is also an appreciation that site dynamics can change quite quickly giving rise to new hazards. There are many differing reasons for this, as an example, site dynamics can change due to rainy weather causing the land surrounding a ground-based mast to become flooded or they may change due to works a site provider is undertaking on their own premises.

Our site provider community is highly instrumental in helping us to keep our sites safe, not only for our frontline colleagues, but also their own personnel and any other parties who may be present on or in the vicinity of the site. Site providers can support us with critical information relating to current conditions, particularly with regards to site specific hazards as they have the best knowledge of how their property and consequently the telecoms site can be accessed safely and any potential hazards associated with that access.

With this in mind, my ask would always be for our site providers to never think a potential hazard is too small or insignificant to act on by reporting to MBNL. This would also include if you were to notice or become suspicious of any unusual activity around the telecoms site. We firmly believe that nothing is too trivial to report to us. By making us aware of a potential hazard, we can investigate and determine an appropriate means of managing it.

MBNL is committed to continually improving the on-site working environment for all. I would just like to close by reiterating my thanks and appreciation to all our site providers for your support to date in our drive to ensure everyone can work safely on our sites and go home well every day.

To report any hazard or suspicious activity on your site, please email landlords@mbnl.co.uk