Bywaters LTD are London’s leading waste material and environmental management service provider. Bywaters LTD are passionate about recycling and the role of renewable and sustainable energy to meet growing demands and assist with climate change. With continual investment in staff and equipment Bywaters successfully completed a fleet replacement program consisting of up to 60 new HGV vehicles that all meet the strict new ultra-low emissions requirements to operate in London. This has enabled Bywaters to become one of the leading operators in London ensuring that a safe, compliant and fuel efficient operation takes place across our portfolio.
Luke Taylor (Associate Director of Logistics) explains how Bywaters are passionate about the waste industry and are currently a fleet operator recognition scheme (FORS) gold operator. FORS has enabled the company to focus on continued reduction in collision frequency and allowed effective collision management to see a significant number of incidents reduced, along with a commitment to developing and maintaining the highest standards of care to enhance the environment and prevent pollution.
Bywaters have been with FORS since its inception (member #003); we decided to go for FORS best practice which has allowed us to maintain our status with FORS for over a decade – a testament to our road safety commitments whilst complementing our drive to improve fuel efficiency and reduce our environmental impact.
Bywaters take health, safety and compliance very seriously so when we achieved the bronze and silver accreditation it was brilliant to see the level of support available to us including the training
and tools that help us improve our policies and procedures. The process was targeted at helping us to get it right from the offset, by working with us to identify the strength and weaknesses in our
systems that could provide constructive long term improvements.
All of our drivers have completed their safe urban driving course and successfully completed up to date E-learning modules, this is a vital improvement that we have seen from FORS as it has raised awareness for our industry standards. We have heavily invested in vehicle safety systems including state of the art cameras, nearside proximity sensors and audible alarms in an effort to ensure all vulnerable road users’ safety is paramount. The training that our drivers have undertaken has resulted in a greater overall understanding of road safety and a highly collaborative approach towards other road users; particularly the co-existence of commercial vehicles and cyclists.
One of the crucial benefits that FORS best practice has brought to Bywaters is the heightened awareness for road safety, it has allowed our professional drivers to grow their personal
development and understand the importance of fuel efficient driving and the impact it has on the environment.
Luke Taylor (Associate Director of Logistics) says “The FORS workshops have been a great tool for gaining knowledge and learning what policies & improvements fellow FORS members have found useful. FORS has helped us to achieve a high standard of road safety “.
Bywaters have continued to meet industry safety standard in line with FORS recommendations, our incident rate has continued to reduce year on year along with insurance claims and costs associated with vehicle damage/vehicle down time.
Maintaining our Gold Accreditation will help us to continue to strive towards the highest road safety standards and ensure that we are able to continue to maintain this safety record while protecting the environment.
James Carlisle (Compliance manager) says “FORS has helped improved our compliance efficiency and road safety across our entire operation “.
As a recognised standard across the industry Bywaters set out to achieve the FORS Gold and set a benchmark amongst our peers. The guarantee of best practice, which comes with the FORS
accreditation, has enabled us to strengthen our business relationships and increase customer loyalty.
*Annual improvement in MPG and Incidents per 100,000 Kms
- Bywaters policies and procedures state that during induction each staff member will undergo driver medical questionnaires and health declaration. This will allow us to have access to the individual medical history. All staff with a long term medical condition which could affect their driving/work ability can be referred to our occupational health consultant. Bywaters encourages open door policy with its staff to discuss any medical or mental health issues with management in the strictest confidence.
- We have partnered with a specialist driver agency to ensure that drivers meet our strict requirements and criteria. This guarantees that each driver undergoes extensive training and has extensive experience. Going forward, we are reviewing the option of using a programme that specialises in relocating ex-army personnel into the civilian life. We currently have a number of drivers who have been recruited
via this process. - At Bywaters we take our responsibility to the environment and our neighbours seriously, by regularly auditing the impacts of our operations. Following feedback we reviewed our jet wash procedure and have now relocated the equipment washing area, to a more enclosed area, where the noise is shielded by the building, thus reducing the possibility of noise pollution problems with our neighbours.
- The Company has recently invested in a 100% electric vehicle as we take our first step to transitioning more of our fleet to electric or gas as vehicles and infrastructure become available.
The Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme (FORS) is an accreditation that promotes best practice for commercial vehicle operators. With a membership comprising some of the biggest names in transport, FORS is rapidly gaining recognition as the transport industry’s go-to accreditation scheme. To qualify; fleet operators have to exceed the requirements of the Safer Lorry Scheme (SLS), Construction Logistics & Cycling Safety (CLOCS) and TFL’s own Work Related Road Risk requirements (WRRR). This allows us to be seen at the forefront of the industry, guaranteeing customer satisfaction while maintaining a safe workplace environment.
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*Please note: All published FORS Gold case studies have been submitted by the accredited company named above and transcribed verbatim