Lucilla Cummings, HSE Improvement Specialist at Travis Perkins plc, has recently been named the winner of the SHP (Safety & Health Practitioner) Award for Rising Star UK.
Part of the wider SHP Awards, held in collaboration with the HSE and IATP (Independent Asbestos Training Providers), the SHP Rising Star Awards celebrate young, high-performing health and safety professionals across all sectors who are going above and beyond to improve occupational health, safety and/or workplace wellbeing in the UK.
From a list of 11 finalists Lucilla Cummings, Travis Perkins plc HSE Improvement Specialist, was selected by the judging panel as the winner of SHP’s Rising Star UK Award. The judges were impressed how, throughout her Graduate programme, Lucilla showed a passion for change by working on and leading multiple projects, one of which was paramount in ensuring the safety of colleagues in the external sales force in relation to the potential dangers they could face whilst visiting customer sites and travelling on the road.
The panel also highlighted how Lucilla engaged senior sales leaders in this project by focussing business attention on the risks, continually challenging their thoughts and influencing the output of the project.
Judges noted how Lucilla has made “rapid progression” through the business, taking learnings from her previous roles. For example, she built and introduced a new Safety Management System at Toolstation and achieved a significant amount in her time at the TP trading brand, including a 10% improvement in Accident Frequency Rate YOY and a 54% improvement in Severity Rate.
Noticing a gap in industry guidance across the builders’ merchant sector on load security for multi drop vehicles, Lucilla gathered feedback from colleagues on the risks this can pose. She then looked at what industry guidance was available and how it could be applied, leading her to create the Travis Perkins Load Security Principles and working with colleagues to ensure it could be understood and practically applied by drivers and other key personnel.
Kieran Griffin, Travis Perkins Managing Director, said: “This year has been like no other, and we are working and living in strange times under strange circumstances. I have been hugely impressed by the support from Lucilla and the delivery of our Load Security Principles into the business during these times. The positive effect of that work is widely recognisable across our branch network and colleagues, as we see safer and more secure loads leaving our branches and on the roads across the UK.”
Lucilla is working with the Health and Safety Laboratory (HSL) to take her findings on load security and the principles she has introduced into the business into further testing, which could potentially shape industry guidance moving forward.
The panel also noted that, outside of her day to day role, Lucilla is active in the firm’s diversity and inclusion programme. She has led the BAME agenda in her area of the business and also takes a key role in the company’s Mental Health and Wellbeing group, leading a number of activities and producing materials to support line managers.
On hearing the news, Lucilla said: “I am incredibly pleased to have won the SHP Rising Star UK 2020 award. I would like to thank everyone who has supported me in my career journey so far, especially my colleagues in the safety team at Travis Perkins. To work in an industry-leading business with the support of seniors leaders allows me and the rest of the safety team to continually drive the safety agenda.
“For me, winning this award has shown that we as safety professionals are ready and willing to embrace change and push forward new exciting developments. Having safety at the top of the business agenda means we can steer the way for new positive developments in the field.
“My priority will always be to ensure that we can send everyone home safe and well, every single day. Thank you to SHP for this opportunity and for choosing me as your winner. I am extremely grateful to have won this award and look forward to what’s to come in the future.”
