Innovative Waste Solutions

Founded in 1954 with headquarters in Bromborough, the Wirral, B&M Waste Services provides total waste management solutions designed to reduce costs and meet the environmental obligations of their customers. HSE International spoke to Ann McMurrie, EQHSC Manager and Mick Ashall, Director at B&M to discuss their success and innovation in health, safety and environmental waste solutions.

Managing all aspects of waste management, from trade waste and recycling, to secure shredding, hazardous waste and drainage, B&M Waste Services provide solutions for small, local businesses and large multi-nationals alike. Having been carbon neutral since 2011, they focus on segregation at source, ensuring their customers achieve the highest possible recycling and recovery rates.

Ann McMcMurrie  “We work with customers on a national scale to provide total waste management services. Our specialist sectors are healthcare, education and facilities management companies. We also work with many retail and construction customers including SMEs.”

B&M Waste Services hold a number of accreditations including ISO 9001 (Quality Management System), 14001 (Environmental Management System) and OHSAS 18001 (Occupational Health and Safety Management System). They are also SafeContractor and ContractorPlus accredited.

“Our accreditations are important to us. We are also members of CIWM (The Chartered Institution of Wastes Management), BSIA (British Security Industry Association) and BIFM (British Institute of Facilities Management). We conduct vigorous audits and utilise best practice sharing, to keep abreast of legislative changes which must be implemented to prevent workplace risk.”

As EQHSC Manager, Ann McMcMurrie is responsible for all areas of health, safety and environmental practice across the B&M Group
of Companies, including Carbon Monitoring and the implementation of a carbon management plan.

“I am responsible for accident prevention in all areas of the business, across Ann McMcMurrie, EQHSC Manager all sites and offices, as well as managing ongoing audits and keeping policies and procedures, staff knowledge and training of such up to date.My job is to guarantee safe systems of work and to ensure that the Integrated Management System is used effectively and efficiently. I’m also responsible for the compliance with all of B&M’s memberships, accreditations, and quality to ensure compliance with the ISO and OHSAS standards.”

Rigorous testing, training and qualifications are necessary for all operational sides of the business. Office staff also receive H&S training above and beyond the normal office induction. When working with contractors and subcontractors, the company perform audits and a pre-qualification questionnaire is completed. B&M enquire as to whether contractors have the same qualifications and ask them to provide evidence if so. Information is logged internally and an on-site audit is conducted annually.

Fire is a risk to all waste management companies. The nature of the business in dealing with heavy equipment, vehicles and machinery as well as hazardous and non-hazardous substances, mean that fire risk and risk prevention are of paramount importance for B&M.

In March 2014, the company launched its very own ‘first response’ on-site fire engine at its Bromborough waste and recycling centre, which was specially converted from its original use as a mobile drainage cleaning unit. Mick Ashall, Director at B&M, said: “This innovative piece of equipment offers our very own instant response should a fire occur, and given Government cut-backs, this protects both the health and safety of our staff, the local environment, and business continuity as a whole.

“B&M is a responsible company and we understand the potential fire and health hazards surrounding waste materials. Therefore, this was the obvious solution to prevent the risk.” Read more here 

Further crediting their standards of excellence, B&M Waste Services have won several awards, including:

• City of Manchester Business Awards 2015:
• Employer of the Year
• City of Liverpool Business Awards 2014:
• Business of the Year
• National Chamber Awards:
• North West Sustainability Award
• Green Apple Awards in 2012, 2013, and 2014
• Wirral Business Awards 2014:
• Sustainability Award
• Echo Environment Awards 2014:
• Environmental Business of the Year

Health & Safety is of the upmost importance to B&M, and their plans for the year are based on the following:

• Re-inductions
• Reducing Accident statistics
• Harsh penalties for non-compliance
• Keeping abreast of legislative changes
• Maintaining low carbon footprint

“Our core values stem from 60 years as a family-run business; we care about our customers, employees and the environment in which we operate. We place a great deal of importance on making the work we do as environmentally friendly as possible and achieved carbon neutrality in 2011″

“As part of ISO 14001, we aim to keep our pollution impact to a minimum. Our service department closely monitor our routes on a daily basis to optimise them for minimum carbon emissions. Further actions include training drivers in fuel efficient driving techniques, and ensuring that the manufacturer’s maintenance schedules are adhered to. We also invest in the latest and most environmentally friendly technology to ensure reduced pollution impact on the environment.”

B&M operate a fleet of over 140 vehicles and are now purchasing EURO 5 standard vehicles. All vehicles in their fleet are of EURO 4 standard or above. The emissions of vehicles are independently measured on an annual basis by the Ministry of Transport during the MOT inspection & test.

“There are two main factors which can influence the reduction of these emissions: The first is by having a proactive fleet replacement policy which ensures that all new vehicles are fitted with the latest Euro 5 specification engines and Eminox exhaust management systems. As the fleet profile changes, the average emission level will continue to decrease. The second is by specifying low weight plastic body panels and aerodynamic dams to improve the fuel efficiency of our fleet; proactively managing our emission levels down. We are continuously trying to eradicate unnecessary journeys from the business.

“We use Bandvulc tyres which are recycled after use as we like to ensure that our suppliers are also considering their impact on the environment.  By working with Bandvulc to manage our fleets tyre needs, we are using a company that has won several low carbon efficiency awards, and in our first year of operating this scheme, we saved over 52 tonnes of CO2, 16 tonnes of rubber and over 19,000 litres of oil. These figures are taken into account when calculating the individual customers’ carbon footprint in our Environmental Reports.

“Additionally, we use rainwater harvesting to capture water for truck washing, in turn reducing water wastage. We also operate PIR lights in the toilets, saving energy wastage from lights being switched on when not required.”

B&M regularly offer career opportunities across the business. In addition to promoting staff training, they also offer employees the chance to move around the company to broaden their experience in all sides of the business. They work in partnership with staff via an appraisal system to identify training needs and will assist in the achievement of qualifications relevant to the job, identified by the member of staff or line manager.

B&M Waste Services have the unique competitive advantage of being a regional business with a national presence.

“We are a family run business with Ken Curtis the Chairman, and his four sons, Graham, Neil, David and Paul Curtis as Directors. This brings a unique facet to our customer service offering and focus on health and safety, as the company really cares about its’ employees and the business. The hands on nature and flat management structure make the business very entrepreneurial and quick to adapt to new innovations and changes, all of which mean our customers can rest assured they are continually getting an improved service.”