Balfour Beatty improves its safety and green performance

Balfour Beatty was safer and greener last year, according to the group’s safety, environment and social report.

Balfour’s accident frequency rate (AFR) improved from 0.43 major and over three-day accidents per 100,000 hours worked in 2004 to 0.33 last year. Seven different Balfour projects passed the benchmark of one million reportable accident-free man-hours worked last year.

The report notes that since 2002, Balfour’s UK operation has reduced its AFR by 31%, despite the number of employees increasing 12%.

A total of 128 major injuries were reported across the entire group, up from 2004’s total of 115.

A total of 4,172 UK employees received occupational health screening last year.

Balfour was notably greener in the UK than the year before: 64% of its timber spend in the UK was certified as sustainably sourced against 2004’s figure of 46%; 30% less waste was generated; 27% more metals were recycled than in 2004; and the recycling of packaging improved ten-fold.

Balfour’s total UK contribution to global warming was down by 28%.