News

GUERNSEY Electricity customers are getting a better and more reliable service. Figures for last year show the company met all its key performance targets, achieving a 100% record in 15 out of 20 service standards and a near perfect 99% in another three. This was an improvement on the previously published statistics, for the 12 months to April 2005, when the company recorded 100% in 13 of the 20 areas.

The company has also seen improvements in health & safety, with the number of days lost through accidents at work reaching an all time low. And in the industry’s two key measures of reliability, Guernsey Electricity is outperforming UK power suppliers by a considerable margin. Managing director Ian Watson said he was delighted with the company’s performance. ‘We have an excellent record on customer service and reliability, but as these statistics clearly show we have not become complacent. It is a credit to all our staff that we are continuing to perform to such a high standard,’ he said. ‘The improvements in health & safety also underline our commitment towards the well-being of our staff.’

In terms of reliability, the average number of minutes lost per customer last year was just 12.7. The most recent figure for the UK, covering the 12 months to April 2005, was more than 90. Locally, in 2005 more than 15,000 events were covered by guaranteed standards. These mirror the performance criteria set by OFGEM, which regulates electricity suppliers in the UK, and automatically trigger compensation payments whenever service levels are not met. In the whole of 2005, only three customers received payouts as a result of the company failing to meet these guaranteed standards. ‘When you consider that we provide electricity around the clock, 365 days a year to more than 28,000 local homes and businesses, I think this clearly demonstrates what a consistently good job our staff are doing,’ said Mr Watson.

The guaranteed standards stipulate agreed response times for rectifying faults and responding to requests and enquiries, and performance criteria for other areas such as customer appointments. Out of more than 10,000 appointments in 2005, Guernsey Electricity staff were late on just one occasion.

Guernsey Electricity staff benefit from health & safety improvements

Guernsey Electricity is introducing new Health & Safety procedures which should result in even fewer accidents at work. The company has already reduced the number of working days lost due to accidents at work by more than 75% over the past 10 years. In 1996 the figure stood at more than 200, but in 2005 this fell to an all time low of 52½. This also represented a reduction of 20% since 2004, and only two accidents were serious enough to require staff to be off work for three days or more.

Managing director Ian Watson said that the nature of the electricity industry meant that many staff were working in a potentially dangerous environment. The company therefore had a duty to ensure any risks are minimised, and took this responsibility very seriously. ‘You can never be complacent in an industry like ours. We adopt the view that even one accident is one too many, so we will never be entirely satisfied. However I am confident that we are moving in the right direction, and we are still to see the benefit of work which began in 2005 aimed at achieving further reductions,’ he said. The company began implementing a new health and safety management system in 2005, which included a full review of its existing policies and procedures. This has resulted in a number of new initiatives, many of which will be introduced over the next 12 months. Guernsey Electricity health, safety and risk manager Alan Chubb said the full benefits of this exercise have yet to be realised but that it will be one of the key drivers for improvements this year and in the future

Mr Chubb said it was important to underline to staff that health & safety was a high priority right across the company. ‘What we have been looking to achieve is a sustained and continual improvement, which has meant developing a health & safety culture throughout the company,’ he said. ‘It is no good operating health & safety policy at just one level. It has to be something people see is a commitment right throughout the company, from the board downward. Everyone needs to understand that they have a specific responsibility and duty to protect themselves, their colleagues, and in many cases the public as well.’

Mr Chubb said Guernsey Electricity’s success was down to a combination of education and preventative measures. ‘In terms of preventing accidents, health can be just as important as safety. For instance we have managed to reduce the incidence of back injuries by teaching staff how to identify if they might be susceptible to back problems, and also how they can look after their back. It has made a big difference,’ said Mr Chubb. ‘We also look to minimise risk wherever possible. In the past, we had a lot accidents resulting from trips and falls, so three or four years ago we installed non-slip surfaces in all the main engineering areas. That has paid off, as we now have a much lower incidence of this type of accident.’