Wilson James

Wilson James provides security and logistics support services to the construction industry. Wilson James worked with Stanhope plc and Bovis Lend Lease at a site with a peak workforce of over 1000 workers.

The challenge

Wilson James  wanted to provide a new service for construction workers: on-site healthcare, because we believed this was the way to:

• provide first aid quickly and to a higher standard,
• provide better healthcare for the workers,
• reduce lost time,
• improve lifestyle awareness in workers.

What did the company  do?

The company provided a full-time nurse and a well equipped medical room. The nurse provided:

• First aid
• Treatment for some injuries that would otherwise have meant a trip to hospital, minimising downtime
• Onsite call-out, going to the affected worker on site
• Lifestyle MOT checks, letting those away from home or working long hours get help and advice without losing wages
• Medical advice and referral for any condition, whether from work or not

The nurse discovered many diseases– several cases of heart problems (one immediate admission to hospital), Weil’s disease, skin growths (possibly cancerous), high blood pressure, glaucoma (major cause of blindness), and others.

Business benefits

• Reduced lost time – usually no need to go off site – even for medical advice
• Treating workers on site saves downtime
• Gained worker trust – the service was confidential
• Workers felt valued
• Healthier, more aware workers benefit the industry

Health and safety benefits

• Fewer accidents – minor and reportable
• Reduced accident frequency rate
• Injuries treated quickly, on site
• Service for all on site
• Serious diseases detected

Cost benefits

This service was part of the normal site overhead and not considered to be an additional cost.

The company saved £145,000 but the key business driver was to provide a valuable service to the workers on the site. The saving was a bonus.