Stacey Hopkins - SHE advisor

Environmental specialist Stacey Hopkins joined Heidelberg Materials as a safety, health and environment (SHE) advisor for south central UK in May 2017. Having graduated from University with an environmental consultancy and management background, she joined the Aerospace sector as an observation scientist before moving to an environmental consultancy. Here, she developed an interest in the role of health and safety management within the workplace and embarked on training in functional and occupational health and safety.

“I wanted a role which enabled me to put my knowledge and skills into practice,” said Stacey. “Before joining Heidelberg Materials I read about some of its recent projects, including the installation of a solar farm at Ketton cement works, and liked its approach and attitude to SHE.”

Stacey works with a variety of colleagues across the business, including site operatives, drivers, quarry managers and regional managers, giving her experience of how health, safety and environmental performance is achieved and evaluated throughout different levels of management.

“No two days are the same,” she said. “One day I can be out and about on-site witnessing successes or advising on issues, and the next I can be in the office helping review our Integrated Management System (IMS) procedures and guidance or delivering training.”

Part of her role is to visit sites within her area to review the standard of SHE practices in place compared with legislative requirements and those of Heidelberg Materials’s IMS. She meets site and area managers to discuss what SHE support they’d like each year; advise them of any significant findings made during site visits; and propose an action plan should any areas of improvement be identified.

Another part of her role is to offer SHE orientated training, which involves working with other members of the SHE team on training packages such as incident investigation and isolation and lock-out, before delivering it to the business. She also supports sites with incident investigations where required, helping them with the interpretation of the investigation evidence and any corrective actions required to prevent reoccurrence.

“Working for Heidelberg Materials is a fantastic experience,” said Stacey. “It’s refreshing to work for a company which is always looking to improve and encourages its employees to strive for continuous professional development.

“I was new to the industry when I joined the company and everyone has been extremely supportive throughout my training and development. Heidelberg Materials has invested in me, providing me with high-quality training, mentoring and progression and I have learned so much – both about the industry and as a SHE advisor. 

“If you’re looking for a role where you never stop learning, where the work is varied and no day is the same then working in the health, safety and sustainability team is for you.”