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staying safe, supporting the vital services

and decontamination services. They
assembled an extended team to help,
and within two hours, the supply to
the boiler was re-established and the
hospital was back up and running safely.
In East Anglia, a provider of
intravenous equipment to hospitals
contacted NGM when a recently
installed combined heat and
power (CHP) system could not be
commissioned correctly due to
inadequate gas supply pressure (the
oversight of a designer involved in
the system’s installation – again, not
NGM’s responsibility). Understandably,
the need for a pressure increase was
extremely urgent. Technical Delivery
Lead at NGM Damian Murray put HOSPITAL BEFORE HOSPITAL AFTER
together a plan to solve the problem
as speedily as possible. In just a chain and is proud of the fact that every tone: 97 per cent of our people rate our
week, the team had installed all the person in the UK will touch something safety leadership favourably, and we
necessary new equipment, completed every day that contains raw material have seen year-on-year improvements.
the paperwork needed for the upgrade from this site. For obvious reasons, Customer feedback also shows how
to take place, and brought the pressure there can be no interruptions to any of our safety culture is understood and
up to the levels required for the CHP its operations, and this was particularly appreciated externally.”
system to function effectively. true during the last year. NGM has For Maxine, there’s always scope to
At a multinational pharmaceutical moved quickly to carry out all repairs do better: “We work to a drumbeat and
company’s manufacturing plant in the and maintenance to the company’s momentum of continual improvement.
North West, NGM planned to carry out metering installation, including a We aim for absolute clarity of purpose
remedial work on the gas infrastructure major painting programme during the and expectations, and this encourages
throughout 2020, as well as fulfilling summer months, ensuring vital outdoor ownership of safety reporting and
an ongoing maintenance plan for the equipment is fully protected against the decision-making. In short, our people
metering installation. This included harsh Scottish winter. have the freedom to help determine
examining two shell-and-tube heat Preparing for the continuing impact how work gets done, and that increases
exchangers, installed as part of the of the pandemic, NGM is carrying the pace of all our operations. By
metering module, to ensure compliance out a complex metering upgrade at creating a virtuous circle of feedback,
with the Pressure Systems Safety a Cheshire-based hospital, due for learning and trust, and investing in
Regulations 2000. As the coronavirus completion in the second quarter of our people, we build capability and
pandemic developed during the first 2021. The work will ensure the site confidence – including the confidence
few months of 2020, it became clear has the gas capacity required to meet to speak up to highlight concerns over
the customer would soon need to adapt the ongoing challenges presented safety or otherwise.”
and escalate operations at the site to by Covid-19. Most importantly, the NGM’s commitment to its safety
contribute to the global response – installation must provide the highest culture is translating into some
specifically, to produce large quantities levels of reliability. Of course, timing impressive figures, added Maxine:
of vaccine. With this on the horizon, will be critical, and the organisation’s “This year, we have seen record levels
the NGM team accelerated its work safety culture will be central to meeting of customer satisfaction, at 87 per
there, completing it by September, key deadlines. cent, and the confidence that we’ll take
leaving the plant with a fully updated action on feedback is at 92 per cent.”
gas infrastructure, ready to meet the SAFETY AS A WAY OF LIFE NGM takes its safety responsibilities
demands ahead. The early completion Maxine Long, who leads National Grid’s seriously. The organisation’s leadership
also meant NGM’s engineers were UK metering business, sums up how and engineers are much more than
no longer on site, except for routine safety is crucial to the organisation: experts in gas metering infrastructure.
maintenance. As Technical Delivery “We strive continually to promote They are also participants in an
Lead David McRoy said: “We could an open, transparent and positive exemplary organisational culture,
see the site was soon going to become culture, where we put the wholeness built on blame-free openness,
extremely busy, so we pulled out all the of everyone’s wellbeing at the heart of widespread employee engagement,
stops to make sure we were out of the everything we do – and, of course, this and a potentially life-saving clarity of
way at that critical time.” includes their safety. The best way I communication.
As plastics became increasingly can describe this is having a perpetual
important during the pandemic – for unease and constant desire that we National Grid Metering is part of
personal protective equipment, and can do things better for our people, National Grid Ventures and is the
many other medical uses – NGM’s work our customers, our business and the largest gas meter asset manager in the
at a leading oil company’s ethylene communities we serve. Safety is deeply UK. For more information, visit https://
plant in Scotland took on a high degree engrained within this and in our values www.nationalgrid.com/our-businesses/
of urgency during 2020. The customer as an organisation. Our leadership national-grid-ventures/what-we-do/
is a critical link in the plastics supply team has been successful in setting the national-grid-metering

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