Customer safety is a top priority for LiveWest and we are thrilled to have won the Gas Safety and Compliance Initiative of the Year award at the Association of Safety and Compliance Professional awards (ASCP).
Of the 39,000 homes we own and manage, more than 28,000 homes have a gas appliance and gas safety is of huge importance to us.
During the pandemic, where access to homes became a challenge due to some customers self-isolating, we reacted with pace to ensure our high levels of gas compliance were maintained.
We introduced a higher level of PPE for our operatives to keep customers safe, including full body suits, full face masks, gloves and shoe covers as well as giving engineers time to disinfect post visit.
Along with the heightened levels of PPE, we have used an innovative piece of software which proved a fantastic addition to our organisation.
This software allows us to access a customer’s phone camera to diagnose the cause of a fault, all the while complying with GDPR and ensuring ultimately that our customers are safe.
The use of this software has reduced our impact on the environment by not having to drive an operative in a van to the property on every occasion. It has also improved our first-time fix rate and it is another route for us to become a sustainable landlord.
Liane Sheppard, our Director of Property Services, said: “After such a challenging year, it was great to be recognised at the Association of Safety and Compliance Professionals Awards for the Gas Safety and Compliance Initiative of the Year Award.
“All our teams have worked really hard to keep our customers safe in their homes and continue to do so.
“It is also contributing to our environmental strategy which is designed to support the government’s Net Zero target.”
The awards ceremony also saw three of our colleagues named as Highly Commended Rising Stars.
Our Planning Team Leader for our Mechanical and Engineering team, Claire Young, manages a team of 13 planners and is responsible for the planning of all areas of gas, oil, solid fuel, electrical compliance and electric work.
She has played a pivotal role in supporting the insourcing of contractor works across our geography, resulting in a better service for our customers and works closely with the team to ensure compliance is achieved and delivered in the most efficient and effective way.
Our Senior Fire Safety Surveyor, Anna Andrew, was also highly commended after ensuring a target of 100% for fire risk assessments was completed in line with organisational procedures.
Anna was a key member in the establishing of the Fire Safety team and has been vital to its development.
Tracy Perkin, one of our apprentice Gas Engineers, was also highly commended for the inspiration she has provided to all apprentices since joining LiveWest at the age of 40 following a career change.
Tracy has been an advocate for our diversity in our trades workforce and took part in our first LiveWest taster day designed to promote opportunities for women to take up a career in trades. She has supported our Women in Trades campaign throughout the organisation.
Liane Sheppard added: “It was fantastic to have three of our rising stars highly commended in a year where the competition was at its toughest.
“Claire Young’s role is multi-directorate and, although her team is placed within customer services, the planners are the backbone for property services.
“Claire manages team priorities exceptionally well and is making a huge difference to our compliance team, continuously driving improvements for colleagues and customers.
“Tracy Perkin is so passionate, conscientious, dedicated and customer focussed. I’ve spent some time with Tracy on site visits and at the Women in Trades taster day, it was great to see people drawn to her.
“Tracy knows what she wants, and I have absolute confidence she will achieve her goals. Tracy is most definitely a rising star in compliance.”
David Johnson, our Fire Safety Manager, praised Anna Andrew, saying: “Anna has been vital to the development of the Fire Safety team, her calm nature and leadership skills have seen her earn a recent promotion.
“She has been a mentor to other members of the Fire Safety team and allowed them to develop their skills and experience. She has been a huge support to me and the rest of the Fire Safety team, particularly during the difficult times we have experienced through the pandemic.”