A historic paper mill has turned to the children of its workers to drive home its health and safety guidelines.
Oakenholt paper mill manufactures products for Essity, a supplier of well-known brands such as Cushelle, Tork and Bodyform. The mill itself produces Cushelle Quilted Velvet and Triple Velvet, along with private-label products for the NHS and popular supermarket chains.
In a video, the children are seen removing jewellery, sporting PPE, and performing a practice fire alarm drill. Featuring a young girl using British Sign Language, the video aims to enforce the message that the rules are in place to keep mothers, fathers and grandparents safe at work.
Lee Jones, mill manager at Essity Oakenholt, said:
“Health and safety rules are critical in our line of work. While everyone is trained to have a deep understanding of the site requirements, we never want complacency to creep in particularly when we have external visitors who might not be familiar with this type of environment.
“Our employees are mothers, fathers and grandparents, and their safety is paramount – especially to the stars of our video. The message has resonated deeply across the team and has been a brilliant way to reiterate the importance of ensuring everybody understands the rules before stepping on site.”
The idea to feature the children in the health and safety video came from site operations manager, Clive Riley, whose most important role is being grandad to Felicity – who features in the beginning of the film removing her jewellery.
Clive said:
“Not only has the video done a fantastic job of driving home our key health and safety messages, but it has also been great for site morale and strengthening our sense of community. The children were so enthusiastic while filming and it was brilliant to have them on site – one little actor in particular.”
The approach to health and safety has had positive feedback from employees and management alike, with many noting how the children's involvement has made safety protocols more memorable and relatable.
