Midlands rail maintenance firm MTMS has strengthened its commitment to keeping its engineers safe when they’re working at depots across the country by adding a highly experienced health and safety expert to its team.
The company, which is based in Moira, Leicestershire, has appointed Ian Casswell as part of a recruitment drive launched in the wake of the company having won a number of new key contracts.
HSQE – which stands for Health, Safety, Quality and Environment – plays a vital role in the rail industry, whose workers face a range of hazards, including moving trains, handling heavy equipment and working at height.
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Ian’s duties will include completing health and safety audits, planning and managing HSEQ activities and carrying out training so that MTMS engineers are aware of the risks to themselves, their livelihoods and others when out on site.
Ian’s previous work experience was as a coded welder within the process and brewing industry. During this time Ian experienced first-hand an injury at work, when a serious back injury meant he could not continue in his role, prompting a change into full time health and safety.
Ian began his career as a Health and Safety Auditor, earning the NEBOSH certificate and pursuing additional qualifications to achieve Chartered Membership of IOSH (CMIOSH).
He has further enhanced his expertise by completing advanced training, enabling him to deliver health and safety training programs and is a certified lead auditor for ISO certifications, showcasing his commitment to maintaining high standards in health and safety management.
This is the first time he has worked in the rail industry and he is looking forward to the prospect of making a difference – which he intends to do by leading by example.
He said: “Safety is important in all work environments, particularly in rail which has stringent safety regulations in place requiring more regular in depth training to be completed.
“I believe in using a behavioural safety approach, which not only explains what we need to do, but also the reason behind it. By changing peoples behaviour and increasing their buy-in to safety we plan to have a safer workplace for all.”
“A lot of my training will take online because of the nature of what we do and where our engineers are based, but I will be bringing some face-to-face training into it too.”
Outside of work, Ian is passionate about restoring classic cars. He enjoys showcasing these vehicles and participating in runs with fellow classic car enthusiasts.
Notably, one of Ian’s restorations was featured on the cover of Jaguar World magazine in a special edition celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Jaguar X-Type.
Matt Forst, managing director of MTMS, said: “Ian is hugely experienced and well-qualified, which is a significant benefit to us, bearing in mind the safety-critical nature of our work.
“We’re very pleased to have him on board. We have plans to expand our operations and workforce this year, so their training will be an important part of our work during the next 12 months.”
MTMS services and maintains rolling stock and specialist equipment at more than a half of rail depots across the UK, serving such familiar names in mainline rail as First MTR South-Western Railway, Arriva and Siemens.
