OD News Winter 2016
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WINTER <strong>2016</strong><br />
O’D <strong>News</strong><br />
Driving sustainability - Delivering excellence<br />
Merry Christmas<br />
and a<br />
Happy New Year<br />
to all our customers and staff<br />
from the O’Donovan family<br />
Vitalise Woman of<br />
the Year<br />
Jacqueline wins Business<br />
Woman of the Year<br />
Read more on page 3<br />
Inside Out<br />
Cynthia Barlow OBE shares<br />
her thoughts<br />
Read more on page 7<br />
Will we see a change in 2017?<br />
With our decision to exit from the EU in <strong>2016</strong>, O’Donovan<br />
will be asking asking Government to consider amending the<br />
1968 Transport Act in 2017.<br />
Drivers’ Hours<br />
Should the law be changed for<br />
short haul drivers?<br />
Read more on page 5<br />
As an operator whose journeys cover relatively short distances, we<br />
believe that giving drivers the option to work more flexibly would<br />
enable us to be more environmentally friendly and help cut congestion.<br />
Inevitably there will be many other businesses whose drivers are in a<br />
very similar situation. If EU rules were now reviewed, this could have<br />
an enormous impact on our busy roads, air quality, fuel efficiency and<br />
more...<br />
Our TV moment<br />
Did you catch us on Channel 4’s<br />
The Job Interview?<br />
Read more on page 8<br />
0800 731 3332 sales@odonovan.co.uk odonovan.co.uk /OdonovanWasteDisposal @O’DonovanWaste
OdonovanWasteDisposal<br />
@<strong>OD</strong>onovanWaste WINTER <strong>2016</strong><br />
Welcome from<br />
Jacqueline O’Donovan<br />
Needless to say at O’Donovan we’ve already made<br />
significant safety and environmental improvements, but<br />
this doesn’t happen overnight and the wider industry will<br />
need time to make the necessary changes.<br />
Britain’s decision to exit from the EU was the next<br />
significant change in the summer. Of course the process is<br />
yet to reveal its true impact on the country. As an employer<br />
of Europeans I am concerned how this may impact on<br />
Britain’s driver shortage crisis and access to labour in<br />
general in the construction industry; which relies heavily<br />
on foreign workers. The principle of free movement across<br />
member states made this process simple and stress-free…<br />
As a contrast, we also instigated a survey to provide<br />
support to urge Government to relax EU rules in relation<br />
to drivers’ hours. The aim of this is to help deliver business<br />
and economic benefits – we’ve had a great response to the<br />
survey and you can read more on page 5.<br />
Shortly after Brexit we learned of a shift in politics with<br />
Theresa May stepping into the role of Prime Minister and a<br />
cabinet reshuffle which includes 30% females. It’s good to<br />
see Theresa May breaking the mould!<br />
<strong>2016</strong> has been quite an eventful<br />
year with some significant<br />
changes that naturally have had<br />
an impact on all of us and our<br />
industry.<br />
Finally I was overwhelmed to have received the Vitalise<br />
Business Woman of the Year award in October. This is a<br />
fantastic accolade that was made possible by the hard<br />
work, dedication and support of the whole O’Donovan<br />
team. More on this can be found on the opposite page.<br />
So with an eventful <strong>2016</strong> coming to a close, on behalf of<br />
the entire O’Donovan team I’d like to take this opportunity<br />
to wish you all a merry Christmas and all the very best for<br />
2017.<br />
Jacqueline O’Donovan<br />
Managing Director<br />
In May we saw the appointment of Sadiq Khan as London’s<br />
new Mayor and with this came proposals that include<br />
plans for direct vision HGVs and a star rating which will<br />
influence some fundamental changes in the way lorries are<br />
designed.<br />
Also an announcement that the proposed Ultra-Low<br />
Emission Zone (ULEZ) will be brought forward to 2019. The<br />
accelerated ULEZ plans leave very little time for operators<br />
to prepare for the reforms. Khan’s pledge for safer and<br />
cleaner HGVs will mean operators must simultaneously<br />
reduce their diesel emissions across entire fleets, adopt<br />
new technologies and invest in direct vision.<br />
>2<br />
0800 731 3332 sales@odonovan.co.uk odonovan.co.uk /OdonovanWasteDisposal @O’DonovanWaste
WINTER <strong>2016</strong><br />
/OdonovanWasteDisposal<br />
@<strong>OD</strong>onovanWaste<br />
Jacqueline honoured as Vitalise<br />
Business Woman of the Year<br />
The Vitalise Women of the Year Awards celebrates the outstanding achievements of businesswomen across<br />
the UK. The annual awards, which raise funds for nominated charities Tomorrow’s People and Revitalise,<br />
promote positive female role models in business circles and society, as well as encouraging women to<br />
showcase their talents to a nationwide audience.<br />
Previous winners of this prestigious title have been women of huge talent and skill who are also determined to further raise the<br />
profile of their peers to a wider audience. In fact, two former winners have gone on to be named in the Honours list in recognition<br />
their entrepreneurial successes – Baroness Karren Brady and Hilary Devey CBE!<br />
Jacqueline was presented in October with the prestigious award at this year’s luncheon and award ceremony in Birmingham.<br />
The unanimous judges’ decision recognised not only Jacqueline’s business success, but also her passion and drive to improve the<br />
industry and the inspiration she has provided to others.<br />
The judges were impressed by Jacqueline’s management of O’Donovan since becoming MD at the age of 19, navigating the company<br />
through two recessions whilst growing staff numbers. Her unwavering determination to succeed is evident from her consistent<br />
investment in the health and safety of her staff, the company’s facilities and its fleet. Her influence is felt industry-wide, with her<br />
dedication to developing others through mentoring epitomising the Vitalise spirit of supporting and inspiring other women.<br />
The award marks the fourth time this year that Jacqueline has been recognised for her outstanding achievements, having<br />
taken home the Outstanding Woman in Construction at the Women in Construction Awards in March, Achiever of the Year at the<br />
Constructing Excellence Awards in July and Outstanding Commitment to Innovation Award from the British Irish Trading Alliance in<br />
September.<br />
Jacqueline said: “It is an enormous honour to be awarded the Business Woman of<br />
the Year award and I am humbled by the recognition. The heritage and growth of<br />
the family business is incredibly close to my heart and I am delighted to represent<br />
them in the acceptance of this award.”<br />
Judy Groves, awards chair, said “Jacqueline is an inspiration for women looking<br />
to make their mark in business, and to fulfil their potential. The work Jacqueline<br />
has been involved in to improve safety standards and stimulate innovation in the<br />
waste disposal industry is fantastic – truly inspiring. It was a unanimous decision<br />
among the judges to award Jacqueline as Business Woman of the Year <strong>2016</strong>.”<br />
Award-winning <strong>2016</strong><br />
0800 731 3332 sales@odonovan.co.uk odonovan.co.uk /OdonovanWasteDisposal @O’DonovanWaste<br />
>3
OdonovanWasteDisposal<br />
@<strong>OD</strong>onovanWaste<br />
WINTER <strong>2016</strong><br />
Teaming up with<br />
LCC to bring<br />
citywide BikeTubes<br />
to London<br />
Supporting Pedal<br />
Power - our local<br />
cycling club<br />
Back in September it was Cycle to Work Day, a national event<br />
which aims to encourage everyone to take to two wheels for at<br />
least one day to get to work. We teamed up with London Cycling<br />
Campaign to bring citywide ‘BikeTubes’ to London to help make<br />
sure more people had the support and encouragement they<br />
needed to cycle to work for the very first time.<br />
London BikeTubes<br />
The London BikeTubes were a series of led rides aimed at<br />
helping people commute by bike for the first time. Guided rides<br />
set off from different corners of London on the morning of 14th<br />
September and accompanied people to central points in the city.<br />
Each ride was co-ordinated by experienced ride leaders, with<br />
mechanics from Halfords on hand to make sure all bikes were fit<br />
for purpose.<br />
We acted as lead sponsors for the BikeTubes to help promote<br />
safety and reiterate that it is at the heart of our day-to-day waste<br />
and construction operations. We appreciate the importance of<br />
developing a collaborative relationship between the logistics<br />
industry and cyclists in London. No one should be afraid to<br />
cycle on London’s roads, and this was a fantastic opportunity to<br />
encourage more people in London to feel safe on a bike and cycle<br />
to work for the first time.<br />
LCC CEO Ashok Sinha said: “Cycle to Work Day is a great way to<br />
help people enjoy the convenience, health benefits and cost<br />
savings of cycling to work. We are delighted that O’Donovan<br />
Waste Disposal is supporting the safety of cyclists. London<br />
streets can be intimidating in rush hour and the first commute<br />
is often the hardest. But with the right support more people<br />
can gain the confidence to commute by cycle – which will also<br />
help London become the healthier, happier, less polluted and<br />
less congested city we all want it to be”.<br />
With cycling being close to O’Donovan’s heart,<br />
we’ve recently bceome involved with our<br />
local cycling club Pedal Power. It’s an inclusive<br />
club for teenagers and adults with learning<br />
and physical disabilities and offers cycling<br />
opportunities for people of all abilities.<br />
As part of our company-wide commitment to promoting<br />
safe cycling for all we’ve teamed up with Pedal Power to<br />
sponsor the club’s Finsbury Park track in time for their 12th<br />
anniversary. We’re delighted to be involved with Pedal Power<br />
and support the amazing work the club’s doing for our local<br />
community. It’s vital that we encourage people of all ages and<br />
backgrounds to get active and cycle, while also educating<br />
them about road safety.<br />
Pedal Power was set up by Jo Roach, after she struggled to find<br />
a suitable club for her daughter Suzie, a young woman with<br />
learning disabilities, who lives independently. Suzie is very<br />
good at riding a bike but was only able to do so when she was<br />
with her mother. So Jo set up Pedal Power in 2004. 12 years<br />
on, the club has registered 1,500 members; is free to join, runs<br />
weekly sessions in Finsbury Park and the Emirates Stadium<br />
and is open to people with learning disabilities.<br />
Co-ordinator and founder of Pedal Power, Jo Roach, said “This<br />
donation from O’Donovan means that Pedal Power can provide<br />
cycling opportunities to people with moderate to profound<br />
and complex needs. Their donation will pay for the hire of the<br />
track and storage for our specialised bikes. Without donations<br />
like these Pedal Power would not be able to run this brilliant<br />
club.”<br />
Find out more about Pedal Power by<br />
visiting: pedalpowercc.org<br />
>4<br />
0800 731 3332 sales@odonovan.co.uk odonovan.co.uk /OdonovanWasteDisposal @O’DonovanWaste
WINTER <strong>2016</strong><br />
/OdonovanWasteDisposal<br />
@<strong>OD</strong>onovanWaste<br />
Drivers’ hours - does the<br />
law need to change?<br />
Since our exit<br />
from the EU<br />
earlier in the<br />
year it would<br />
appear to be<br />
a good time<br />
to review<br />
certain laws<br />
which were<br />
amended<br />
previously to<br />
incorporate<br />
EU rules. In<br />
particular<br />
we’re keen<br />
to see rules<br />
around drivers’ hours relaxed and are urging Government to<br />
amend the 1968 Transport Act. The Act allows lorry drivers to<br />
drive a maximum of 56 hours per week or 90 hours over a twoweek<br />
period – subject to breaks and rest periods.<br />
We’re suggesting Government now differentiates between the<br />
rules for ‘local’ short distance hauliers and long distance drivers.<br />
From our perspective employees have to take a 45 minute break<br />
after driving for a maximum of four hours 30 minutes, instead<br />
of having multi-rests throughout the day as the work schedule<br />
dictates.<br />
Our drivers average five jobs a day, when 20 years ago they<br />
averaged eight to 10 jobs. The number of jobs has reduced<br />
because of the conditions our drivers are working under; much of<br />
the time they are in the cab they can be in traffic jams, which eats<br />
up driving hours. They do not work arduous shifts covering long<br />
distances. We operate Monday to Saturday and our drivers want<br />
to work every Saturday, but they are limited by the rules even<br />
though the majority of journeys are no more than a few miles.<br />
Taking part in London’s<br />
history<br />
Back in the annals of history the Corporation<br />
of the City of London regulated the trades<br />
and Carmen were responsible for transport<br />
throughout the City.<br />
In keeping with tradition, each year the<br />
Worshipful Company of Carmen bring horsedrawn<br />
waggons and carriages, steamers,<br />
veteran and vintage lorries, buses and<br />
coaches, and modern trucks and tractor units,<br />
to be branded, or marked, with a red-hot iron,<br />
on a wooden plate, with the year letter and<br />
the carr number. This is done as a reminder of<br />
centuries of service to the City and to maintain<br />
their ancient tradition.<br />
We were thrilled to take part in this year’s ceremony, which<br />
sees vehicles brought for the Master’s inspection, then<br />
branded by the Keeper of Guildhall, using a special brazier and<br />
gloves provided by the Glovers’ Company.<br />
We took along our fully restored 1966 Leyland Tipper to have it<br />
branded - it was great to be part of such an historical event!<br />
If the Act were amended workloads could be realigned so HGVs<br />
were working when the roads were less busy. This would deliver<br />
increased operating flexibility and enable the number of jobs<br />
undertaken per day to rise. While a relaxation of the current<br />
rules for short haul trips would be welcome, we would however<br />
not want the door to be opened to opportunistic rogue hauliers<br />
who may seek to abuse drivers. Any initiative would need to<br />
be bulletproof and protect drivers, the wider public and ensure<br />
safety standards were upheld.<br />
We’re certain we’re not the only operators who feel<br />
this way and to this end we’ve been running a survey<br />
to gather opinions. We’ve had a great response and at<br />
the time of print, 88% of respondents agree with our<br />
approach.<br />
If you’d like to add your weight to the argument, you can<br />
submit your response to our survey by visiting: goo.gl/<br />
lnLBk7<br />
0800 731 3332 sales@odonovan.co.uk odonovan.co.uk /OdonovanWasteDisposal @O’DonovanWaste<br />
>5
OdonovanWasteDisposal<br />
@<strong>OD</strong>onovanWaste<br />
WINTER <strong>2016</strong><br />
European<br />
recognition for our<br />
safety standards<br />
Encouraging safer<br />
operating - supporting<br />
the Brake pledge<br />
The European Transport Safety Council (ETSC)<br />
PRAISE awards recognise organisations that<br />
take outstanding measures to improve vehicle<br />
fleet safety. We were thrilled to be awarded this<br />
year’s PRAISE award in the SME category at the<br />
European Conference on Road Safety at Work in<br />
Brussels.<br />
The PRAISE project addresses the safety of driving for work<br />
and promotes best practice to help employers secure high<br />
standards for road safety. To see our name up with the other<br />
winners: Johnson and Johnson EMEA and the Belgian Military is<br />
a huge honour for our family-run business. As part of our award<br />
submission we highlighted our cross-company standards for road<br />
safety and our shared vision with all staff to help improve the<br />
image of our industry.<br />
The PRAISE judges noted we “…demonstrated strong leadership<br />
from the top down and is acting as a passionate champion for<br />
work-related road risk management. They are aiming not just to<br />
be an example of best practice, but to set the industry standard”.<br />
To have our efforts recognised at a European-level is a great<br />
achievement!<br />
Find out more about the PRAISE Project by visiting:<br />
etsc.eu/projects/praise/<br />
Hopefully you’ve seen some of our flyers this<br />
year - we’ve been running a campaign to help<br />
raise awareness of the issues on driving for work<br />
and road safety.<br />
We’ve shared a range of key messages using themed hashtags<br />
from #notadrop, #slowdown, to #sharetheroad and #dothewalk<br />
throughout the year by sending out flyers and emails. We’ve<br />
also been encouraging our staff and followers on social media to<br />
spread the word on safety.<br />
The pinnacle of the campaign coincided with Brake’s Road Safety<br />
Week which took place toward the end of November. It’s the UK’s<br />
biggest road safety event and involved thousands of schools,<br />
organisations and communities taking action on road safety and<br />
promoting life-saving messages during the week and beyond.<br />
Over the course of Road Safety Week we were involved with a<br />
number of Exchanging Places events in collaboration with the<br />
Metropolitan Police, the City of London and various local schools.<br />
Exchanging Places is an award-winning programme which gives<br />
cyclists the opportunity to sit in the driver’s seat of an HGV to<br />
see how difficult it can be to see a cyclist riding close to the<br />
lorry. Experienced traffic police officers were on hand to explain<br />
how this type of collision often happens, and provided an open<br />
discussion on how to safely share the streets.<br />
Brake has a vision for a world with streets that are pleasant,<br />
unpolluted and safe for everyone to use and have a Pledge, which<br />
calls for people to drive less and do everything they can to protect<br />
themselves and those around them.<br />
Anyone can sign the Brake Pledge by visiting:<br />
roadsafetyweek.org/pledge<br />
>6<br />
0800 731 3332 sales@odonovan.co.uk odonovan.co.uk /OdonovanWasteDisposal @O’DonovanWaste
WINTER <strong>2016</strong><br />
/OdonovanWasteDisposal<br />
@<strong>OD</strong>onovanWaste<br />
Inside Out:<br />
Cynthia Barlow OBE, RoadPeace<br />
Cynthia became<br />
chair of RoadPeace<br />
in 2006 and has<br />
worked tirelessly<br />
with the freight and<br />
fleet industry and<br />
national government<br />
to ensure contractors<br />
and operators take<br />
responsibility for the<br />
risks to others, posed<br />
by their business<br />
operations; especially cyclists and<br />
pedestrians. Cynthia was awarded an OBE for<br />
services to road safety in 2014.<br />
Q: What do you get the most satisfaction from?<br />
It matters to me to make sure I’m doing something worthwhile<br />
in memory of my daughter who was killed by a lorry in a road<br />
crash. My work with RoadPeace means I’m able to help families<br />
who have been affected in the same way.<br />
Q: What single thing would improve the quality of your<br />
life?<br />
It may sound selfish but it would be not having to worry<br />
about money. But I don’t mean that purely from a personal<br />
perspective, also from the perspective of RoadPeace. We’re a<br />
charity and so rely on funding and donations – if we didn’t need<br />
to worry about money it would mean we could concentrate all<br />
our efforts on the families we are trying to help.<br />
Q:Where would you like to be right now?<br />
It’s not a literal place, I don’t need to travel to a warm and sunny<br />
climate. It would be a place inside my own head where I can find<br />
a calm, quiet time to be able to indulge my love of art. Whether<br />
that be visiting galleries, or doing some painting of my own, I<br />
really connect with art. Much of my own work is botanical – I<br />
have to focus on the fine details of my subject, thus stopping<br />
my mind rushing around and giving me some peace.<br />
Q:What’s the most fun you’ve had at work?<br />
My last job was an administrative role at the University of<br />
London and one of my tasks was to organise Royal events for<br />
Princess Anne who is the Chancellor. Through these events I<br />
was lucky to meet many interesting and important people and I<br />
learned so much through meeting them.<br />
Q:What will industry be talking about in 12 months’<br />
time?<br />
Progress with CLOCS has been huge across the country and<br />
even further afield. There’s been a huge shift in the last few<br />
years and I’m hoping to see yet more.<br />
Q:If you could change one thing about the industry<br />
what would it be?<br />
It’s already changing, but some of the smaller operators and<br />
drivers are still not doing the right thing and it doesn’t need to<br />
be that way.<br />
Q:What’s your biggest vice?<br />
I need to treat myself to something consoling every now and<br />
then and it quite often is a piece of chocolate!<br />
Q:What’s been your greatest challenge?<br />
Certainly my biggest challenge came after the death of my<br />
daughter. I came to the end of the legal process not really<br />
knowing anything anymore. Then a friend came to stay and<br />
reminded me of my love of art and so took me to the Royal<br />
Academy where there was an exhibition of Botticelli’s drawings<br />
for Dante’s Divine Comedy. On the way in was the first line<br />
from the poem: “Midway along the journey of our life woke<br />
to findmyself in a dark wood”. I connected with these words,<br />
feeling clearer than I had. I gradually became more aware of<br />
the problems I had experienced with the legal system as it<br />
then was, and following on from this, I was determined to bring<br />
about changes; that resolve is still with me today.<br />
>7<br />
0800 731 3332 sales@odonovan.co.uk odonovan.co.uk /OdonovanWasteDisposal @O’DonovanWaste
O’Donovan team supports great causes<br />
The team in our Tottenham HQ is always keen to get involved with charitable causes and always go<br />
the extra mile to help raise money, whilst having some fun at work.<br />
Channel 4’s The Job Interview<br />
Earlier in the year we were approached to take part in the Channel<br />
4 documentary: The Job Interview. Needless to say we agreed and<br />
Jacqueline O’Donovan and Richard Clarke appeared on our screens in<br />
the summer.<br />
The fly-on-the-wall series followed real-life interviews in<br />
unprecidented detail, with a diverse range of candidates being<br />
interviewed by different companies over each episode.<br />
We featured in Episode 4 alongside a party planning company. It was<br />
a great experience and proved to be a novel way to recruit staff!<br />
All episodes of The Job Interview are available to watch on Channel 4<br />
On Demand.<br />
>Email<br />
sales@odonovan.co.uk<br />
>Call<br />
0800 731 3332<br />
>Twitter<br />
@<strong>OD</strong>onovanWaste<br />
> Find us on Facebook<br />
/OdonovanWasteDisposal<br />
>Web<br />
odonovan.co.uk<br />
O’Donovan (Waste Disposal) Ltd, Markfield House, 82 Markfield Road,London, N15 4QF