Working safely at heights and in confined spaces

Safety: from inventory to implementation

"We are in demand for all situations in or around the building that require working safely at heights or in confined spaces," says Jan Kwanten, business development director at Eurosafe. With Safety Circle®, the company guides clients from inventory and advice to the operational side.

"For twenty-five years we have focused on creating safe workplaces at height and in confined spaces," Kwanten says. "In doing so, we saw that clients were getting very fragmented advice around their projects. To eliminate that fragmentation, we introduced the Safety Circle® seven years ago."

Safety Circle ®

The Safety Circle® begins by identifying the project's hazards and risks through risk inventories for facade, roof, atrium and confined spaces, says Kwanten. "Based on that understanding of the hazards and risks, we make a recommendation that is appropriate for the particular project and based on the laws and regulations. Then we can also install the advised materials. If required, we can train people at one of our two Dutch training centers, in Zevenbergen and Zwolle. We can inspect and monitor the equipment and supply personal protective equipment. With the Safety Circle® we are thus a one-stop shop for our clients."

Changed role

Eurosafe began in 1999 in England as an installer of materials for safe working at height and in confined spaces. In 2001, the branch opened in the Netherlands, followed by Belgium and Germany. Anno 2024, the company has some 350 employees across ten locations in the four countries. "Our role has changed: originally we were installers, now we can fulfill all roles for the client. Sometimes we make our own materials and have a manufacturer's role, sometimes we are an intermediary, sometimes a trainer. We take the client from inventory and advice through to the operational side, and deploy people ourselves if work needs to be done at height."

Everything in and around buildings

"Our clients are developers, architects and contractors. We are also engaged by the glass and facade industry and through installers, roofers, landscapers and suppliers of green facades and roof gardens. Clients submit their questions to us, but we also proactively approach architects, developers and contractors when we see that projects present challenges in terms of safe working practices. The first step is then usually a quick scan, which often leads to them also asking us for further down the road."

Innovative

"We are always looking to see if what is available in the market can be made smarter, better or more efficient, with safety, of course, coming first," says Kwanten. "We continue to develop our products to make them more sustainable - recyclable and circular. Sustainability is about the employability of materials as well as people in the long term. That's why we think training is so important: the better you train people, the longer they are employable. We also innovate in working methods; for example, we are increasingly looking into the use of drones to monitor things at height. If you make work less stressful, you need fewer people and people remain employable longer. We are also working on that."

One denominator

"We think along with the client, are solution-oriented and look at things from the same perspective," Kwanten concludes. "Our added value within the construction column is that with Safety Circle we offer everything under one umbrella. That is appreciated in the market. Eurosafe is a first-generation company that has a bright future ahead of it."