Safety performance across a contractor’s portfolio is not measured on any one site. It is measured across every site, every week, over years. The Globe Group’s recorded 449,280 accident-free hours reflects performance across multiple concurrent schemes, four operating divisions, and a workforce that includes both directly employed staff and subcontractor operatives. Sustaining that record across that scale of operation is not the result of strong individual sites. It requires coordinated safety standards that apply consistently regardless of which division is on which site.
The scale of the coordination challenge
At any given point in time, the Globe Group has Globe Civil Engineering crews on groundworks packages, Globe Cambridge teams running scaffold across multiple sites, Globe Roofing operatives delivering plot-by-plot roofing on housing schemes, and Red Safety Netting installations supporting principal contractors across the country. The work is being delivered in different regions, under different principal contractors, with different site-specific risk profiles. Maintaining one safety standard across this footprint requires the standard to live inside the group’s systems, not in the head of any individual site manager.
Group-wide accreditations as the baseline
The Globe Group’s accreditation portfolio sets a consistent baseline. CHAS Premium Plus, Constructionline, Safe Contractor, and SMAS provide cross-divisional health and safety frameworks. Discipline-specific accreditations layer on top: NASC and CISRS for Globe Cambridge’s scaffolding operations, FASET for Red Safety Netting’s fall protection, NHBC and LABC accreditation for Globe Roofing’s housing work.
Holding these accreditations is the starting point. Translating them into consistent on-site behaviour is the actual work. ISO 9001 certification across the four operating divisions provides the framework for that translation. The procedures audited under the accreditations are the procedures used in the field, documented through the same management system across every division.
Subcontractor management
A significant proportion of operatives across the Globe Group’s workforce are subcontractors. Globe Roofing in particular operates with subcontractor crews, which is standard practice in commercial roofing. Coordinating safety standards across subcontracted operatives is harder than coordinating it across directly employed staff. It requires consistent qualification verification, documented competency records, briefed risk assessments and method statements, and a clear chain of accountability for safety performance.
Across the group, subcontractor management runs through the same quality management system that controls direct employees. Operative qualifications including CSCS, CISRS, IPAF (for MEWP work on Red Safety Netting installations), and CPCS or NPORS for plant operators are verified before mobilisation. Toolbox talks, site-specific briefings, and inspection records are produced consistently regardless of whether the operative is directly employed or working through a subcontract. For principal contractors, this matters because their CDM 2015 duties extend to ensuring that the contractors and subcontractors they have on site are competent. A documented, group-managed subcontractor process makes that duty easier to discharge.
Inspection and reporting consistency
Across multiple concurrent sites, inspection regimes can drift. Different site managers can develop different interpretations of what gets inspected, when, and to what standard. The Globe Group counters this through standardised inspection procedures applied across all four divisions. Scaffold inspections under Globe Cambridge follow the seven-day statutory cycle with consistent documentation. Roofing inspections under Globe Roofing align to the relevant warranty body requirements. Fall protection inspections by Red Safety Netting follow FASET protocols and BS EN 1263-1 requirements where applicable.
More importantly, the format and structure of inspection records is consistent across divisions. A principal contractor receiving inspection documentation from three Globe divisions on the same site receives it in a recognisable, comparable format. Anomalies are easier to identify because the baseline is the same.
Incident reporting and corrective action
Maintaining 449,280 accident-free hours is not the same as having zero incidents. It is the result of identifying near misses, reporting them, investigating them, and applying corrective action before they become accidents. Across the Globe Group, near miss and incident reporting flows through one centralised system. Lessons learned on a Red Safety Netting installation in one region are captured and circulated to scaffold teams under Globe Cambridge in another region. This is only possible because the reporting framework is consistent across divisions.
For developers and principal contractors, this is the practical version of group-wide safety coordination. It is not a poster on a hoarding. It is the verifiable flow of safety data through the group’s management system, week by week, across every site.
Why this matters at procurement stage
For a principal contractor evaluating the Globe Group at procurement stage, the question is not whether the group has good safety paperwork. Most contractors at this scale have good paperwork. The question is whether safety standards are coordinated across divisions and across sites in a way that holds up under audit. The combination of group-wide ISO 9001 certification, a shared accreditation portfolio, and a centralised reporting system is the basis on which the answer is yes.
Talk to the Globe Group
To discuss the Globe Group’s safety management approach for your next project, contact us on 01223 890727 or email enquiries@theglobegroup.co.uk.
