Christia Killen – Health and Safety
As a nod to #InternationalWomensDay today we thought it was the perfect chance to introduce Christia, Lister Wilders Health and Safety Manager.
Christia joined us in September 2022 and is based at our Bibury branch, covering all Lister Wilder branches.
Growing up in Stroud, Christia has been involved in similar roles throughout her career working for bodies such as the environment agency, the Health and Safety Executive, as well as managing health and safety for various big name factories in the UK.
“As much as I enjoyed my work, I got quite tired of the corporate approach and felt that the last company I worked with didn’t truly care for the staff as much as they portrayed. I really wanted to work for a smaller company that looks after their team members as opposed to being just a number and that’s when the opportunity for Lister Wilder came up.”
Health and Safety has always been a prominent focus for us at Lister Wilder and we are delighted that Christia has joined the team to ensure we are continuously improving our practices.
“Having worked with a variety of companies I know that employees aren’t always a fan of the Health and Safety personnel. There is a stigma that they might get in to trouble but that isn’t the case at all. At Lister Wilder, part of my job means I am responsible for the inductions for the new starters and when I tell them that we want to know if they have an accident it’s not about getting them into trouble, we genuinely just want to make sure everyone is safe, safety is always about continuous improvements. I like to think of it more like looking after your family and making sure we can do the best for everyone, Lister Wilder very much feels like a family.”
When it comes to a Health and Safety role and especially one in the machinery industry, we wondered how Christia finds being a women within it.
“The job is great and certainly not boring, there is something different everyday. I suppose the industry is male-dominated, when I worked in the factories it was more apparent, a lot of the meetings I would go to, I would be the only woman. But, because I have worked within the industry for a while, I don’t think about it much. When working with machinery and engineering there tends to be fewer women, but I haven’t felt like that has had any bearing on how well I have been welcomed here, everyone makes time for me!”
Talking of being welcomed, we wondered how Christia has found the last 5 months working with team Lister Wilder?
“The people here are so lovely and everyone wants to help each other out, everyone cares about each other. The senior management really know the people in the company and they know their customers. They have created a management style that drives everyone forward, even when they came to our Christmas party, they know every face and remember little things like the holiday that person just went on and asking how the kids are. It really feels personal!”
As Christia says, safety is all about continuous improvements and so what can we look forward to in the next 12 months when it comes to Health and Safety?
“In the past we have been managing our health and safety reporting through spreadsheets and paper-based methods. So, I am looking forward to launching our new online reporting system over the next 12 months. This new process will ensure that we are more efficient, economically friendly and ensuring we have all the information in one place. We will be able to log everything from risk assessments to accident reports, vehicle check sheets and so much more on this system and in the long term there will be an app on everyone’s phone to be able to report on these things. A lot is going on with this behind the scenes and it will have a gradual launch over the next 12 months.”
When it comes to the end of the working week, we all need something to do outside of our job, so what does Christia get up to?
“I do lots of pilates and yoga and have done for many years, I suppose it can be linked back to my work quite well. I understand a lot more about posture and engaging my core which is so beneficial when it comes to a bad back in the workplace. I have definitely brought those lessons into the role and actively encourage anyone with a bad back to undertake some pilates!”
So now we are wondering, when do the Lister Wilder pilates sessions starting Christia?