It’s hard to believe that 2020 will be only our 4th year in business here at Altus Safety.  So much has happened since we first began trading in August 2016. Once again, 2019 was another record year for us, as our team’s expertise, commitment and service-driven approach to answering customers’ requirements helped us develop new contacts, nurture existing relationships and grow through both repeat business and referrals. It all bodes well for an exciting decade ahead. 

A Constructive Partnership With Contractors
We’ve worked on an array of new build developments over the past year; from residential and student living schemes to major commercial projects. Across both the new build and refurbishment sectors, we’re working with a huge variety of construction contractors; from specialists and local SMEs through to tier one construction companies. Regardless of the size of the project or the construction contractor delivering it, what we’re finding is that the construction industry likes the way we work. Our approach is to understand the architectural and structural parameters of the building, along with the operational requirements of the building’s owner or end user. In this way, we can not only answer the brief for safety at height provision but are able to actively contribute to finding the right solution. Our emphasis on early engagement and collaboration often means we can value engineer the original specification too, saving both costs and time on the project. We’re looking forward to building on our positive relationships with construction contractors in 2020 and to providing a valuable safety at height design, specification, installation and compliance service for projects around the UK. 

Working in Partnership with Roofing 
Roofing contractors have continued to form an important customer group for us over the past year and, once again, we have been able to add value for roofing companies by working with them to deliver the fall protection equipment elements of their roofing package. Lots of roofing contractors are now regular customers because they trust us to prepare the safety at height element of the bid, with accurate specification and costs, and to work flexibly so that the installation is carried out in full-co-ordination with their own site programme. We understand the challenges roofing contractors face in getting the work done on time and to a high quality standard and we’re committed to playing our part in that. Our installations help to ensure the safety at height equipment does not contravene the warranty requirements of the roofing system and maintains exceptional workmanship. 

Fulfilling the Brief for FM Providers
We’re also increasingly busy working on building improvements and compliance requirements for facility management companies and building owners/managers. Often this involves working at occupied buildings and making improvements to the safety at height provision on a tight turnaround to allow maintenance work to take place. Again, this will be an area of growth for us in the year ahead, as we gain repeat business from FM companies that trust us to provide the right solution within their cost and time requirements. 

A Big Selling Point for Retail
As a sector where the same company often has a range of property assets spread across the country with a business-critical need for safe and timely maintenance, the retail industry needs a reliable safety at height partner. Over the past year we’ve carried out a major safety at height audit for a national retailer and we will be carrying out safety at height improvements for many of their stores during 2020. With our design and specification expertise, MSA Latchways approved installer status and national network of installation teams, this type of safety at height survey and improvement program will be another strong area of growth for us in 2020. 

Building on our Heritage
2019 saw Altus Safety take on many projects in the heritage sector, where minimizing the visual impact of the safety at height protection and avoiding any unnecessary modifications to the existing building are just as important as enhancing safety. It’s a sector where our specialist expertise means we can advise the customer on the best solution to meet their requirements, and this may even include design of bespoke safety at height equipment, creating an installation tailored to the layout of the building and the maintenance regimes of the customer.From private schools to commercial buildings, we’re looking forward to working on more heritage properties in 2020.

Compliance Customers Can Count On
One of the key developments within the Altus Safety business over the past year was the establishment of a dedicated compliance team. Led by our compliance manager, Ben Reddy, the team co-ordinates and carries out compliance inspections on any safety at height equipment, proactively booking the checks in for customers so that their compliance obligations are never overlooked or allowed to go out of date.Our clients have loved our friendly and efficient service and we’ve been involved in doing fall protection inspection, testing and certification, both for equipment that our own teams originally installed and for safety at height provision installed by others. 

Investing in our team
Our team has continued to grow over the past year, and we will continue to develop our resources with new recruits and training during 2020 to ensure that we are able to offer the same high standards of service and responsiveness as we continue to grow. 

Looking Ahead
The Altus Safety business may still be relatively new but, as we begin our second decade in business, we’re confident that we have already built an enviable legacy that will provide a springboard for continuing growth. Our service include fall arrest ladders, davit systems and fall restraint systems.