The safety blueprint

In recognition of Gas Safety Week (8-14 September 2025) , we're sharing some of the sector's initiatives tackling safety head on. Featured in the Summer 2025 edition of Gas Utilisation (Gu), Amy Hutchinson, Bid Writer at United Living Energy (ULE), shares details of the group's transformative safety campaign, Don't Walk By.

Designed to reshape safety culture across the gas and utilities sectors, the Don’t Walk By initiative reflects ULE’s dedication to zero harm, ethical leadership, and proactive workforce engagement.

Central to the campaign is the ‘Don’t Walk By’ video inspired by a poem by Don Morrell, an ex-oil and gas industry worker who witnessed a preventable fatality. 

Inspired by this, ULE’s leadership became passionate about broadcasting the story to help reinforce a culture of safety across United Living Group whereby people are not only trained and equipped to work safely but also engaged and incentivised to intervene when they see potential hazards.

This ‘zero harm’ tolerance places continued emphasis on the importance of safeguarding everything ULE encounter, whether that be reducing incidents for operational staff, protecting and enhancing the environments we leave behind or minimising community disruption.

ULE’s unwavering commitment to the campaign guarantees everyone connected with the business including customers and members of the public, go home safe and healthy every day.

The challenge
The gas and wider utilities industry continues to operate within high-risk environments, where even minor safety lapses can lead to serious, and sometimes life-threatening,
consequences.

In recognition of these significant challenges, ULE acknowledged the necessity for a proactive, behavioural-led approach to health, safety, and well-being.

Rather than relying solely on procedures and compliance, ULE is actively cultivating a culture rooted in personal accountability, open communication, and early intervention.

By empowering individuals at all levels to speak up, challenge unsafe behaviours, and take ownership of their actions, ULE is driving continuous improvement across its operations - reinforcing its commitment to keeping people safe and well in some of the most complex and high-risk settings in the industry.

The solution: the 'Don't Walk By' campaign
The campaign was launched with a clear objective to prevent incidents and injuries, promoting behaviour-based safety, encouraging every employee and subcontractor to take ownership of potential hazards.

It builds on several other ULE-led interventions and aims to empower employees and subcontractors with the knowledge and tools necessary to promptly identify, report and address potential safety hazards and employee mental health support.

By encouraging this culture of collective accountability and intervention, ULE strives to prevent accidents, incidents and ill-health to protect workers and customers alike.

Notably, ULE has:

• Achieved 3 million working hours over 2 years and 9 months without a lost time injury (LTI)
• Increased close-call hazard reporting from 200 to over 3,000 per monthwithin a year - demonstrating a step change in hazard awarness and responsiveness

Key elements of the campaign

Training and awareness
ULE has developed interactive, behavioural safety-based training modules that educate teams on hazard identification associated with their work environment, means of reporting, and innovative safety discussion pieces such as Don’t Walk By, empowering everyone to take immediate action when confronted with health and safety concerns.

Reporting mechanisms:

• Multiple accessible reporting channels (digital and in-person) foster open communication and trust
• Staff are empowered and encouraged to act and report without fear, reinforcing collective accountability

Recognition and incentives
To ensure continual reporting of hazardous situations or events, ULE has implemented user-friendly reporting systems accessible through multiple channels. Employees are encouraged to report potential hazards promptly in a spirit of trust and open communication and are aware of the range of employee health support mechanisms available.

Knowledge sharing and thought leadership
Building on behavioural interventions of the last few years which focused on ULE’s workforce and suppliers, ULE set out to address the broader industry challenges around safe digging in a more collaborative way and to lead industry thinking by hosting a cross-sector safe digging event.

ULE collaborated with CECA (Civil Engineering Contractors Association) and around 160 participants attended. Expert speakers and panel discussions provided valuable perspectives on the importance of safe digging practices and highlighted emerging technologies that can enhance safety in this critical area.

The event served as a platform for sharing best practices, industry insights, and lessons learned while promoting a shared and renewed commitment to reducing incidents.

Outcomes and impact
ULE’s ‘Don’t Walk By’ campaign and safety-themed cross-industry workshops have made a significant impact in terms of behaviour change, which has been reflected in the results (reporting rates are up and incidents are down).

This is consistent with ULE’s zero harm strategy and its intent to work as ‘one team’ and trusted partner within the supply chain.

By instilling a proactive safety culture, empowering employees with knowledge, and fostering cross-sector collaboration, ULE has successfully enhanced safety practices and created a safer working environment.

The has reflected positively with industry regulators and shared community stakeholders, demonstrating ULE’s ongoing commitment to going the extra mile.

Results:

• A sustained zero LTI record
• A fifteenfold increase in hazard reporting, leading to faster mitigation and fewer incidents
• Positive recognition from industry regulators, stakeholders, and clients
• Strengthened employee morale and engagement, with safety becoming a shared value across ULE and its partners

The campaign’s success underscores the power of combining behavioural science, leadership, and collaboration to achieve industry-leading health and safety standards.

ULE’s recent award of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) President’s Award for outstanding health and safety performance for the second year, is a milestone that marks 11 consecutive Gold Awards for outstanding health and safety performance.

The achievement celebrates zero harm tolerance and dedication to upholding the highest safety standards across the industry.

Looking ahead
ULE plans to build on this momentum with a safety, health, and environment (SHE) themed workshop in 2025, further cementing its role as a thought leader and ethical partner in the energy sector.

The team recently hosted a series of Stand Up for Safety events across the country, supported by client representatives from National Gas, Cadent, and Manchester Airport Storage and Hydrant Company Limited.

These events provided a valuable opportunity to celebrate ULE’s significant milestone of achieving 3 million hours - equivalent to 2 years and 9 months - without a lost time injury (LTI).

The day featured key topics including: health and safety performance and future focus, client insights on what safety means to National Gas and interactive sessions inviting feedback on safety improvements.

United Living Energy’s ‘Don’t Walk By’ campaign is a benchmark initiative that shows how embedding proactive, behaviour-based safety culture can deliver real-world impact.

Through relentless focus on training, trust, and teamwork, ULE continues to go the extra mile in safeguarding lives and building a safer industry.

This initiative demonstrates United Living’s commitment to health and safety, not just as a compliance requirement, but as a core organisational value.

In reaching this significant milestone and engaging directly with clients and teams, United Living continues to set a benchmark for excellence in safe working practices.

The company remains dedicated to driving a culture of vigilance, accountability, and continuous improvement, supporting the wider industry to prioritise safety at every level and at every opportunity.