RS Safety Solutions achieves AA rating

On top of this, when it comes to this sector, reducing contamination risk is also imperative. The way PPE products coming in are stored, handled, transported and received requires due diligence to give peace of mind to organisations buying them.

RS Safety Solutions takes this duty seriously and has recently achieved an AA rating in a global accreditation scheme. This indicates maximum contamination risk management of the PPE stored at its distribution centre. 

The RS Safety Solutions site in Melton, achieved the AA rating in the elective accreditation covering ‘Storage & Distribution for Warehouse and Supply Chain’, part of the Brand Reputation Compliance Global Standards (BRCGS) certification programme that sets out standards for food safety and operational criteria. It helps firms to implement best practices around hygiene, manufacturing processes and risk management like Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP). 

The BRCGS is a long-established programme, having been around for more than six decades. The Storage & Distribution for Warehouse and Supply Chain was an elective accreditation addition developed in 2006.

While the storage and distribution part of the scheme is elective, it is an element that is becoming more recognised and expected within the food industry and the partners that they work with. RS Safety Solutions is a major provider of PPE, hygiene and workwear products. And being able to offer proof of diligence around proper and hygienic storage and distribution of such products is crucial.

The audit covers a broad range of systems. Site contamination risk controls and systems were assessed at RS Safety Solutions’ distribution centre, to ensure full product traceability to prove the whole supply chain is working to the same high standard. It must be demonstrated by RS that the systems monitor product suppliers and manufacturers, so it is a rigorous process.

As RS Safety Solutions runs its own vehicle fleet at the Melton centre, these were also audited for hygiene and suitability of transporting PPE products to industries like food processing, and for compliance with safety regulations around lifting equipment. 

Other areas of assessment included housekeeping, cleaning and pest control, checking effective product stock rotation programmes to avoid out-of-date products, and effective customer complaints procedures to ensure they’re being tracked, managed and resolved. Only five minor non-conformities can be identified in the audit to achieve an AA rating. 

RS Safety Solutions pledges to continue to dedicate resource to ensure these high standards are not only kept, but improvement is an always-on activity. It is this dedication that has enabled the firm to renew the accreditation is achieved in 2024, and assures customers of due diligence in this key area.