15 Year Milestone For Chris Findon!

Celebrating Chris Findon

While many see workplace health and safety as a hindrance, at Hydro-X, Chris and the team perceive it as the bedrock of our business and employee well-being. They tirelessly enhance the work environment for safety and positivity every day.

In an illustrious 15-year tenure at Hydro-X, Chris Findon has evolved from a part-time engineer to a multifaceted leader. His trajectory includes roles as a risk assessor, LEV tester, noise assessor, and now, the distinguished QHSE and Marketing Manager. As a pivotal member of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT), Chris not only ensures the utmost safety standards but also contributes to the strategic vision, weaving innovation into Hydro-X’s dna. His journey epitomizes excellence, marking him as a luminary guiding the business towards a future defined by safety and success.

We caught up with Chris to discuss his past, present and future with the business, check out the interview below:

Reflecting on your journey from starting as a Water Hygiene Technician to now being the QHSE & Marketing Manager after 15 years with Hydro-X, what key lessons have you learned about health and safety management in this industry?

From being an engineer and working through the business to being involved with the Health & Safety has definitely taught me Rome wasn’t built in a day and that it requires the support and guidance from all areas of the business to really succeed.

As both the QHSE and Marketing Manager, how do you find the balance between promoting Hydro-X’s services and ensuring that the highest standards of health, safety, and environmental practices are maintained within the organisation?

These areas are very different disciplines in their own right, and having a background in Marketing from previous employment, to working on the tools and understanding the products and services we offer, we are able to apply good working practices within the teams to drive methods of delivering the best services and products we can.

Over the years, you’ve witnessed significant advancements in technology and regulations within the environmental health and safety sector. How have these changes impacted your role, and how do you stay ahead of the curve to ensure Hydro-X remains at the forefront of industry standards?

Hydro-X have been very good to me, along with my colleagues in that there are a lot of us who started with little or no knowledge in this industry. Hydro-X have put there trust in us and invested a lot of time and money in training us allowing us to fulfil our goals which were of benefit to the business. To me Hydro-X have never shied away from investing in its people or system to ensure that we are top of our game.

Can you share a memorable success story or achievement related to your dual role in QHSE and Marketing? What challenges did you overcome, and what strategies contributed to the success of the project or initiative?

Before I took on the role of QHSE Manager, I saw it from working in the field, and originally I had no idea I was going to end up where I am today. But what I learnt was for Health & Safety to work, it has to be embedded within the culture of the business so what I have tried to do is bring it to front of everything across all sectors by ensuring it has a place in every meeting, allowing others to champion certain subjects giving their ideas and interpretations, this getting other people involved, however I would not say it is an achievement as this does not end here and is always an ongoing challenge to ensure health & safety is well embedded in the culture of the business and as one of its core values.

As someone who has evolved within Hydro-X from a technical role to a managerial one, how do you foster a culture of continuous improvement and commitment to quality, health, safety, and the environment among your team members?

As said for continuous improvement it is not just about what I do, its about how everyone goes about their day, in the tasks we do. To embed a good culture it has to start at the top but it also has to be seen as a team effort amongst everyone in that we all want to succeed and we all want to go home safe, so by passing on experiences, training & upskilling from within it will create a good culture where everyone feels safe to go to and from work.

Hydro-X has held ISO 9001 accreditation since 2004 and with the support of Chris and his team added ISO 45001 (Occupational Health & Safety) and ISO 14001 (Environmental Impact) in September 2021. On top of this Chris has also managed to secure Avetta Safety Award 2022.