Brooks Forgings Ltd

Any British metals business which has survived and prospered for the last 50 years is clearly getting a great deal right, especially when it remains in the hands of its founding family.

Black Country-based Brooks Forgings, which specialises in both forged and machined components, has earned a national reputation through its combination of traditional craft skills and the latest hi-tech equipment.
Its Global Sourcing division has traded successfully for 15 years, whilst its domestic manufacturing contracts range from the small and niche - including forgings for shotgun barrels - to the large and mainstream - such as backstays for the new Olympic Velodrome.

Its latest project is monitoring and reducing noise levels at its plants, as works manager Grenville Wakeman explains.

“In the past, we’ve had audiology tests done in the production areas, but as we’re just moving all our manufacturing operations to a new site in Lye, it seemed the right time to bring our strategy up-to-date.

“We heard of IHA (Independent Hearing Assessment) through the CBM, and asked Andy Williams to come in, to do both noise assessments and audiometry tests, and to look at every area; not just the machining department and the fabrication bay, but goods inward and even the sales office.”

Andy, who has operated nationwide from his Bromsgrove base for the last 18 years, was pleased Brooks decided to commission a comprehensive analysis.

“To be honest, a lot of people just ask for noise tests, which doesn’t give them all the information they really need, to prepare a proper action plan about conditions in their workplace,” he says.

“I spent two days at Brooks on the audiometric analysis, so they now have proper data on noise levels throughout their factory, and understand how employees might be affected.

“It’s also important to know how different options for noise reduction work. The HSE says wearing mufflers for too long can be a danger, and the ones which are too effective at blocking sound can make it difficult for people to communicate.

“Proper diagnostic screening can also have wider benefits, because companies then have precise data to demonstrate the actions they took to monitor and reduce noise, if a former employee was to make a claim for loss of hearing.”

The results of the IHA analysis - and the discount for CBM members - were much welcomed by Brooks, and Grenville says the resultant ‘noise map’ is being used to enhance its existing health and safety strategy.

“We now have a benchmark to work to for the future, and we even discovered in some areas where we had made ear protection compulsory, that it wasn’t needed.

“Andy has highlighted where ear and eye protection should be monitored, and we’re now considering installing automated meters, which will light up when a set decibel level is exceeded.”