Security case study
When the Health and Safety Executive ordered UK Power Networks to remove faulty meters from more than 24,000 properties across London, East Anglia and the South, Ashridge Group planned and ran the visit programme. Agents visited 24,150 properties in eight months and UKPN reported a 100% success rate to the HSE.
In 2014 UKPN asked Ashridge Group to undertake a critical project on their behalf. The Health & Safety Executive had issued them with a notice to remove faulty meters from over 24,000 residential and commercial properties in their network area across London, East Anglia and the South. The faulty meters had caused several incidents including a couple of residential fires and their removal was urgently required to avoid further threat to property and life.
A large-scale project of this kind had never been carried out before and UKPN wanted us to work with them to plan, implement and manage the process.
Our first job was to liaise with the main energy providers to establish the existence and location of the faulty meters. Collecting and corroborating information for over 24,000 addresses was no easy task – customer data was old and often incomplete and some premises no longer existed.
We then sent out a team of agents to the properties to encourage occupants to make an appointment to have their meter removed or replaced. Our agents often had to make multiple visits in order to speak with the occupant and we continued to work with the utility companies to update the address list and verify successful visits.
Speed was an important aspect of the project as the faulty meters needed to be removed as soon as possible. After each home visit, our agents on the ground immediately compiled a report and sent it via Smart device direct to Ashridge Group HQ, where a team of specially recruited admin staff collated and shared the data with key stakeholders.
Our agents visited a total of 24,150 properties during the eight-month project. Only 1.97% of addresses were transitioned to warrant – all of which were successful.
At the completion of the project UKPN were able to report a 100% success rate to HSE.
We have continued to be a key supplier to UKPN since 2014.
24,150 properties visited in eight months, across London, East Anglia and the South. The programme followed a Health and Safety Executive order to remove faulty meters. UK Power Networks reported a 100% success rate to the HSE on completion. It remains the largest single visiting programme we have planned and delivered.
Yes. The UKPN work was a planned programme rather than a guarding contract: routing, scheduling, resourcing and reporting across three regions to a regulator-driven deadline. Programmes of that kind depend as much on the planning and the reporting line as on the people knocking on doors.
Where a regulator has ordered the work, the reporting is the deliverable as much as the visits are. UK Power Networks had to report completion to the Health and Safety Executive, and reported a 100% success rate. That figure only exists because every visit, refusal and revisit was recorded as it happened.
Reviewed by Emma Walker, Group Managing Director. Published · updated .
Ashridge Group is SIA ACS approved and holds ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 accreditation. See all our accreditations
The service
This engagement was delivered by our security team. Read how the service works, what it covers and how it is staffed on our security guarding services page.
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