Safe at Heart
Everyone goes home safe
Nothing matters more than making sure everyone working on HS2 goes home safe, healthy and well.
Safe at Heart is our programme-wide approach to health, safety and wellbeing. Since 2015, it has guided how we work across the railway. As we move into the next phase, it remains the foundation of everything we do.
Health, safety and wellbeing sit at the heart of every decision, every day, for everyone. That means across our construction sites, offices, supply chain and the communities along our route.
Our commitment is simple: we all play our part in staying safe and well. Every day. Everywhere. Everyone.
Safe at Heart’s three pillars
I care
Caring about ourselves, our colleagues, everyone affected by HS2 and the work we do.
You count
Making sure that every safe decision and action we take in our teams and organisations counts.
We matter
Recognising what we do together matters to the future of HS2, our industry and our country.
Health, safety and wellbeing
We treat health, safety and wellbeing as one. Protecting people from injury is a priority, but so is preventing occupational illness and supporting positive mental health.
We’re committed to reducing the five leading causes of occupationally acquired ill health. And we’re building workplaces where people feel supported, valued and confident to speak up.
We encourage everyone working on HS2 to raise concerns, share ideas and challenge unsafe situations. Openness builds trust, supports learning and helps us create safer working environments for everyone.
Setting clear standards
As the programme progresses, we’re changing how we lead health and safety performance across HS2.
We set clear, consistent standards that apply across the programme and our supply chain. We work with our partners to spot risks early, improve performance and step in when we need to.
Our approach focuses on five areas
Setting standardsWe establish clear expectations for health, safety and wellbeing. These standards apply consistently across HS2 and our supply chain and form the basis of safe delivery.
Improving performanceWe use data, insight and assurance to understand how we’re doing, spot emerging risks and drive continuous improvement across contracts, sites and activities.
Finding solutionsWe invest in learning, innovation and research to tackle complex health and safety challenges and develop practical improvements for our workforce and communities.
Learning lessonsWe learn from incidents, near misses and successes. We share what we find so improvements are applied consistently and the same risks are not repeated.
Engaging industryWe work with our supply chain and industry partners, sharing knowledge and lessons to raise standards across the wider infrastructure sector.
We establish clear expectations for health, safety and wellbeing. These standards apply consistently across HS2 and our supply chain and form the basis of safe delivery.
We use data, insight and assurance to understand how we’re doing, spot emerging risks and drive continuous improvement across contracts, sites and activities.
Finding solutionsWe invest in learning, innovation and research to tackle complex health and safety challenges and develop practical improvements for our workforce and communities.
Learning lessonsWe learn from incidents, near misses and successes. We share what we find so improvements are applied consistently and the same risks are not repeated.
Engaging industryWe work with our supply chain and industry partners, sharing knowledge and lessons to raise standards across the wider infrastructure sector.
We invest in learning, innovation and research to tackle complex health and safety challenges and develop practical improvements for our workforce and communities.
We learn from incidents, near misses and successes. We share what we find so improvements are applied consistently and the same risks are not repeated.
Engaging industryWe work with our supply chain and industry partners, sharing knowledge and lessons to raise standards across the wider infrastructure sector.
We work with our supply chain and industry partners, sharing knowledge and lessons to raise standards across the wider infrastructure sector.
How we work together
Delivering a safe and healthy programme takes strong partnerships between HS2 Ltd, our contractors and our supply chain.
Five principles guide how we work together
ConsistencyWe apply clear standards and make decisions consistently so that expectations are understood and trusted across the programme.
OpennessWe have honest conversations, act on feedback and share learning to prevent harm and improve performance.
InclusionWe bring in diverse perspectives during planning and decision-making so we can spot risks and opportunities early.
ChallengeWe welcome constructive challenge and use insight from our workforce to improve health, safety and wellbeing outcomes.
PlanningWe use learning and data to anticipate change, manage uncertainty and prevent harm before it occurs.
We apply clear standards and make decisions consistently so that expectations are understood and trusted across the programme.
We have honest conversations, act on feedback and share learning to prevent harm and improve performance.
InclusionWe bring in diverse perspectives during planning and decision-making so we can spot risks and opportunities early.
ChallengeWe welcome constructive challenge and use insight from our workforce to improve health, safety and wellbeing outcomes.
PlanningWe use learning and data to anticipate change, manage uncertainty and prevent harm before it occurs.
We bring in diverse perspectives during planning and decision-making so we can spot risks and opportunities early.
We welcome constructive challenge and use insight from our workforce to improve health, safety and wellbeing outcomes.
PlanningWe use learning and data to anticipate change, manage uncertainty and prevent harm before it occurs.
We use learning and data to anticipate change, manage uncertainty and prevent harm before it occurs.
Continuous improvement
Our goal is to move from good to great — building a stronger, more consistent health and safety culture across HS2.
Through our Safe at Heart transformation, we’re strengthening leadership, improving planning and decision-making, embedding learning and creating a safety system that responds faster than risks emerge.
By working together, we’ll keep raising standards, improving performance and building a lasting legacy for future infrastructure projects.
Our ambition is clear: everyone goes home safe and well. Every day. Everywhere. Everyone.
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