News and Updates

As the decisions around the awarding of PPE contracts during the pandemic make the news again, we thank Karl Turner, MP for East Hull, for acknowledging the difficulties we faced at the time in supporting the national effort to supply PPE and protect lives.

With over 135 years of experience as a safety expert and PPE supplier we were in a strong position to procure and distribute PPE that was compliant with the correct safety standards and that was ethically sourced.

Having previously supported the UK Government to assist with advice and product procurement during crises such as the Ebola epidemic and Swine Flu pandemic, we were frustrated that we were unable to work with central government to supply PPE where it was needed most.

We accept that this period was a challenging time for the Government, but we are pleased that the "VIP fast-track lane" for awarding PPE contracts was ruled unlawful. The awarding of contracts opaquely to organisations with no history or experience in PPE supply and manufacture meant that public money was spent on contracts where some suppliers imported inappropriate or non-compliant products. This left them unable to fulfil orders or supply appropriate PPE, increasing the risk to care home staff, NHS workers and the public.

The lack of preparation for a health emergency prior to the pandemic put lives at risk, we have always felt that it was important to learn from what went wrong and to take steps to rectify these. Our Chairman, Thomas Martin, gave evidence to the Public Accounts Committee in 2021 to share our experience in dealing with central government during the pandemic. Our position paper: Personal Protective Equipment and the Government's Response to the Covid-19 Pandemic shares our experiences during the pandemic and proposes a 10-point set of recommendations that will help prevent a repeat of the issues that continue to come to light today.

We acknowledge the positive and constructive way in which the Department for Health and Social Care has engaged with the content of our position paper so far and we urge Ministers to consider its remaining recommendations. Most urgently, we are calling for a register of accredited Category II and III PPE suppliers. This will ensure we can be better prepared for any future emergencies.

Thomas Martin, Chairman of Arco, said:

"Whilst we appreciate there was an urgent requirement for PPE for frontline responders at the beginning of the pandemic and that the Government was facing unprecedented and challenging circumstances, we still believe that, with our track record in sourcing, emergency planning and distribution of PPE, the Government could have engaged more proactively with Arco to benefit from our expert knowledge to support the process.

"We understand that there was a cost of £8.7bn incurred because of the Government buying equipment that was not fit-for-purpose, paying increased prices in a competitive global market and purchasing products that subsequently had passed their expiry date. Of most concern was the £2.6bn that was spent on PPE not suitable for use in the NHS.

"We still feel that there are important lessons to learn from what went wrong and Arco remains ready and willing to work with the Government and its agencies to ensure that we are better protected for any future emergencies."

You can read Arco's position paper in full, here.

The chairman of Arco, the UK's leading safety company, has been recognised as an 'exceptional individual' within the family business sector after being announced in the inaugural Family Business Top 100.

Thomas Martin was included in the list created by Family Business United, the global voice of the family business community, which showcased some of the best family business individuals across the UK, recognising their efforts and demonstrating their collective importance to the national economy.

Nominations were sought from all corners of the UK and all sectors of the economy, with entrants needing to have worked in a senior position within the business for at least five years.

Arco has launched its latest safety centre in Bracknell, Berkshire, bringing its expert knowledge, high-quality products and training under one roof to the south of the UK.

Investing over £2million in the project, and bringing 12 new jobs to the area, the new location is a strategically significant move for the fifth-generation family business. Arco's Bracknell Safety Centre will be its largest dedicated safety centre, hosting practical learning environments, including a 20-metre external tower for working at height training and confined space labyrinth training facilities, as well as an on-site safety store where customers can purchase products.

With over 135 years of experience, Arco offers an unparalleled combination of specialist health and safety expertise and knowledge. Arco is an integrated services and safety products business, headquartered in Hull, with over 1,600 employees nationwide. Arco reaches its customers through its website and national network of safety centres and retail stores. As the market leader, Arco is committed to helping shape the UK's safety agenda in order to ensure workers go home safe every night.

At Bracknell Safety Centre, highly qualified experts are on hand to provide Joined-up Safety Solutions, a complete offering encompassing the assessment of an issue, the training of employees and the provision and maintenance of appropriate equipment to protect against future risks, all of which can be organised on-site. The safety centre features advanced practical training facilities, respiratory protection and maintenance workshops, drop-in face-fit testing facilities, six training classrooms and a fully stocked Arco safety store, providing PPE, workwear and workplace safety equipment from the brands like TROJAN, Snickers, Berghaus, Regatta, Puma, DeWALT, CAT, MASCOT and loads more. With Arco's joined-up safety approach, the Bracknell Safety Centre will help businesses mitigate, manage and reduce risks.

Jaime Sadler, Commercial Director at Arco Professional Safety Services, said:

"The new Bracknell Safety Centre is a significant milestone for Arco. As our largest dedicated safety centre, it is ideally placed to bring our industry expertise, expansive product offering and practical training capabilities to more customers, nationally.

"The expansion of Arco's capabilities in Bracknell allows us to provide joined-up health and safety solutions for businesses UK-wide. Bracknell Safety Centre demonstrates the future of health and safety; end-to-end service, combining risk assessment, training and equipment provision all under one roof."

The new Arco location will service hundreds of training delegates each week, bringing more business and activity to the area.

Ben Haughton, Technical Director at Arco Professional Safety Services, said:

"Our safety services teams provide practical advice and bespoke training for a variety of safety-critical industries and scenarios. Seeing, first-hand, the value of practical training facilities at our other safety centres allowed me to design and implement structures and systems unique to our Bracknell Safety Centre.

"A significant number of people are killed or seriously injured working at height or in confined spaces in the UK each year. Despite legislation and health and safety measures, working in these environments still pose a very high risk. Bespoke training to provide people with the correct skills and capabilities they need is essential. A generic 'one-size-fits-all' approach leaves workers and organisations open to huge risks. Dangerous working environments require consultancy and expert support that suits the specific scenario. Whether it is equipment, training or support, our experienced teams offer a complete solution."

For further information about Arco's new Bracknell Safety Centre, Click Here

Arco has been 'Highly Commended' in the prestigious IHEEM Healthcare Supplier of the Year Award, in recognition of its work supplying respiratory protection, face fitting services and training to NHS Scotland during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In August 2020, while health services were struggling to source personal protective equipment (PPE), Arco was awarded a contract to supply essential PPE and face fitting services to NHS Scotland. Since then, Arco has supplied: 230 million surgical masks, 7 million visors, 3,000 days of face fitting and training and 3 million FFP3 respirator masks. This support was successfully implemented through 50 managed local distribution hubs, providing PPE to over 2,700 sites.

Andy Owen, Head of Healthcare at Arco, said:

"We are proud to be 'Highly Commended' in the Healthcare Supplier of the Year Award category at this year's IHEEM Awards. This is a great achievement that recognises our support to the NHS in keeping healthcare workers, patients and visitors in Scotland safe and protected during very challenging times.

"Arco has a history of supporting the healthcare sector in times of emergency, including providing a strong response to the Ebola outbreak in 2014-2016, where we supplied hundreds of thousands of hazard suits and visors to frontline workers deployed to West Africa.

"When the COVID-19 pandemic began, we were able to use our experience and knowledge to support the healthcare sector with the critical protection they needed."

Discussing Arco's work with NHS Scotland, Clare Casciani, Health and Safety Advisor at NHS Lothian, said:

"Arco worked with hospital teams across Scotland to coordinate a face-fit testing programme, ensuring respiratory protective equipment (RPE) wearers were kept safe with correctly fitting FFP3 respiratory masks.

"Frontline staff were supported with over 3,000 days of Fit2Fit approved on-site testing, across day and night shifts. Arco also organised training for over 250 NHS Scotland staff members so that they could run their own face fit testing. They provided bespoke fit testing training days and continued coaching and mentoring staff so they themselves could be trained to Fit2Fit standards. So far, nine NHS staff have since gone on to pass their Fit2Fit examination. Without Arco's support, we would not have been able to achieve this at all."

As the UK's leading safety products and services company, Arco supports the healthcare sector with a wide range of products and services.

For more information, Click Here.

Arco has partnered with Hull and East Yorkshire Children's University (HEY CU), a local children's charity that aims to raise the aspirations of young people by building their confidence with unique learning experiences.

As part of the partnership, Arco will provide new branded uniforms for the charity's 15 volunteer leaders as well as funding for an 'experience' session for a class of children in 2022/2023, which will include a visit to a farm, something which most of the children will have never experienced. They will learn about where their food comes from, as they look at different crops and they will also get to meet some of the resident animals.

In the past, HEY CU has designed a range of exciting and engaging learning experiences intended to stimulate ambition, physical health, historical knowledge, creativity and an understanding of careers for their future.

HEY CU aims to improve the mental wellbeing of children through engaging activities and sessions run by experienced leaders and volunteers. This is particularly important post Covid-19 pandemic, as an online survey, which took place between October 2020 and February 2021, found that 41 per cent of 10-to-11-year-olds and 52 per cent of 16-year-olds felt their mental and emotional health had worsened during the pandemic.

Arco and HEY CU have a history of working together on various projects and initiatives, including hosting educational visits by students from local schools to the company’s National Distribution Centre (NDC), and are now, following the pandemic, looking at new ways for Arco colleagues to volunteer and mentor local children and support Arco's goal of helping young people to achieve.

David Evison, Managing Director at Arco, said:

"Helping young people to achieve their full potential is one of Arco's core objectives when it comes to supporting the communities we operate in.

“Having worked with HEY CU for a number of years, we are delighted to be supporting them further through the funding of an experience session for a class of children in 2022/2023 and by providing new branded uniforms for their team of experienced volunteer leaders.

"We are also looking at how our colleagues can help HEY CU through volunteering and mentoring opportunities. The Covid-19 pandemic reduced the number of opportunities for our colleagues to volunteer, but with restrictions now eased, we are supporting more of our colleagues to help some great local causes just like the Hull and East Yorkshire Children's University.

Natasha Barley, CEO of Hull & East Yorkshire Children's University, said:

"HEY CU has a long standing relationship with Arco, who have provided us with great support over the years, including experiences at the National Distribution Centre for primary school children who learn about careers at Arco, Arco staff volunteering and fundraising for the charity, donations from the Arco Community Panel to support our work, donations of uniforms for our mini City of Culture reporters in 2017 and more recently for our team at HEY CU.

"It's wonderful to have this relationship recognised formally in a partnership and we look forward to working even more closely with the team at Arco to inspire local children to fulfil their potential."