Launch of HSER Alliance

Compass Environmental Consultancy have teamed up with strategic partners SA Safety to launch our Health, Safety, Environment and Rescue (HSER) Alliance.

The alliance comprises of a number of sector-leading organisations who hold specialist capabilities within the fields of Health, Safety, Environmental and Rescue. The alliance provides a one-stop shop for those seeking HSER services. Not only does the alliance play host to an extensive range of commercial industrial services, but it also offers a number of training packages, delivered by experts.

From a commercial standpoint, members of the HSER Alliance benefit from the active promotion of each others services, with emphasis on providing an added-value offering for existing and potential customers.

“We are thrilled to be partnering with SA Safety to form the HSER Alliance. Our extensive expertise in our respective fields makes this an exciting and comprehensive offering to our customers. Between us, we have the skills and capabilities to manage risk. Be it Health, Safety, Environmental or Rescue, we’ve got it covered.””

— Stewart Ower, Managing Director of Compass Environmental Consultancy.

Compass Managing Director, Stewart Ower, with Mark Shaddick, Managing Director of SA Safety

“SA Safety are excited to be launching the HSER Alliance in partnership with Compass Environmental. During initial discussions it became apparent that there is a close synergy between our two businesses and working in collaboration seemed a natural progression. Our aim is to deliver added value to our customer propositions by combining our products, services and extensive knowledge in our market sectors””

— Mark Shaddick, Managing Director of SA Safety.

For information on the services we can provide to your organisation or for details on Alliance membership, contact us on 0118 901 7940.

Compass Turns Two!

To celebrate Compass Environmental Consultancy turning two, we caught up with our Managing Director, Stewart Ower, to reflect upon the last 24 months and to look ahead to what’s in store for the future!

Earlier this month, Compass Environmental Consultancy celebrated its second anniversary.  Time has certainly flown by and if I take a moment to reflect on all that we have achieved in such a short time I am hugely proud. 

When you set up a new business and you have decided on the services you are going to offer, your first customers, however small, are always going to remain special to you.  We deliberately set out to be different, stripping away the large, faceless, corporate approach, really getting to know our customers and quickly becoming trusted partners based on great service delivered with a personal touch and good humour. 

As a relatively small family run company we have met some great businesses and people on our journey so far.  From individual homeowners with environmental planning conditions to satisfy; property developers requiring site investigation and remediation services; petrol filling stations with historic soil and groundwater contamination issues; to providing environmental risk management to a household name nationwide retailer and spill response training to nuclear defence establishments. 

Some highlights to date would be: 

·        We have trained over 175 delegates on our “UKSpill Approved” Spill Responder courses

·        Our environmental expertise has been recognised by the Fire Service College where I have become an Associate Tutor training HazMat Advisors from the British Fire Service and brigades around the World.

·        In May 2018 we moved into our office, a character building dating from the 15th Century located in my hometown of Wokingham

·        In February 2019, I received honoury life membership of the UKSpill Association for my services to the spill industry

·        We partnered with Evergreen Insurance Brokers and Aviva to create “Oilshield”, an insurance and risk management scheme for fuel oil distributors. We made our first official outing with Oilshield by exhibiting at this year’s FPS EXPO in Liverpool. The scheme has been a tremendous success so far and is growing at a fantastic rate. Oilshield has enabled us to support like-minded family businesses.

·        We have also formed strategic partnerships with a number of quality partners who share our ethos of providing excellence with a smile.

·        We have travelled the length and breadth of the country to the point where the staff in Stafford Services on the M6 recognise us! 

Looking forward: 

We are about to launch a Health, Safety, Environment & Rescue Alliance which will bring a small group of businesses together with complimentary services so our customers can access a comprehensive range of HSE and Rescue services through one gateway.  Watch this space! 

The work has been varied and exciting and I have been fortunate enough to be supported by an excellent team of talented individuals.  It has been a genuine pleasure and I cannot wait to see what the future has in store for the continued growth and success of the business. 

Compass - Leading the Way – Providing Direction & Guidance

Aviva Backs Growth Plans For Oilshield

The Oilshield Team outside the Aviva St Helen’s Office, London (left to right) Colin Duxberry (SIA), Jonathan Smith (Aviva), Stewart Ower (Compass Environmental), Dave Gardiner (Evergreen), Chris Browne (SIA), Matt Lamb (Aviva)

Having recently reached the six-month milestone since launching Oilshield, our new whole business insurance offering for Fuel Oil Distributors, we caught up with our insurance partners at Aviva to celebrate the initial success of the product and to look ahead to plans for Oilshield’s future growth. Key personnel from Aviva were on hand to provide their thoughts on the journey so far.

Jonathan Smith, Head of UK Mid Market Underwriting, Aviva

Jonathan Smith, Aviva

“We’ve enjoyed working with experts in the Hazardous Goods sector to help create Oilshield, a whole business insurance offering that is proving to be very popular amongst Fuel Oil Distributors and associated trades. As a Triple-A Rated Insurer, the product represents exemplary levels of cover and quality service. At the heart of the scheme, is the delivery of pro-active Risk Management to work with and support scheme clients.

The initial response has been an excellent indicator that the Oilshield offering fits well with Aviva’s growth strategy. This represents a long-term commitment from Aviva to underwrite the Oilshield insurance scheme on an exclusive basis. We’re looking forward to continuing to work with Evergreen and Compass to build strong relationships in this sector.”

Matt Lamb, Proposition & Portfolio Underwriter (SME Solutions)

Matt Lamb, Aviva

“Aviva are delighted to be working with Evergreen Insurance Services and Compass Environmental to deliver this great product. We have been impressed with the high levels of professionalism and the sector’s positive attitude to risk. It was a pleasure to be able to present the Green Award at this year’s FPS EXPO and I am already looking forward to attending next year’s show!”

Stewart Ower, Managing Director of Compass Environmental Consultancy and Dave Gardiner of Evergreen said “Partnering with the UK’s largest insurance company, Aviva, to underwrite our Oilshield product brings strength and depth to our offering. Our knowledge of the Fuel Oil Distribution industry combined with our personable approach to working with our clients, backed by the underwriting power, expertise and stability of Aviva, is proving to be a winning combination.”

The future certainly looks bright for Oilshield - we’re looking forward to meeting with more fuel oil distributors across the UK. To book your appointment to discuss your insurance needs give us a call on 020 3907 1361, or visit our contact us page to request a quote.

Oilshield Exhibits at the Federation of Petroleum Suppliers (FPS) EXPO 2019

The Compass team travelled up to Liverpool Exhibition Centre earlier this month to launch Oilshield at the FPS EXPO with our Oilshield partners Evergreen Insurance Services and Aviva! The team were on hand to discuss all things Risk Management and to provide guidance on how to reduce the frequency and severity of spillage claims.  

It was great to catch up with some familiar faces and meet lots of new ones too! There was keen interest from oil distributors who welcomed the fresh approach of insuring all of their business risks under one policy with one insurer and one premium. 

Watson Fuels Reed Bed at their Ledbury Depot

Oilshield had the pleasure of sponsoring this year’s FPS Green Award – a new award that recognises green initiatives to improve environmental performance in the sector. Our winner Watson Fuels have demonstrated outstanding Environmental practice at their Ledbury Depot, pioneering the use of a reed bed and attenuation pond to ensure the purity of surface water leaving the site whilst at the same time creating valuable habitat. 

The Oilshield team present Bob Taylor, Managing Director at World Fuel Services - Land (UK), with the FPS Green Award, sponsored by Oilshield.

Stewart Ower Recognised for Services to the UK Spill Industry

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Stewart Ower (right) receiving his Honorary Life Membership from Mark Orr, Co-Chairman of UKSpill (middle). Tom Ower of Compass Environmental (left)

Our Managing Director, Stewart Ower, was presented with an Honorary Life Membership to the UKSpill Association yesterday evening at their Annual General Meeting and Awards Dinner at the Waterman’s Guild Hall, London.

Stewart, who has spent over 25 years within the Environment Protection industry, has watched and supported the Association grow from its inception in 2004 and more recently served as its Chairman between 2015 and 2017. During his term as Chairman, Stewart helped to raise the profile of UKSpill and improve the standards of spill response within the sector.

Upon receiving his award, Stewart said “I am truly honoured to be awarded this accolade. As the trade association representing the UK Spill Industry, I am humbled to be recognised as an ambassador for the values and initiatives which continue to drive the standards set by the Association.”

UKSpill serves as a national trade body to represent companies, organisations and individuals working in the oil and chemical spill response industry in the UK and to build an internationally respected reputation. For more information about UKSpill, visit their website www.ukspill.org

Spill Training Course At Fire Service College A Huge Success – Book Your Space Now!

Last month, Compass Environmental delivered their UKSpill Approved Advanced Environment Protection Techniques spill training course to specialist Fire Officers from across the UK at the Fire Service College, Moreton-in-Marsh.

The day comprised of a morning session, studying the response to real life spillage incidents, followed by an afternoon practical session on the Fire Ground tackling a complex spill scenario. We are pleased to say that all 26 delegates successfully passed the course.

In partnership with the college, we are now opening up this course to wider industry. So, whether you are a professional spill response company, a business that has the potential to cause environmental pollution through spillages or an in-house trainer seeking expertise in this area, this course is for you! 

“To date, 100% of our delegates would recommend our Spill Training courses to colleagues.””

Our next course at the Fire College will take place in March 2019. The cost of this will be £350 + VAT per person with a maximum of 8 delegates per course to ensure every attendee gets good hands on experience. There is accommodation available on site for an additional cost of £80 per night for dinner, bed and breakfast.  

For more information and to book your place on our March 2019 course, click here.

Launch of Oilshield

In conjunction with Evergreen Insurance Services and Aviva, one of the UK’s largest insurers, we are delighted to announce the launch of Oilshield – a new insurance and risk management product for fuel oil distributors.

With limited choice in the market and distributors facing ever increasing commercial risks, we identified a real need for a fresh and innovative solution specifically targeted at the fuel oil distribution sector. That solution is Oilshield – a comprehensive insurance and risk management package that provides protection for your whole business, all under one policy.

Oilshield embeds risk management at the heart of every policy. Compass Environmental will be working with each client to identify and manage risk through the development and delivery of a bespoke risk management programme. In addition, Compass will be providing a 24/7 Spillage Claims Management Service. Our extensive experience in managing thousands of incidents will ensure the reputation of our clients and the environment are protected through the proactive management of spillage claims.

Compass Managing Director, Stewart Ower, said “It’s great to be partnering with Evergreen Insurance Services on this initiative. With Oilshield, I believe we have created a product which will have real appeal to oil distributors of all sizes. The simplicity of one policy to cover all business activities combined with a genuine management of risk makes for a successful partnership between all parties.”

To view full details of the Oilshield proposition, visit www.oilshield.co.uk

Compass Spill Training Course Adopted by Fire Service College

Our Advanced Environment Protection Techniques Spill Training course has been embedded into the HazMat Advisor Course at the Fire Service College, Moreton-in-Marsh.

The HazMat Advisor Courses train specialist officers within the Fire Service to deal with incidents where hazardous materials are involved. Often these incidents pose serious risk to the environment and so the College has recognised the need to include an Environment Protection Module in its training of these officers.

Ed Sullivan of the Fire Service College and Stewart Ower of Compass Environmental

Our Managing Director, Stewart Ower, has been welcomed as an Associate Tutor at the College and will deliver the one day Environment Protection Module which incorporates both classroom and practical exercises on the fire ground, a world class training facility which permits the creation of very realistic incident scenarios.

Stewart commented, “It is a tremendous honour that our UKSpill approved training course has been recognised by the Fire Service College as being of a standard suitable for the inclusion in their training of these specialist officers. As first responders to many spillage incidents, the Fire Service has a vital role to play in protecting the environment from damage. Our training will enable officers to identify environmental risk and take appropriate, proportionate and effective action to mitigate pollution of the environment.”

Fire Service College Course Director, Ed Sullivan, said “We welcome Stewart’s expertise in this area and are actively exploring opportunities to include this environment protection input into other Fire Service College courses.”

In addition, Compass and the Fire Service College will be marketing our Advanced Environment Protection Techniques Spill Training course commercially so that delegates from wider industry can benefit from this unique training opportunity.

A Grand Day Out!

The team at Compass got hands on and covered in soot with a Blacksmithing experience yesterday at Anvil Forge!

Our day kicked off with the task of creating our own pokers, giving us a chance to practice the fundamentals of Blacksmithing and to play with fire!

Once our technique had been perfected, we then had the opportunity to hone our craftsmanship with our own personal projects. Instead of using this as a chance to make augers (a complete oversight on our part), the team used their new skills to create candle holders, hooks, garden accessories and Christmas decorations!

The last part of the day was spent building a team piece that will take pride of place in our headquarters. Whether it was bending metal with brute strength; wielding an angle grinder to put on the ‘delicate touches’ or smashing a hammer to create a subtle pattern, everyone played their part in piecing together our company logo.

Another job well done by Compass Environmental!

We're Expanding!

Compass Environmental has moved into their new headquarters.  From 1st May 2018 we will be based in Wokingham’s historic Rose Street. The team will be working from a Grade II listed building that dates back to the 15th century!

Managing Director, Stewart Ower, said “Our business has been growing rapidly and this move to larger premises will provide further space for growth and expansion.  The Compass team will deliver our environmental due diligence, environmental risk management and spill training services from the new office”.

In line with the building’s rustic character and low beams, we advise that anyone over 6 foot planning a visit to the office should come with their hard hat!

Compass looks forward to continuing its journey of expansion from our new home.

You can find our new address below:

29 Rose Street, Wokingham, Berkshire, RG40 1XS