BAE Systems
Discover how we partnered with BAE Systems to deliver tailored, joined-up safety solutions across complex, high-risk operations.
Client brief
BAE Systems sought a safety partner with a deep understanding of their operations and the expertise to provide guidance in safety-critical areas. They engaged Arco Professional Safety Services to deliver a range of work at height, confined space, and bespoke health and safety training courses delivered by experienced professionals in realistic, safety-focused environments.
At BAE Systems’ Govan and Scotstoun sites in Glasgow, part of their Naval Surface Ships division, Arco Professional Safety Services was also tasked with developing and implementing a comprehensive respiratory management programme to streamline and strengthen existing processes. The programme covered product selection, RPE training, face fit testing, inspection and maintenance, record keeping, and equipment storage.
This project focused on the inspection, maintenance, and record keeping of all RPE in compliance with COSHH 2002 Regulation 9, HSG53, and manufacturer guidance. The scope included a wide range of equipment such as Powered Air Purifying Respirators (PAPR), full face masks, blast helmets, air-fed hoods, and airline-fed breathing apparatus.
Our solution
As the UK’s only fully integrated safety products and services provider, Arco Professional Safety Services was ideally positioned to deliver a complete safety solution for BAE Systems.
Drawing on years of collaboration, our consultants and instructors designed tailored training in working at height, confined space, and health and safety, ensuring teams understood site-specific hazards and safe working practices. A dedicated key client manager oversees regular course reviews, with all training accessible through BAE’s online ordering platform for simple booking and payment.
Our specialists also provide face fit testing, respiratory training, and maintenance of powered respiratory equipment. All activity is logged in our Customer Asset Tracking (CAT) system, ensuring COSHH compliance and a full audit trail.
At BAE’s Govan and Scotstoun sites, we supported the development of a compliant respiratory management programme, covering RPE inspection, maintenance, and record keeping. Initial assessments helped determine resource needs and establish a structured maintenance plan.
RPE is serviced at our Linlithgow Safety Centre by qualified technicians, with weekly reports issued to BAE. Inspections include the replacement of consumable and damaged parts to maintain performance.
To improve efficiency, on-site RPE workshops were introduced, designed with our guidance and supplied directly with replacement parts from the manufacturer. All inspection data is stored in the CAT system, providing real-time visibility of maintenance history and supporting ongoing improvements in RPE management and user safety.
Benefits of our solution
Partnering with Arco Professional Safety Services has enabled BAE Systems to implement coordinated safety solutions that effectively manage and reduce risk across their operations. Our tutors, with hands-on industry experience, deliver tailored training that enhances workforce competence and safety awareness.
Our close collaboration with BAE’s learning and safety teams has produced bespoke courses aligned with operational hazards, and our agility during COVID-19 allowed continued training through virtual and mobile delivery options.
Through the implementation of a comprehensive respiratory management programme, all RPE is now inspected and maintained in line with legal requirements, ensuring equipment remains fit for purpose and reducing the risk of respiratory illness. Inspection frequencies have been aligned with equipment usage, optimising compliance and efficiency.
The planned on-site respiratory workshops will further streamline inspection and servicing, reduce downtime, and minimise travel-related emissions. These facilities will also enhance engagement between Arco technicians and BAE personnel, strengthening safety culture across the workforce.
To further support this, Arco provides ongoing respiratory training and toolbox talks to improve employee understanding of legislation, hazards, and correct equipment care. With one of the UK’s largest mobile BSIF Fit2Fit-accredited face fit testing teams, we continue to support BAE’s workforce in maintaining high standards of respiratory protection and compliance.
I know that whatever the situation, Arco will work to understand the root cause of the problem, proactively liaising with key stakeholders to address issues quickly. We’ve worked with Arco for many years, and they continually deliver their expertise on an incredibly large scale. Their response and way of doing business has become a model example for the way we can roll out similar resolutions to large numbers effectively. Even during the lockdown, they used innovative techniques and methods including virtual delivery and training which is now being continued in our BAU work for people working offsite.