Regional property and construction consultancy Ingleton Wood has received recognition for its commitment to excellence in health and safety.

The firm, which has offices in Colchester, Norwich, Cambridge, Billericay and London, has been accredited under the Safecontractor scheme which recognises high standards in health and safety management amongst UK contractors.

Ingleton Wood practice manager Michelle Le Chalmers, who is based in Colchester, said: “Health and safety is an incredibly important part of our business and a discipline that we take very seriously.

“Safecontractor accreditation provides reassurance to all our clients that we are committed to upholding the highest of standards.”

Under the Safecontractor scheme, businesses undergo a vetting process which examines health and safety procedures and their track record for safe practice. Those companies meeting the standard are included on a database, which is accessible to registered users via a website, enabling them to vet potential contractors before they set foot on site.

John Kinge, technical director for Safecontractor, said he hoped other firms would follow in Ingleton Wood’s footsteps.

“Major organisations simply cannot afford to run the risk of employing contractors who are not able to prove that they have sound health and safety policies in place,” he said.

“More companies need to understand the importance of adopting good risk management in the way that Ingleton Wood has done. The firm’s high standard has set an example which hopefully will be followed by other companies within the sector.”