Tideway has launched the fourth and final iteration of EPIC – its award-winning, immersive safety induction.   

EPIC, which stands for ‘employer’s project induction centre’, is a requirement for everyone working on the project and has raised the industry standard for project inductions.  

Working with Active Training Team, Tideway developed and launched the programme in 2015 and it has seen more than 21,000 individuals participate, to date. 

The induction sees new starters on the project immersed in an on-site storyline, supported by a cast of actors working in specially designed sets.  

Characters are introduced and those on the course are able to see, first-hand, the causes – and effects – of a fictional, albeit plausible, accident on site.  

Working with the actors and their fellow participants, they are then invited to discuss the events that led to the accident and learn the importance of individual responsibility in keeping themselves and their colleagues safe on site. 

EPIC has evolved numerous times since its launch, with each iteration designed to reflect a change in the nature of the work on site.    

And now, as the nature of the work on the super sewer project changes again following the completion of tunnelling, the storyline on EPIC has evolved too.   

Rhoda Smith, HR Generalist on Tideway, said: “EPIC has been a huge success for Tideway, and with tens of thousands of people now enrolled, we can see and measure the positive impact this has had.  

“I’m really pleased to be launching this fourth and final storyline as we bring in new recruits to help us see this project to its conclusion in a few years’ time.” 

Previous storylines have focussed on preliminary works and other on-site challenges while ATT and Tideway also developed an induction especially for HGV drivers.  

With this new version, participants are led through a situation where decisions based on conflicting priorities, demands from management and poor communication lead to safety being catastrophically compromised. 

Earlier research from Loughborough University described EPIC as “an excellent example of Tideway’s ‘transformational’ approach to occupational health and safety, and has been very well received’ which provides important lessons for the construction industry and OSH practitioners in other sectors.

Analysis of feedback from 530 EPIC participants over a three-month period found responses overwhelmingly positive with people taking away three key lessons from the day: personal responsibility for safety; communication skills; and the importance of safety.