Caswellsgroup Blog

11/10/2023Copy

Teesside firm pushes for better PPE for women


Family-owned Teesside-based Caswells Group which employs over 100 people has launched a campaign to encourage employers to provide PPE specifically designed for female staff, rather than taking the traditional approach of ‘just moving a size down’ in men’s ranges.


Founded in 1972, Caswells Group has spent 50 years supplying businesses across the country with PPE, janitorial, safety and hose/hydraulic supplies, and has long been aware of the limitations caused by women wearing male PPE such as sleeves being too long, the trouser crotch hanging down making climbing and moving difficult, and no accommodation for chest and waist differences.


Peter McLean, business development manager said: “Equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) is, rightly, high on the agenda for businesses and this should apply to the likes of safety workwear, too. We work with suppliers who manufacture PPE which is designed with the female form in mind, meaning that our customers can provide a more tailored workwear offering to keep staff comfortable, safe and able to work at their best.


“We’re reaching out to our customers to encourage them to consider these ranges as well as actively promoting them via our marketing channels, to help raise awareness and highlight the importance of ensuring that EDI is addressed in an area which could easily be overlooked; comfort and practicality shouldn’t be limited by gender.”


Research conducted in 2022* shows that women make up 16.5 per cent of all UK engineers, and females represent 23 per cent of the construction and utilities workforce, but there is a target in place to grow these figures to at least 30 per cent by 2030.


Lynsey Duthie, HSEQ Advisor at Altrad said: “PPE for women has always been an issue, something I have noticed perhaps more than most as I am very petite. I’ve had to cut and stitch it in the past in my own time to make it fit, I’ve had to apply duct tape to my wrists to prevent snagging risks and mentally, it’s exhausting moving around site while constantly pulling up and readjusting your workwear and trying to get your day’s tasks done.


“I’m new to Altrad who immediately understood the issues I faced and recommended Caswells, putting me in touch with Peter. From start to finish, the entire process was so professional. For the first time, I was asked about my measurements so that clothing that would actually fit could be sourced – Peter went out of his way to help me and even delivered directly while he was in the area, following up to check that everything was right afterwards too.


“We need more companies to be forward thinking like this, listening to the people who are ‘boots on the ground’ so that we can ensure people of any gender have access to what they need.”


Caswells’ own workforce is more diverse than industry standard, with a 66/34 split of male to female staff, and the sales office is headed up by recently promoted Jessica Hodgson.


Caswells supports many local charities including Butterwick Hospice and The Moses Project, and made numerous donations of PPE and sanitising products to causes and local hospitals during the Covid19 pandemic. It is also the UK distributor for Pal International food hygiene workwear.

17/04/2023Copy

Teesside-based Caswells Group celebrated half a century in business in 2022 and has now acquired another 50-year-old Teesside business – adding to its team and product offering in the process.


Founded in 1962, Caswells Group has spent 50 years supplying businesses across the country with PPE, janitorial, safety and hose/hydraulic supplies, including household names such as Nestle, and has acquired Jarred’s Office Supplies for an undisclosed sum.


Gene Jarred and his wife Lily originally opened Jarred’s with a £132 redundancy cheque and a purchase order from Middlesbrough Council, supplying duplicating machines (pre-photocopiers) and paper stock, before adding office stationery, furniture and machines (electronic typewriters and photocopiers) to its offering. The company earned an enviable reputation as a leading one stop source for all office and stationery supplies.


Commercial Director at Caswells, Paul Murphy explains: “Owners on both sides have known each other socially from the beginning and traded with each other. We had been seeking an acquisition in this field for some time to further enhance our offering to our customers, so when the opportunity arose to combine Jarred’s’ product portfolio and links with one of Europe’s largest stationery supplies buying groups, we knew it was a great opportunity.”


The acquisition offers the potential for customers to take advantage of greater single sourcing opportunities which can lead to simpler operations and reduced costs, with Jarred’s now being operated from Caswells’ site on Cowpen Industrial Estate in Billingham. It also has the potential to create another 10-or-more jobs here on Teesside over the next 18 months.


Joanne Dougherty, sales manager at Jarred’s Office Supplies, part of Caswells Group, said: “It’s been a great move to become part of Caswells, not just for customers of both businesses but also for staff – after 50 successful years we are now able to enjoy being part of a larger business which offers opportunities for skills and career development in other areas, meaning our people can enjoy an exciting future with a business sharing our own ethos.” 


Caswells supports many local charities including Butterwick Hospice and The Moses Project, and made numerous donations of PPE and sanitising products to causes and local hospitals during the Covid19 pandemic.

30/03/2022Copy

The Workplace After Self-Isolation


As the legal requirement to self-isolate has come to an end, personal responsibility and workplace hygiene will be more important than ever. In order to reduce the spread of COVID-19, and ensure that your staff are comfortable and safe at work, there are a range of protective measures that your business should consider taking.


Firstly, respiratory protection can be a useful and practical measure in protecting your workforce from the ongoing pandemic. Whilst the legal requirements around face coverings have changed, giving staff the option to wear them can ensure that returning to the premises after working from home is less daunting or concerning. From surgical masks to particulate respirators, we provide a wide range of masks that can help to keep your workplace running smoothly, and your staff protected.


Providing hand sanitiser and antibacterial wipes is another step that businesses can take to protect their workforce. By ensuring that there is frequent access to these materials throughout the workplace (which, of course, means careful monitoring to ensure that supplies are not running low), you can encourage your staff to actively maintain a sanitary work environment.


After minimising the risk of direct transmission between colleagues, workplaces should also consider their hygiene management. Increasing the frequency of regularly scheduled cleaning is a sensible provision, as is ensuring that the cleaning products used in your workplace are suitable disinfectants. Depending on the size and requirements of your premises, Caswells can supply 5-litre bottles of dilutable disinfectant solution, smaller spray bottles, and various sized containers of disinfectant wipes.


You can browse our full range of PPE and cleaning supplies here - if you have any queries, please contact our team.

07/03/2022Copy

The Importance of Branding Workwear


At Caswells, we supply and customise a huge range of workwear, and we understand the importance of a smart and specialised team aesthetic. There are many benefits to branding your uniforms and professional garments, particularly when sourced from a comprehensive in-house design and origination service like ours. In this blog, we want to talk about some of the most important benefits of branded workwear.


When you stop to consider how many employees you have, and how many people each of them comes into contact with every day… that’s a lot of potential marketing! Branded workwear is quite literally a walking advertisement for your business and services, and can allow you to reach new customers that may otherwise have never heard of you. Of course, for this to be effective, the quality of the garments must reflect the integrity of your products and practises.


Caswells have invested in state-of-the-art embroidery machines, meaning that workwear ordered from us is guaranteed to be outstanding quality. We are also able to supply badges individually, or applied to the garments of your choice, giving you a further degree of stylistic freedom. With a rapid and efficient turnaround, we will have your workforce kitted out in the uniform of your choice as quickly as possible. Some of our garments are also able to be altered to fit, or even made to measure, ensuring that we can accommodate your specific needs.


We are also able to offer a range of professional standard work clothing, including breathable materials, anti-static, fire resistant, and chemical resistant items. Whichever sector you work in, we can customise garments to suit you. Bringing your team together with a cohesive look can be the finishing touch for any brand— to talk about how Caswells can support yours, please contact us.

04/03/2022Copy

Despite the name, our trade shop is open to the public from 8am until 5pm Monday to Friday.

With access to our entire stock supply, and with knowledgeable and experienced team members to assist, it's your one-stop site supplies shop!

Find us on Lagonda Road in Billingham, TS23 4JA

#Caswells #TradeShop #OpenToAll #SiteSupplies

03/03/2022Copy

Now that isolation is no longer required, and with many showing no symptoms, it could prove more important than ever to keep on top of the sanitising of hands, door handles, taps, handrails and other high-touch areas. https://lnkd.in/e2iV7AV

#Caswells #CleaningProducts #Sanitising #Cleaning

03/03/2022Copy

Public washrooms can contain 500,000 bacterial cells after just a single hour of use. These cells include streptococcus, E-coli and campylobacter which can make us ill if we come into contact with them.

Protect yourself and your washroom with Jangro Ltd’s ntrl washroom products, designed to provide a deep clean, and the probiotic washroom cleaner will continue protecting those surfaces long after you’ve finished cleaning.

https://lnkd.in/dX24zAWk

#caswells #ntrl #sustainable #sustainablecleaning #bathroomcleaning

02/03/2022Copy

If you work in the foodservice or manufacturing industry, these Pal International TX Alcohol Surface Disinfectant Wipes are handy to have around!

The wipes disinfect and clean surfaces without leaving chemical residues.
https://lnkd.in/d3aRwNrH

#Caswells #CleaningWipes #WetWipes #FoodService #Manufacturing

01/03/2022Copy

Happy birthday Angela! 🎂

#Caswells #MeetTheTeam #SiteSupplies #Teesside

28/02/2022Copy

Looking for safety helmets with your logo or slogan on? You've come to the right place. Choose up to 4 colours (which we can Pantone-match), and a variety of logo locations to make your design stand out from every angle. Call us on 01642 379600 to discuss your requirements.

#Caswells #PadPrinting #Personalisation #PPE

23/02/2022Copy

According to the British Heart Foundation, for every minute it takes for the defibrillator to reach someone and deliver a shock, their chances of survival reduce by up to 10% - that's one of the reasons we have defibrillators on site!

#Caswells #Safety #HealthAndSafety #Defibrillators

22/02/2022Copy

Whilst we also supply lots of specialist equipment, sometimes it's the simplest of things going missing that can hold a job up. https://bit.ly/3HeIsc2

#Caswells #SiteSupplies #Tools #Equipment