When you have ‘High Risk’ in your job title, you know what you do has to be taken seriously.
And as a High Risk Supervisor working at our South Bank site, that’s exactly what Paul Dales does.
Paul’s role is to ensure that all the correct procedures are being followed in relation to food safety and hygiene. And when you consider how much food we produce and how many millions of people eat it across the UK, then, yes, high risk is definitely the correct name for his job.
One of Paul’s jobs is to ensure that our food does not become contaminated. One of the ways he does this is by using a metal detector. No, we are not talking here about the devices you see people using in beaches to find buried treasure, but a piece of equipment which more closely resembles an airport scanner.
He explains: “What the scanner is looking for are foreign bodies, so in the very worst case, this may be a bolt that has come free from a piece of machinery that has found its way into a food mix.
“Thankfully, because we have such rigorous procedures in place here, that has never happened, but you always need to be alert and prepared.
“Generally, my role involves ensuring the products we make are done to the correct specification of our customers.”
Paul has been with SK for 17 years, starting as a line operator and progressing through the company.
He adds: “It’s a very different company to how it was when I first started. Then, we only had a few packing lines and now, especially as we prepare for Christmas we are running 12.
“We are good at adjusting and adapting and we bend over backwards to ensure our customers are happy. Not every business would be able to say that.”
Paul is also the Mr Fixer at South Bank, whether that’s organising pool nights or games of football.
He says: “There’s a good group of people here. We like to socialise and it’s like being part of a family.”
About Neil Shaefer
Marketing & Communications Executive of SK Foods.
Your food. Our Passion.
