A health and safety compliance specialist has completed a management restructure as part of plans to expand into Greater Manchester, create jobs and build a £5m business in five years.
Manchester entrepreneur Andy Fowler has taken an equity stake in Leeds-based OHS and will head up the management team alongside two other directors.
The move will provide the launchpad for expansion at the firm, which currently has an annual turnover of around £400,000. The plan is to recruit more staff in the coming months and grow revenues to £5m in five years by bolt-on acquisitions and winning work with schools, local authorities and building contractors.
The management team also wants to broaden its range of services to existing clients. Plans are in place to increase the provision of Legionella inspections and additional fire risk assessments.
OHS is well known in Yorkshire but wants to expand its geographical footprint in other parts of the country. The North West is particularly attractive to the company, which is currently seeking a base in the Greater Manchester area.
Andy Fowler, managing director of OHS, said: “We want to strengthen our presence across the North of England and we are well placed to do that. Greater Manchester and the wider North West has a vibrant built environment sector which needs the services that we provide and will be vital to the UK’s economic recovery after COVID-19.
“I’m delighted to be part of an ambitious, forward-looking management team with exciting growth plans. We’re investing in software platforms to streamline processes and further improve our data capture capability, and we’re opening a new lab which will enable us to analyse asbestos samples from buildings.
“We’ll still retain our site in Yorkshire as we have a loyal client base there, but we believe that the time is right to tap into the potential of other areas of the UK. This will allow us to create jobs as the company grows.”
OHS provides advice on all aspects of health, safety and environmental compliance, such as fire safety, occupational health and asbestos management – with a major focus on the latter.
