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Client
Anglian Water
Domain
Energy & Utilities
Service
Research & Service Design
Date
Sept 2025
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Transforming safety culture at scale through digital innovation

What kept them up at night:

Creating meaningful change in health, safety and wellbeing across a large organisation such as
Anglian Water requires the right tools and approach.

We needed to reach over 700 managers across all business units with a solution that would genuinely transform how they engaged with their teams on health, safety and wellbeing. This wasn't just about upgrading technology—it was about changing behaviours, driving accountability, and creating the foundation for our "Safer Every Day" vision.

Specifically, the app needed to cater for a wide range of user scenarios and needs; it had to encourage a more engaged and accountable approach to H&S; and because the existing app had to be retired there were tight timelines to launch. Getting these aspects right, alongside ensuring technical stability, was key to success.

How we helped:

We embraced a user-centred design philosophy that put our managers' needs front and centre. We recognised that successful digital transformation happens when you bring people along on the journey, not when you simply impose new technology upon them.


Our collaborative approach included:

  • Evidence-led feature prioritisation - We focused on what would genuinely encourage 
    continued use rather than building everything we could
  • Continuous engagement - Through sprint reviews, "show and tells," and a pilot with over 
    100 stakeholders, we maximised value from day one
  • Comprehensive change management - From dedicated intranet pages to video guides 
    and feedback webinars, we ensured everyone felt supported through the transition

The breakthrough came when we dramatically simplified the experience. Over a hundred complex forms became just eight focused questions, making active management sessions more efficient and meaningful. We didn't just digitise the old process—we reimagined it entirely.

Transforming safety culture at scale through digital innovation.png

The difference it made:

The results speak to the power of putting users first and thinking strategically about digital
transformation:

Immediate Performance Gains:
  • 10% increase in Active Management submissions per month within two months of launch
  • 20% improvement in user satisfaction scores compared to the previous system
  • Over 1,000 unique submissions and 900 unique logins since launch
  • Average satisfaction score of 7.28 out of 10—a 2-point improvement
Strategic Benefits:
  • Enhanced relationships: Line managers report more engaging, two-way dialogues with their teams
  • Greater accountability: Cross-business visibility drives ownership of health and safety outcomes
  • Future-ready foundation: The platform enables intelligent interventions by combining Active Management data with other sources to predict and prevent incidents
The Active Management app has become a catalyst for changing how we think about health, safety and wellbeing across the organisation.

This isn't just about an app—it's about creating the conditions where safety conversations become natural, accountability becomes embedded, and our "Safer Every Day" vision becomes reality for everyone.

Well done to the team for delivering an app which has had very positive engagement so far.

Michelle Gale Group Safety Strategy Manager

Learn more

Our work in Energy & Water extends beyond this project. If you’re interested in hearing more about our wider experience, please get in touch.