Thirty-five years with one firm and not a single day off sick

A dedicated member of staff at a Wigan business has celebrated 35 years with the firm - without ever taking a day off sick!
Alan Catterall (right) with Phil Hemsworth, head of health and safety at HSSAlan Catterall (right) with Phil Hemsworth, head of health and safety at HSS
Alan Catterall (right) with Phil Hemsworth, head of health and safety at HSS

Alan Caterall started working for HSS Hire in 1981.

During his long career with the company he has worked for various different branches across the North West.

But he has never once taken a day off sick and has now been praised by bosses for his outstanding service.

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Fittingly, the 61-year-old now works as a health and safety advisor at HSS Hire’s Wigan branch.

His varied roles with the company has included stints at as branch manager at its Blackburn office, transport manager at Preston, area sales manager for the North West region, area manager for the North West region and district manager for the Manchester region.

During his time at HSS, Alan has witnessed HSS Hire grow and adapt with enormous pride.

The key changes, he recalls, is the technology available to customers and the number of products available at one time.

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Alan, from Chorley, said: “The last 35 years have flown by! One memory that sticks out for me is when I was working as a district manager at the Whitworth Street branch in Manchester.

“I was asked to visit a site and advise the customer on the type of paint spraying equipment they would require to paint a row of terraced houses pink.

“The site turned out to be Coronation Street’s red recreation ground, and true enough we supplied the equipment.

“I couldn’t have got this far without the support of my trusted team members and loyal customers, and I would like to send out a special thanks to them all.”

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Paul Lally, branch manager of the Wigan Wallgate branch, said: “I would like to say thank you to Alan who has worked tirelessly to look after our customers.

“The fact that Alan hasn’t had a day off sick reflects in the work he does, not letting anything stand in the way of his duties.

“Working at HSS Hire, there are no two days that are the same and Alan has done fantastically over the years to adapt and thrive in his varying roles and it is that mind-set that gives our customers the efficient, quality service they deserve.”

A recent survey showed two out of three employees go to work when they are feeling unwell and feel guilty if they take time off sick. The poll found most take one or two days off a year.