Back on his feet to rewrite safety rules after recovery: Rob Nutt’s story
For filling and loading manager Rob Nutt, working at Holcim has consisted of a career full of achievements. But not everything has gone smoothly. When he suffered a life-changing injury on the job, he decided to use his experience to create a team culture in which nothing is more important than safety.
Part of the furniture
Over 27 years, Rob has shown true commitment to progression, moving from apprentice to manager and all the while growing a team of skilled professionals around him.
In 1999, Rob became a manufacturing apprentice at Cauldon Cement Plant and completed a National Diploma and a Higher National Diploma in manufacturing engineering. Once he’d completed the four-year qualification, he filled the vacancy as shift process operator after his mentor decided to move position.
Rob said: “It was perfect timing, really. I finished my qualification and took over from my mentor while he transferred into a role as health and safety manager. He really looked after me throughout my apprenticeship, and I felt really grateful for the job because there were hardly ever any vacancies in the industry back then.
“I joined as a ship process operator and became deputy team coordinator, but I always liked the look of the packing plant during my time in the apprenticeship. Opportunities in that department rarely came up but, in 2007, there was a vacancy in the plant so I jumped at the chance to work in the team.”
Four years later, Rob became supervisor of the department and then moved into his role as manager after two more years.
“Nineteen years of my career have been in this department, so I’ve always been passionate about growing and learning as much as I can,” Rob said.
“The experience I’ve gained means I never ask any member of my team to do a job that I wouldn’t do myself. We’re a close-knit team and we all get stuck in – I genuinely think they do respect me for that.
“We have employee engagement surveys and I scored the highest as manager in 2025 out of the entire Holcim team. I also came top out of those working at Cauldon in the 2023 survey, which I’m really proud of.”
Rob’s dedication to his team has been unwavering since his early days at Holcim, but a terrible accident on site meant health and safety became a focal point for both him and his colleagues.
When routine turns into disaster
On a frosty October morning in 2016, Rob started his routine warehouse stock count as he did every day. After returning to his desk, Rob noticed a discrepancy in his figures, so he went back down to the warehouse floor to double-check.
“I was on the warehouse floor walking around as I’d done millions of times before and literally just two hours earlier,” Rob said.
“The forklifts were operating as they always did but, before I knew it, one of them reversed into me. These forklifts weigh 12 tonnes so when it hit my left leg, it took me down to the floor.
“I couldn’t really process what had happened and the operator didn’t realise what he’d done. It took another operator to alert him to the situation.”
As would be anybody’s reaction, Rob went to stand up and move out of the way. But an operator saw the state of his leg and shouted at him to stay on the floor.
Rob had broken his tibia and fibula and when he looked down, he could see his foot wasn’t facing the right way.
Rob said: “There was an emergency first-aid call and I was flown to Royal Stoke University Hospital in an air ambulance because there was a high chance I’d lose my leg.
“I was told I’d be having an hour-long operation that day to avoid my leg being amputated. They were going to put a metal rod into the middle of the bone and screw pins in to secure everything together. I chose to have an epidural so I just lay there and watched them work their magic on my leg!”
Life after injury
After three months of recovery and lots of walking with the family’s pet labrador, Roxy, Rob was back at work helping to improve health and safety around the site. He was involved in safety reviews, the implementation of new controls focused on pedestrian segregation in the warehouse and improving mobile plant interaction protocols.
The warehouse became a pedestrian-free zone with new routes, doors and barriers installed throughout the plant.
Rob said: “These changes reduced risks of similar incidents and raised safety standards around the plant. I like to use my experience to lead by example and grow a strong safety culture within my team.
“My team doesn’t just work safely when I’m around; they embed safety into everything they do, and that’s why I trust them. We now have health and safety training refreshers every three years, reflecting compliance and continuous improvement.”
Rob encourages team members to stop and think before undertaking any task, especially in working conditions that can change so quickly.
While physically Rob has recovered and is able to live a very active lifestyle outside of work, he’s keen to emphasise the emotional toll an injury can have on an individual.
“The mental side of accidents are rarely spoken about, which is why I encourage my team to speak with one another and myself if they’re struggling with anything,” Rob said.
“I operate an open-door policy and am always here to talk. We have nine mental health first aiders on site and as a company, we’ve come a long way in our work to improve and advocate mental wellbeing.”
Compliant, never complacent
Rob's recovery and return to life after his accident is a testament to his resilience and passion for his job and his team. Outside of work, Rob enjoys getting out on his jetski and walking with his family, not letting the past affect the future.
His story underlines his credibility as a true leader who has built a team on trust, empathy and understanding. They say that every cloud has a silver lining, and Rob’s story is proof that even in the darkest times, there is always light at the end of the tunnel – and even an opportunity to make work safer for others.
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