About
City Plumbing Supplies is a leading plumbing, heating, and bathroom supplier. With over 360 branches nationwide, the business serves trade and retail customers with everything from showers, radiators, and boilers, to cutting-edge air source heat pumps and renewable energy systems.
As the company expands into sustainable heating and electrification, it continues to prioritise the health and safety of its colleagues and customers across a diverse, fast-moving operation.
Challenge
City Plumbing had been using an ‘out of the box’ version of Notify for several years, primarily for reporting and recording incidents. While the foundation was solid, they wanted to expand their usage and leverage the early signs of increased engagement to roll out hazard and near miss reporting – to improve overall visibility and proactively manage risk.
With branches of all shapes and sizes, and a workforce spread across the UK, achieving consistent reporting of all incidents and a deeper understanding of trends was a key priority.
“It’s easy to report an accident because we all understand the importance. But what we wanted to see was more hazard identification and near-miss reporting” explains Natalie.
“I didn’t just want an electronic accident book – I needed something more. Something that gave us the data to help shape our safety strategy for the next three to five years, so I can see what’s really happening, without having to send multiple safety managers to every site.”
Solution
When City Plumbing became independent from Travis Perkins, it created the perfect opportunity to develop a standalone, branded version of Notify – one that could scale with the business and engage every colleague, from warehouse operators to forklift drivers, in taking ownership of safety.
The intuitive mobile app gave every employee the ability to report incidents and observations at any time, ensuring real-time visibility, with notifications automatically sent to the right people to enable faster follow up and quicker risk mitigation.
The team at City Plumbing has expanded Notify’s use beyond core safety reporting, leveraging its flexibility to create, manage, and complete:
- Risk assessments
- Audits and inspections
- Compliance checks
“With Notify, I can now see the whole 360 of the business. It ensures we’re 100% compliant and gives us full central visibility.”
Onboarding
City Plumbing’s Notify onboarding process coincided with significant business change – including data migration from Travis Perkins and the onboarding of new brands, Select Plumbworld and Plumbwell.
Despite the complexity, Natalie described the experience as “really, really good.”
“We had weekly updates with Donna, working through a live to-do list, and if anything came up, it was resolved within five working days. Also, the honesty was refreshing. I always knew what was achievable and by when, which helped me manage my stakeholders.”
Natalie was also impressed with Paul at Notify, who handled the contracts. She praised his transparency and noted that she never felt oversold or overpromised.
Since implementation, Notify has continued to act on feedback from the City Plumbing team, adding new functionality based on their suggestions – fostering a genuinely collaborative relationship.
Results
City Plumbing has seen measurable improvements across key safety and operational areas, supported by stronger data, visibility, and engagement.
Manual handling:
- 75% reduction in manual handling incidents in the past year
- Strategic decisions now backed by clear, data-led evidence
“Manual handling was our highest risk for three years. Notify gave us the data to put the business case forward to invest in this area.”
Fleet safety:
- 25% reduction in vehicle accidents over 18 months
- Reduction in incidents has contributed to lower insurance premiums
Wider business adoption:
- Multiple departments beyond safety now using the system
- Operators across the business confidently using Notify every day