The 2015 National Irish Safety Organisation (NISO) Awards were held on October 2, 2015, in Galway and for the 12th year running, Limerick based civil engineering company Roadbridge was listed among the winners. The All Ireland Occupational Safety Awards were established nationally in 1992 with 20 entries and have grown to become Ireland’s premier safety awards. The awards truly became an all-Ireland affair when the Northern Ireland Safety Group (NISG) joined forces with the National Irish Safety Organisation (NISO) in 1995. To date, more than 1,900 entries have been received. The awards offer an opportunity to showcase the health and safety performance of a business. Winning a NISO/NISG award demonstrates the positive and proactive culture of safety management that exists within an organisation. Roadbridge is one of the top 10 construction companies in Ireland and specialises in civil engineering in the construction of motorways, wind farms, gas pipelines and site developments.  Currently, the company is working on some of the largest projects in Ireland, such as the N17/N18 Gort to Tuam PPP scheme and the Galway Wind Park, which will be the largest wind farm in Ireland once completed. The company has also recently completed work on the Grangegorman DIT Campus in Dublin. The submission prepared by Roadbridge was successful in winning the Regional Award (Midwest), as well as being presented with a Consistent High Achiever Award, in recognition of its ongoing commitment to high levels of safety performance. [caption id="attachment_25498" align="alignright" width="300"] NISO award certificates for 2015[/caption] For the first time this year, Roadbridge also prepared a site-specific submission for the works undertaken on the Corrib onshore pipeline in Co Mayo. The Roadbridge Corrib onshore pipeline project team were also awarded with a distinction for their excellent submission.   Roadbridge’s association with these awards stretches back to 2003 and in 2005; the company became the first construction organisation to be awarded the Supreme Award for Health & Safety. A full list of the awards received to date can be found here.

NISO Awards
2015 Regional Award & Consistent High Achiever
2014 Consistent High Achiever
2013 Construction Civil Award
2012 President’s Award
2011 Civil Engineering Award
2010 Regional Award
2009 Distinction
2008 Platinum Award
2007 Gold Award
2006 Gold Award
2005 Supreme Award
2004 Highly Commended
2003 Highly Commended
The safety department at Roadbridge looks forward to continuing its association with these awards, as well as looking to expand into similar UK-based award schemes over the coming year. The recognition that a NISO award brings to a company cannot be underestimated, as it demonstrates to potential customers that this is a company that cares about its workforce and is willing to invest in its people. Central to the approach of Roadbridge to safety management is certification to the internationally recognised Safety Management Standard OHSAS 18001, which Roadbridge has held since 2004 through EQA (Ireland) Limited. Roadbridge operates an Integrated Management System (IMS) that is certified not only to OHSAS 18001, but also to ISO 9001 (Quality Management) and to ISO 14001 (Environmental Management). Through this IMS, each new project can begin with a system in place for the management of the project across all aspects, using standard forms and templates, which are adapted to the specific requirements of each work site. [caption id="attachment_25499" align="alignright" width="300"] Weekly plant safety checklists[/caption] The site workforce are involved in all aspects of health and safety through daily pre-task talks, where the potential hazards are discussed and through ongoing training in plant operation, traffic management, safe pass, etc. Effective employee engagement is also encouraged through safety incentive schemes on projects, where safety observations made by the workforce are rewarded with prizes. [caption id="attachment_25500" align="alignright" width="300"] Presentation of training certificates on site[/caption] [caption id="attachment_25501" align="alignright" width="300"]aaaabe-3 Safety Incentive Scheme Winner receiving €50 Voucher from project manager[/caption] While working on the Corrib Gas Terminal project, the Roadbridge Safety Team also developed a Behavioural Safety System called Safety Conversations and Agreements (SCA) and this system has been implemented across all sites. Roadbridge empowers and encourages its workforce in taking ownership of work areas and preventing unsafe acts and situations through positive peer pressure and interaction with colleagues for the benefit of all.