Building Ireland Magazine/

MJ Conroy wins on the double

3 Dec , 2024

There was double delight for MJ Conroy Construction at the recent 2024 Irish Construction Excellence (ICE) Awards in Dublin’s Convention Centre when it triumphed in two categories – ‘Commercial (up to €20 million)’ and ‘Health, Safety & Wellbeing Initiative (T/O up to €100 million)’.

The accolades recognised MJ Conroy’s latest project for client GCID PorterShed – PortShed a Dó – in Market Street, Galway and the successful introduction of Hammertech Safety Software and Wellbeing Initiatives. They come on the back of the company’s success at the 2023 ICE Awards when it won a Judges’ Silver Award for outstanding renovation and repurposing of an existing building for PorterShed at nearby Bowling Green known as PorterShed a hAon.

Founded in 1993, the Irish Construction Excellence Awards are the original and premier recognition of performance excellence for the contracting sector in Ireland, and provide an opportunity for the industry to showcase and reward best practice across the full range of construction disciplines and project categories.

With offices in Ballinrobe, Co. Mayo (headquarters) and Galway, MJ Conroy Construction is a third-generation family business that has been trading for over 90 years. Patrick, Brendan and David Conroy are the directors of the company which specialises in industrial, pharmaceutical, ICT fitouts and refurbishments, and employs 30 people directly. A strong diversification and construction group with activities in the construction, property and agriculture industries, MJ Conroy’s success has been built on its ethos of collaboration and creation, and maintaining enduring relationships with national and international partners across its business network.

“We were delighted to win two awards which reflect well on everyone within our operation. We were also shortlisted in the ‘Fitout or Refurbishment (up to €10 million)’ category, so winning two of our three wasn’t bad,” director David Conroy enthuses.

“PortShed a Dó was our second project to successfully deliver for GCID PorterShed. We’re very pleased with the finished product and to have supported the creation of sustainable tech-based jobs in the heart of Galway City.

“MJ Conroy is a medium-sized construction company with a proud reputation for quality workmanship, attention to detail, value-for-money and a commitment to working closely with clients on every project. Repeat business has been the key to our success down the years and we’re fortunate to have some wonderful clients across a range of sectors, including AbbVie, Boston Scientific, Medtronic, Hewlett Packard, EA Games, Mazars, ATU and, of course, PorterShed.

“The company was set up 92 years ago by our grandfather Michael Conroy. He passed the business down to his sons George, Patrick and Brendan. Patrick and Brendan are still involved as directors along with the next generation which includes me and my brothers Cathal, Noel and Ronán as well as our cousins Brian and Sean. We employ a top-class team and many more skilled tradespeople on a subcontract basis.

“We also enjoy an excellent working relationship with our clients and our vetted, local suppliers who are key to sourcing materials for us. It’s a real team effort.”

MJ Conroy was immensely proud to continue its collaborative working relationship with PorterShed and the design team consisting of Steve Cunningham (Project Management), Cronin Architects, John Britton Consulting Engineers (Civil & Structural Engineering) and Bill Noone (Mechanical & Electrical Engineering) to once again work on the repurposing and adaptive reuse of an old building in the centre of Galway.

The transformation of the landmark Connacht Tribune building, known to all Galwegians, into PorterShed a Dó has added to the wonderful re-energisation of this part of the city centre along with the nearby PorterShed a hAon building, and cements PorterShed’s success in the Galway and the western region.

The purpose of the project was to provide a second co-working and collaborative tech hub-type workspace and talks venue in the heart of Galway. The building was to work effectively as an extension of the PorterShed a hAon building.

The vibrancy and energy that the end result has brought to the area by way of commerce, trade and entertainment spin-offs alone is something MJ Conroy is delighted to have played a central role in. The imagination and courage of the client to have the foresight and thinking to undertake this project is most commendable.

PorterShed a Dó was logistically a very challenging project for the Co. Mayo contractor to undertake. It was a textbook on how collaboration and pre-planning works on a project. It may not have been the biggest, but it was one of the most rewarding with collaboration being key from the client right through to the local community.

MJ Conroy’s pursuit of excellence in construction Health, Safety & Wellbeing is evident in the tangible results and positive feedback from employees and other stakeholders. The metrics displayed in the main contractor’s ICE Award submission showcased the success of its initiatives, emphasising the lasting impact on the overall health, safety and wellbeing of its workforce.

The company continues to innovate, focusing on the safety, health and wellbeing at all of its workplaces as well as instilling a positive safety culture in all that it does. Embracing innovative health, safety and wellbeing measures, including tech tools, has set MJ Conroy ahead of industry norms.

One such tool that has proven to be extremely successful is HammerTech, a safety management software which MJ Conroy H&S advisor Kieran Corr had used in Australia as a go-to system for safety construction. Empowered by MJ Conroy’s culture of ‘Work Safe, Home Safe’ and innovation, Kieran quickly identified HammerTech as a way to improve the safety program.

Current day norms for safety programs in Ireland include a heavy reliance on paper forms such as permits, manually copying training records to verify competence as part of the induction process, compiling monthly safety results by counting inspections and issues manually in excel, conducting plant and equipment inspections on paper. This approach is error-prone, time consuming, can cover up compliance gaps and limits the ability for companies to see and react to reoccurring safety issues and trends which can impact safety management and quality.

Kieran and David Conroy pitched a change management program to digitise all of MJ Conroy’s safety processes. Despite an exhaustive approach to find a local solution, they could not find one that covered all the processes in their safety management system. Not to be limited by norms in the Irish market, MJ Conroy wanted the best tool and partnered with HammerTech to bring the Australian software solution to Ireland.

Since implementing HammerTech 18 months ago, MJ Conroy has revolutionised its safety program to avoid manual paper-based processes, improved safety performance visibility while improving subcontractor and worker engagement with safety processes.

The benefits include:

· Expedient inductions with self-serve safety training (Safe Pass, Manual Handling, CSCS etc) capture and online induction videos saving up to 30 minutes per worker. This administration time is re-invested in project specific induction and training and active safety coaching on the ground.

· 100% paper-free workflows. Every safety process is digital including permits, Safe Plans of Action (SPAs), observations, audits and equipment inspections. Not only is this much more sustainable but information can be accessed and shared remotely from a mobile device (Smartphone/ Tablet).

“We were the first company in Ireland and the UK to use HammerTech safety management software,” David explains.

“We now use it day-in, day-out and HammerTech have even opened an office in the UK to cater for their growing customer-base in this part of the world. Kieran had used the system in Australia and recommended it to us. After trialling it, we knew it was the way to go. We’ve always placed a strong emphasis on health, safety and wellness in MJ Conroy, and are very proud of our impeccable safety record. We’re constantly training and engaging with staff to ensure everyone is on the same wavelength.

“We hold Safe-T-Cert and are also ISO 45001 accredited. We leave nothing to chance when it comes to health, safety and wellness,” concludes the affable Mayo man who would like to take this opportunity to thank MJ Conroy’s clients and suppliers for their continued support as well as their direct employees and subcontractors for their hard work, dedication and expertise.

MJ Conroy Construction

Head Office

Industrial Estate,

Kilmaine Road,

Ballinrobe,

Co. Mayo.

Galway Office

Second Floor,

Queensgate,

Dock Rock,

Galway.

Telephone: +353 (94) 952 1600