O’Keeffe Civil Ltd in Knockananna and Tinahely, Co. Wicklow continues to go from strength to strength by delivering high-quality groundworks and civil engineering projects on
time and within budget. From humble beginnings in 2006, the company has grown to employ over 50 staff and is engaged in many large-scale projects in the Dublin and Leinster areas.
Specialising in all aspects of earthworks, demolition, civil engineering, Substructure, plant hire, enabling / temporary works, bulk excavation and utilities, O’Keeffe Civil is fronted by Myles O’Keeffe and his wife Karen. Other key personnel are Martin Nash who is the Senior Quantity Surveyor and looks after the tendering and the commercial aspects on all projects. Bob Murphy, Contracts Manager, looks after the overall day-to-day running of all projects. They are all supported by a highly-skilled, experienced and dedicated team of Site Managers and Engineers, who complete projects that not only meet, but exceed customers’ expectations.
By placing a major emphasis on staff development and training, a top-class service is assured. All staff are trained in CSCS (machine tickets), manual handling, LUGS (locating underground services), First Aid, sign lighting and guarding, mobile scaffolding tower and confined spaces.
“We’re blessed with the team we have because good staff in this industry are hard to come by,” Myles says.
“Our staff has doubled in size in the last five years, while some of them have been with us since we started.”
As a contractor with a wealth of experience in the industry, Health & Safety and complete customer satisfaction is paramount. Myles was barely out of his teens when he started out as a sole trader 16 years ago. O’Keeffe Civil became a limited company in August 2014 and has since built up a stellar client list which includes main contractors and property developers such as Walls Construction, Kealy Construction, Park Developments, Earlsfort Homes, Structure Tone, Winterbrook, MKN Property Group Cairn Homes, McKelan Construction and Adston Construction. The groundworks and civil engineering expert prides itself on its strong relationship with clients, suppliers and associates.
Delivering challenging projects in the residential and commercial sectors, O’Keeffe Civil continues to lead the way in proficient project delivery. Regardless of the form of procurement, the contractor works closely with its clients to identify their needs and provide consistent leadership in its service. Clients are provided with dedicated teams who implement the company’s Health & Safety, environmental and economic sustainability policies in order to deliver complex and innovative projects across all sectors.
Site development encompasses sub-structure works, surface water sewers, road construction, foul sewers, utility services, land drainage, kerbing and paving. O’Keeffe Civil offers a wide range of enabling services for the most challenging of sites, including site set-up, remedial works, signage and hoarding, site investigations, service diversions, sheet piling, Kingpost system, structural steel propping and underpinning.
The company also covers all aspects of demolition, from internal strip-outs to complete demolition of multi-storey buildings. As well as providing method statements, O’Keeffe Civil ensures that the maximum volumes of materials are recycled in the most efficient manner. To this end, it holds waste collection permits for all of Ireland, including hazardous waste.
In addition, Myles has a wide array of plant and equipment to cater for any groundworks, civil or demolition project, including excavators, dumpers, tractors and dump trailers, rollers, compressors and compaction equipment.
“We have 20 diggers ranging from .75 tonne for indoor work and demolition to 35 tonnes. While most of our diggers are Hitachi and Yanmar, we also run Kobelco, Case and Doosan machines. We have four trucks – one artic and three rigids – and a low loader for moving plant from site to site.
“We try to keep our machinery as fresh as possible to eliminate possible breakdowns,” adds Myles, who is a suckler farmer in his spare time.
The Wicklow concern takes great pride in all the projects it undertakes, regardless of size. Current projects include bulk excavation and finishing works for 298 apartments at Clay Farm East Village, Leopardstown, Dublin 18 and for 160 apartments in Woodward Square, Leopardstown, Dublin 18 for Walls Construction; site works for 55 houses in Shankill, Dublin 18 for Earlsfort Homes; Demolition, site works, including new carparks, substructure, drainage and infrastructure for Frank Keane Motors in Sandyford, Dublin 18 for Kealy Construction; site works for a new car dealership in Airside, Swords for McKelan Construction.
“We try our best to do things right. We always go the extra mile and that leads to us getting a lot of repeat business and referrals.”
O’Keeffe Civil is a member of the Irish Plant Contractors Association (IPCA), which is a new trade association for the good of Irish plant owners, hirers and contractors, employing many thousands of skilled individuals. This contractor collective is widely recognised as being a significant entrepreneurial investor in plant and machinery.
Plant contractors pull on the supply chain that drives manufacturers’ output and distributor throughput, providing a platform for SME aftersales parts and service providers to ensure the industry can flourish.
“We joined the IPCA earlier this year as a sub-contractor in need of a new voice on issues such as soaring diesel costs, waste management and main contractors not paying on time and using sub-contractors to carry them,” Myles explains.
“The IPCA is also seeking to address labour shortages and the absence of an apprenticeship for groundworkers. Groundworkers are a very important part of any development. They’re first in and last off-site. For such a responsible and skilled job, it’s hard to believe that groundworks still isn’t a recognised trade.
“We need to entice young people into the trade. Otherwise, there will be no-one left to do this type of work in another 10 years.”
Myles would like to take this opportunity to thank his clients and suppliers for their continued support as well as his staff for their hard work, dedication and expertise.
O’Keeffe Civil Ltd
Knockananna,
Arklow,
Co. Wicklow
Telephone: 059 6472669
Mobile: 086 3570860
Email: myles@okeeffecivil.je / [email protected]
Web: www.okeeffecivil.com
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, September 2022, Vol 8 No 9
