Suir Engineering continues to excel in the area of Health & Safety, and this was reflected in the awards it received in 2019.
Not for the first time, the leading electrical and mechanical service provider received a Higher Distinction Award at annual NISO / NISG All-Ireland Occupational Safety Awards which took place in the Galmont Hotel, Galway on October 11 last, while it also achieved a Gold Award for the Prevention of Accidents at the internationally-renowned RoSPA Health & Safety Awards a month earlier in Birmingham.
In addition, Suir Engineering was recognised by client Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD) for its exceptional quality standard to date on its project in Swords, Co. Dublin.
The NISO / NISG Awards were established nationally in 1992 with just 20 entries and have since grown to become Ireland’s premier safety awards. They became an All-Ireland affair when the Northern Ireland Safety Group (NISG) joined forced with the National Irish Safety Organisation (NISO) in 1995. There is huge prestige attached to winning a NISO / NISG Award which demonstrate the positive and proactive culture of safety management that exists within a business.
The RoSPA Health & Safety Awards are the UK equivalent of the NISO / NISG Awards, being the longest-running industry awards scheme in the UK. Receiving entries from organisations around the world, the RoSPA Awards recognise achievement in health and safety management systems, including practices such as leadership and workforce involvement.
Health & Safety has always been a priority for the Waterford-headquartered firm which is proud of its impeccable safety record. Having spent five years as Occupational Safety & Healthy Manager at Perth Airport in Australia, Colum Costello returned home to take up the role of Environmental Health & Safety Manager (EHS) at Suir Engineering last April. He oversees a team of 32 Health & Safety personnel in Ireland and Sweden who are committed to implementing a health and safety management system of the highest standard.
“We go above and beyond what our clients expect when it comes to health and safety, and these awards are great recognition for our company and our people,” Colum says.
“We have two regional EMS Managers who head up a team of 30 Health & Safety Managers, Advisors, Officers and Graduates. Edel Brennan is our EHS Manager for Dublin and Kieran Roche looks after the rest of Ireland and Sweden. We recently expanded into the Scandinavian market and are currently working on data centres for two global tech companies in Sweden.
“Health & Safety is a fundamental part of our business and is something Suir Engineering is committed to investing heavily in with regard to systems and training. Our clients, who include some of the world’s leading pharmaceutical and tech companies, demand the highest levels of safety and quality which we always deliver on.”
Colum continues: “Having an electrical background can be hugely beneficial when it comes to Health & Safety and that’s why we would encourage any electrician within the company to consider joining our EHS department. The opportunity and structures are there for them to move across if they so wish.
“We’re currently investing in a new electrical training centre at our Dublin office in Citywest which we hope to open in March. It’s going to a big asset and will enable us to train our electricians to the highest safety and quality standards. Outside contractors will also be able to avail of this facility.
“With 210 apprentice electricians in our business currently, the aim of the New Training Centre is to transition the apprentices from college into construction by taking what they have learn in college and putting it into practice in a safe training environment before they go out to a construction site.”
Through its extensive experience in the industry and four decades of service to leaders in business, Suir Engineering has earned a reputation for safe, efficient and cost-effective engineering services. Thanks to the efforts of its EHS team, the company was the first M&E Contractor in Ireland to achieve the new ISO 45001 accreditation to add to its current ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certification and is firmly committed to policies and procedures that guarantee the safety of its employees, clients, visitors and contractors. Suir Engineering’s pro-active approach to Health & Safety places emphasis on transparency, communication and the continual refinement of procedures and guidelines. Workplace safety is only possible if every member of an organisation is actively involved in the process.
On a management level, the firm’s Board of Directors are responsible for defining general Health & Safety strategies and for the allocation of funds and resources to essential programmes. They are also involved in effective communication across the organisation in all matter relating to Environmental, Health & Safety.
Suir Engineering values and trusts its employees and motivates them to take an active role in efforts to maintain and improve on workplace safety standards. A key aspect of this process is the provision of onsite training facilities and the distribution of up-to-date briefing documents throughout the organisation. This ensures that staff members are able to properly assess their surroundings, identify any potential hazards and promptly report any and all issues to supervisors and dedicated safety personnel.
Through this responsive process, Suir Engineering is able to devise strategies and solutions to newly-identified problems and incorporate these improvements into its Integrated Safety Plan. This ensures that Suir’s policies and guidelines are dynamic standards which accurately reflect the diverse conditions, challenges and requirements that it faces, without ever compromising on its commitment to providing a safe and secure working environment.
Part of the Imtech UK and Ireland Group of companies, Suir Engineering specialises in the delivery of electrical and mechanical installations and has a proven track record in the delivery of multi-million euro projects across Europe. The company is focused on developing its services within the data centre and pharmaceutical sectors and its recent expansion into the Scandinavian market has seen staff numbers jump to over 1,000.
Key clients include Alexion, Amgen, Bausch & Lomb, Bristol Myers Squibb, Glaxo SmithKline, Intel, Janssen, Johnson & Johnson, Merck Millipore, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Pfizer, Sanofi, SSE and West Pharmaceuticals.
“Our Suir Way 2022 Strategy is driving growth in the industries we are working in,” Colum explains.
“Our vision is to ‘succeed by delivering a better experience’. Some of our current projects here in Ireland include electrician installation packages for Merck Sharp & Dohme in Swords, Carlow, Tipperary and Cork, and mechanical works for Irish Water on their Ringsend wastewater treatment plant.”
Suir Engineering
Waterford Office
Unit 9A,
Cleaboy Business Park,
Old Kilmeaden Road,
Waterford
Suir Engineering
Dublin Office
Block A, Unit 12,
Orchard Business Centre,
Orchard Avenue,
Citywest Business Campus,
Dublin 24
Web: www.suireng.ie
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, February/March 2020, Vol 6 No 1
