Health & Safety continues to be Suir Engineering’s number one priority and last November’s double success at the 2021 NISO (National Irish Safety Organisation) Health & Safety Awards certainly proved it.
Delivering Mechanical, Engineering and Instrumentation excellence since 1984, the Waterford-headquartered firm was delighted to achieve both the Highest Distinction and Consistent High Achiever Awards at the annual awards ceremony in Killarney. The Consistent High Achiever Award is presented to companies who have achieved a Distinction Award or greater over the previous five years.
These All-Ireland Occupational Safety Awards were established in 1992 with just 20 entries and have grown to become Ireland’s premier safety awards. The NISO Awards scheme recognises achievement in Health & Safety Management Systems, including practices such as leadership and workforce involvement. The awards are also a way of auditing company’s Health & Safety Management Systems and find out how well they’re performing against other companies within the construction sector.
The Award winners are published in The Sunday Business Post and other respected publications such as The Health & Safety Review. Winning a NISO Health & Safety Award underlines Suir Engineering’s commitment to Health & Safety, and also raises the company’s profile across the construction industry as it demonstrates its positive and proactive safety management culture.
To achieve a NISO Health & Safety Award, companies have to submit information and examples of how Health & Safety is managed on a day-to-day basis in the following areas: Health & Safety Management, Hazard Identification & Risk Management, Implementation and Operation of Health & Safety Policies and Procedures, Health & Safety Communication and Consultation, Proactive Health & Safety Management, Occupational Health & Hygiene, Workplace Health & Wellbeing, Health & Safety Training, Reactive Health & Safety Management, Emergency Preparedness and Response, and Work-Related Vehicle Safety, including Driving for Work.
As Suir Engineering’s Group EHS (Environmental Health & Safety) Manager, Colum Costello oversees a growing team of Health & Safety officers in Ireland, Denmark, Germany and Sweden who are committed to implementing a Health & Safety Management System of the highest standard.
“It’s front and centre,” he stresses.
“Health & Safety is one of Suir Engineering’s six critical success factors which is to ensure we are fully compliant with workplace Health & Safety legislation. We go above and beyond what our clients expect and these awards are great recognition for our company and our people.
“When I joined Suir Engineering as EHS Manager in 2019, I had a team of 27. It has since grown to 48 which demonstrates the management’s commitment to achieving the highest Health & Safety standards. Health & Safety is a fundamental part of our business and is something we are committed to investing heavily in with regard to people, systems and training.
“Our clients, who include some of the world’s leading pharmaceutical and tech companies, demand the highest level of safety and quality which we always deliver on. We’re very proud of our impeccable safety record.”
Suir Engineering also prides itself on its ability to attract talent and invest in their development. One of the apprenticeship / graduate programmes it has put in place is specifically geared towards nurturing and bringing through top-quality Health & Safety personnel.
“We have recently taken in five graduates and have plans to take in more,” Colum reveals.
“It’s all about getting the right people in and training them up. Our model of business is to do it the Suir way.
“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.”
He continues: “We’re currently on 36 sites across Ireland and Europe. If there’s an incident, it’s reported through Flex, which is our centralised management system. All our audits, training and subcontracting pre-qualifying is also done through Flex. It’s a central training register for our employees and is really paying dividends.”
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 ISO 45001 accreditation to add to its 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 matters 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 EDF Group of companies and with offices in Waterford, Citywest (Dublin), the UK, Sweden, Germany and Denmark, 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 1,200.
Key clients include Alexion, Amazon, Amgen, Amazon, Apple, Bausch & Lomb, Bristol Myers Squibb, Glaxo SmithKline, Intel, Janssen, Johnson & Johnson, Merck Millipore, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Microsoft, 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’.”
Suir Engineering
Waterford Office
Unit 9A,
Cleaboy Business Park,
Old Kilmeaden Road,
Waterford,
X91 PX 92.
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: +353 (0)51 359 500
Dublin Office
2005 Orchard Avenue,
Citywest Business Campus,
Dublin 24,
D24 N573
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: +353 (0)1 469 1850
Web: www.suireng.ie
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, April 2022, Vol 8 No 4
