Cutting risk and promoting wellbeing showcased at the Health and Safety Excellence Awards 2024

More than 250 leading health and safety experts gathered at the Health and Safety Excellence Awards 2024 to showcase the best initiatives across a range of sectors.

In the past decade (2014-2023), Health and Safety Authority (HSA) records show a fall in the rate of fatalities per 100,000 workers in Ireland from 2.8 in 2014 to 1.6 in 2023. But with a blip up in the number of fatalities last year and some sectors still a higher risk, there’s no let-up in the safety agenda.

That’s what brought together the sector’s finest to the fourth annual awards, held in April at the Radisson Blu, Golden Hall, Dublin. The black-tie gala dinner was hosted by comedian, broadcaster and author Colm O’Regan.

The HSA says agriculture, forestry and fishing is the most dangerous industry sector with farming the top subset. Construction comes in a close second.

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That made the winner of the overall prize all the more commendable. The top award, the health and safety excellence grand prix, went to farmer-owned co-operative Tirlán, which also snapped up the health and safety excellence award for the food and beverage sector

The judges’ citation for this award said: “Our panel was impressed not only by the broad range of initiatives Tirlán had put in place but also by the very clear results that each one achieved. With marked improvements in health and safety and the significant impact these had on staff wellbeing, it should come as no surprise that this entrant has stolen the show.”

Tirlán’s head of health and safety, Tom Crosbie, said battling for better health and safety was non-stop. “Winning the Grand Prix award is a significant achievement and one that Tirlán is very proud of. The award is testament to our ongoing efforts to continuously improve our health and safety culture across Tirlán and highlights our commitment to zero harm, ensuring nothing we do is worth getting hurt for,” he said.

Coleman Yates, deputy managing director at the awards’ gold sponsor Bretland, explained why the awards were important. “At Bretland Construction, we support the Health and Safety Excellence Awards as they validate our commitment to safety, provide benchmarks against leading practices and enhance industry standards. Winning these awards not only highlights our efforts but also strengthens our connections throughout the industry,” he said.

The top individual award – the prestigious health and safety manager of the year – went to Stephanie Coyle, group health and safety manager at Adman Civil Projects, a construction firm based in Omagh, Co Tyrone.

The judges said: “Stephanie Coyle of Adman Civil Projects is recognised for her expert and impactful contributions to workplace safety. Her structured and evidence-based approach has quantifiably improved health and safety at her workplace, earning her high regard from both peers and management, while her initiatives continue to evolve and set benchmarks in the industry.”

Coyle said: “This award serves as motivation to strive for excellence in health and safety practices. Inspiring others and fostering a culture of safety is paramount to success in a construction industry that values the wellbeing of its workers above all else.”

Another gold sponsor of the awards was facility services firm ISS Ireland. Eric Doyle, managing director, said: “ISS continues to sponsor the Health and Safety Excellence Awards because of the great work highlighting measures being taken across businesses to work safely. As a company, we place huge emphasis on employee safety and culture, and these awards are a great chance to network and share our ethos, values and priorities.”

Long-standing awards judge Dr Conor Buggy, director of the University College Dublin (UCD) Centre for Safety and Health at Work, explained the high standards across the 68 entries received for the 15 awards.

“I have been judging the Health and Safety Excellence Awards since their inception and each year I have been more and more impressed by the innovation and creativity being poured into the applications.

“It is immensely positive to see this as we see how impressive best practice occupational safety and health can truly be to enable all types of organisations and businesses to flourish while keeping workers safe and well and able to get home to their families at the end of the day.

“This year I was excited by the work presented in the applications and I look forward to judging again next year.”

The Health and Safety Excellence Awards 2024 meant as much to the shortlisted firms as to the winners. David Fox is managing director of Sodexo Ireland, which was shortlisted for the health and safety team of the year award.

Fox said: “The health and safety of our colleagues, customers and our partners is a core value. These awards reflect the hard work and commitment of our teams in ensuring that the high standards required through our systems and processes are met every day.”

Speaking at the awards, Kevin O’Driscoll, director of partnership programmes at event organiser Business River, said: “Events like this are made possible through the support of sponsors. We are thankful to our 2024 sponsors and professional partners, which include ISS Ireland, Bretland, The O’Reilly Group and Skillko. Their investment in the awards underlines their commitment and support of this key business area.”

The Health and Safety Excellence Awards will be back in 2025.

Full list of judges

Mike Ahern, general manager, Wildlands
Rafael Bernardes, quality and continuous improvement manager, Dublin Bus
Elaine Bowers, senior EHS executive, Ibec
Conor Buggy, associate professor in occupational and environmental studies, director of the UCD Centre for Safety and Health at Work
Colm Byrne, safety, health & wellbeing manager, RTÉ
Alison Connolly, assistant professor, UCD
Aine Donovan, director of quality & risk, Centric Health
Stephen Doyle, corporate sales manager, City Electrical Factors
Patricia Ennis Gillen, health & safety consultant and trainer, TU Dublin (retired)
Shareleen Jansen van Vuuren, EHS manager, Tritech Group
Jennifer Lee, health and safety manager, ARYZTA
Kathy McDonald, EHS lead, Pfizer Ireland Pharmaceuticals (Newbridge)
Yvette Moffatt, health & safety manager, RCSI
Reddy Morley, head of rail safety & occupational health and safety, Transport Infrastructure Ireland
Jessica Rigley, principal occupational health & safety manager, BAM Ireland
Eddie Ronayne, safety, health and staff wellbeing adviser, Cork County Council
Julianne Shine, senior EHS specialist, Boston Scientific Clonmel
Penpatra Sripaiboonkij, programme coordinator, higher diploma in safety, Health and Wellbeing at Work