Construction Safety Week 2019 ran from Monday 21^st October to Friday 25^th October.  This annual event is an opportunity to reflect on all aspects of health and safety and to promote its importance throughout the industry. It provides a platform to share best practices and to work together to strengthen the industry’s safety culture. The CIF Safety and Health Sub Committee to the Executive Body identified five key topics which were recommended to focus on during Construction Safety Week. These are Mental Health and Wellbeing in Construction, Working Safely with Electricity, Working Safely at Height, Vehicle Risk & Safety in Lifting Operations and Working Safely with Hazardous Substances.

We booked the company Theatre at work to perform the workshop Fallout on a number of sites to promote Working Safely at Heights. Through live interaction and facilitated discussion this workshop focused on choices and the influence of planning and contractor dynamics on risk awareness and safe practices. It also allowed participants to examine their own role in influencing a culture of safety through effective safety conversations.

We had talks from Kevin McManamon, senior Dublin Footballer and sport psychology consultant, as well as from Pieta House, a resource we have used many times in the past and Mick O’Connor visited our Biomarin site covering the topic “A thought Provoking Insight into the Psychology of Human Behaviour”.  We hold these types of talks regularly as it’s important to open a dialogue and create a safe space where mental health issues can be discussed.

Other events included SafetyCare discussing High Voltage PPE at the National Rehabilitation Hospital (NRH), talks on Working Safely with Electricity at Limerick Prison, Cumberland House and Tine, as well as a presentation by Richard Lyons on ATEX Safety and Hazardous Installations at Pfizer Ringaskiddy. All of that is in addition to daily Tool Box Talks across all of our projects.

While CIF Construction Safety Week shines an important spotlight on safety, we ensure we maintain this focus all year round. Some of the events we have held already this year include talks from the RSA and the Garda Traffic Corp as well as our annual corporate safety seminar which featured Kay Baxter from Health & Safety Authority and Gerry Duffy, a professional speaker in Personal Development, Goal Motivation and Leadership.

Here in Jones Engineering we have long held safety as our number one value. Priorities can change, values do not. With almost 130 years in business, a safety track record like ours doesn’t happen by accident.