Safety Firsts In Wales
8 July 2010
Two major Costain projects in Wales have achieved premier safety
status.
The Costain A40 Penblewin to Slebech Park Improvement (or
Robeston Wathen by-pass) has recently passed a safety milestone
- 500,000 hours without a reportable accident and a zero
Accident Frequency Rate.
The Early Contractor Involvement project for The Welsh Assembly
Government commenced on site in the heart of Pembrokeshire in
February 2009, with just under five kilometres of "2+1" carriageway
to construct, 1.5km of side roads, four bridges, two underpasses,
10km of drainage pipe, 5 water treatment ponds, 250,000 m3 of
material excavated and 8,000 trees and shrubs to plant.
With so many disciplines and a whole range of construction
elements the planning and implementation is critical to ensure a
safe and healthy environment for the Costain team, which averages a
total workforce of 130.
Costain Project Manager, Mark Young, said: "The
entire staff and supply chain had shown a dedication to the
safe delivery of the project from day one, and I am extremely proud
of the dedication of all contributors to this achievement. The
support of the Client and his Agent has also been key to this
achievement."
The Welsh Assembly Project Engineer, Martyn Leech, commented:
"Reaching half a million man-hours of site work without a
reportable accident is a significant achievement and is testament
to the importance given by Costain to the safety of their workforce
on site. The target now will be to maintain this throughout the
remainder of the contract."
The Costain team working on the Dwr Cymru Welsh Water (DCWW)
framework has won the prestigious 'Occupational Health and Safety
Excellence Award' at the 4th annual DCWW Health and Safety Awards
held in Swansea.
In addition to this award, Project Manager, Mark Jones, was
Commended in the award category 'Outstanding Individual
Contribution to Health and Safety'.
John Madden, Framework Director for Costain said: "The whole
Costain team in north Wales is delighted to receive these awards
from Welsh Water. They recognise the team's contribution to Welsh
Water's drive to improve Health and Safety standards. It is
particularly pleasing that at the end of AMP4, Costain has been
recognised as the winner of the much coveted Excellence Award."
The Excellence award was judged by an independent panel of
assessors who commented:
"This was a comprehensive and focused presentation which clearly
demonstrated Costain's commitment to the overall development of its
health & safety management systems and resulting in
demonstrable improvement - there was a clear commitment to 'raise
the bar'. There was clear demonstration of leadership from the top
and evidence of focussed risk management initiatives relevant to
site challenges. These included initiatives such as health
promotion and safety critical medicals for selected high risk
operators, along with continued commitment to supervisor training
and behavioural safety initiatives. Additionally, the company has
innovatively undertaken a climate survey of its supply chain to
engage its sub contractors in the health and safety drive for
improvement."
Costain will receive a cheque for £2,500 from DCWW to be
presented to a charity or charities; Costain staff in north Wales
have been asked for suitable nominations.
Ends