Gas Networks Ireland has been named as the winner in the ‘Utilities’ category at the Health & Safety Excellence Awards 2021. This latest award comes on the back of the gas utility achieving the major health and safety milestone of one million hours worked – the equivalent of 14 months – without a lost-time staff incident for the second time in the last two years, as well as achieving a multi accreditation from the National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI), retaining its five ISO standards – ISO 45001 Safety Management, ISO 55001 Asset Management, ISO 9001 Quality Management, ISO 14001 Environmental Management, and ISO 50001 Energy Management – a first of its kind, not only for Gas Networks Ireland but also a first for both Ireland and the NSAI.
It is the fourth safety related accolade for Gas Networks Ireland in the last year, having won the “Health and Safety Initiative of the Year” for its safety hazard reporting app at the Networks Awards, and the Esri Ireland “Sharing & Collaboration Customer Success Award” for its online Dial Before You Dig service, which provides information and maps on underground gas pipes enabling safe excavation works. The organisation was also shortlisted for the Institution of Gas Engineers and Managers (IGEM) and the Energy and the Utilities Alliance’s (EUA) Gas Industry “Safety Award” for its design safety management system.
Gas Networks Ireland’s Head of Health, Safety, Quality and Environment, Conor Ahern, welcomed the win;m“The way many people work has changed during the Covid-19 pandemic. While that has made some aspects of work safer, it has introduced other challenges and risks,” he said.
“Despite these new challenges, we continue to put safety at the heart of everything we do to ensure the safety of employees, service delivery partners and the public, whilst ensuring that vital gas supplies and key services remained uninterrupted.
“Winning these awards is an important validation for Gas Networks Ireland and a reflection of how we continually improve as a business, how we serve our customers, and is a testament to our employees.”
Gas Networks Ireland also promotes public safety through its gas escapes emergency service, carbon monoxide awareness, dial before your dig, meter tampering and using a registered gas installer campaigns.