Each year Golder recognizes excellence in health, safety, security or environment (HSSE) behaviors by selecting an individual or team that best illustrates our health and safety culture and our values. The program recognizes those who lead by example in proactive measures, responsive measures and care for our future.
Nominations for recognition spanned the globe, demonstrating that while our communities, regulations, and work may have local differences, we have a common goal in safety. With entries from Australia, Canada, China, Italy, New Zealand, and the US, safety unites us all in a common imperative and as such we continually strive to improve.
Proactive Measures Category
Proactive measures are typically a comprehensive program that identified and controlled foreseeable risks and that can be used across the company. This implies the development, implementation, and post-activity assessment of controls designed to ensure the health, safety, and security of our people and others, and protection of the environment, while undertaking our work.
WINNING TEAM
Ivan Kwan, Technical Director (Environmental) (Perth);
Deborah Noblett, Project Manager (Perth);
David Barrett, Package Manager (Perth);
Karly Clark, Package Manager (Environmental) (Perth);
Jack Tagg, Geotechnical Engineer (Perth);
Anton Hamp, Geotechnical Engineer (Perth);
Michael Wade, Geotechnical Engineer (Perth);
Hannah O’Brien, Engineering Geologist (Perth);
Chris Hill, Health, Safety and Environmental Advisor (Perth);
Sirena Ikink, Project Accountant (Perth);
Sophie Biagioni, Project Administrator (Perth)
The project team collaborated to deliver a large-scale transportation project with over 5,480 labor hours, 26 subcontractors, and 300 sites – all with zero incidents. These outcomes could not have been achieved without a strong focus on HSSE during all stages of the project life cycle.
The project team involved a large, collaborative, multi-disciplinary team, several subcontractors, and multiple stakeholders. The project was logistically challenging with three separate project areas, each with their own site-specific risks, management of subcontractors and a sub-consultant, and a tight schedule to adhere to. The project team actively encouraged senior employees to visit the project to identify opportunities for improvement and mentor the site team; eight were completed over the course of the project. In excess of 40 learnings were shared with no reportable injuries over the duration of the project.
Responsive Measures Category
Exemplary actions taken by employees, in the course of work-related activities, to respond to events that were unforeseen, and might have endangered, or were endangering, the health, safety, security of our people and others, or the environment, regardless of the cause.
WINNING TEAM
Biswajit Nandi, Geotechnical Field Technician (Markham);
Rafael Abdulla, PM, Geotechnical Engineer (Markham);
Andrew Hagner, PD, Senior Geotechnical Engineer (Whitby)
The field team averted a potential disaster when recognizing, reporting, and rectifying an issue with a crane footing undermined by flooding.
The project team took action when there was potential for failure of a large crane a worksite. The unforeseen crane footing failure was caused by accidental flooding of an excavation. The team took quick action and provided a detailed report with clear and precise instructions to the client, allowing the client to make the safe decision to dismantle the crane and abandon the crane pad, despite the financial implications and impact on scheduling it would have on the project.
Care for Our Future Category
Highlights actions, in the course of work-related activities, from an individual or a team demonstrating overall care through significant investment in mentoring, coaching and instruction (distinct from company-sponsored training) for our new or young colleagues or subcontractors, in the area of health, safety, security and the environment.
WINNER
Jay Holmes, Environmental Scientist (Sydney)
Jay recognized the need for additional training for a team conducting gas monitoring on a busy construction site and regularly demonstrates a proactive approach to HSSE mentorship and responsibility.
Jay manages the routine daily gas monitoring at an active construction site and presents significant risks associated with mobile and heavy plant and regularly changing site conditions. Recognizing that despite our training and process, her team members may need additional support to make good decisions in the face of these risks, Jay took on the responsibility to train new field staff and help them understand and control the risks in this environment. She regularly checks in on her team and ensures they are asking questions and feel empowered to cease work if they are uncomfortable with the situation on site.
Jay sets a great example for others also. When she identified a gap in a client’s procedures for work in public areas adjacent to roadways, she alerted the client to this and was instrumental in updating our own approach and documentation to ensure the team managed the risk effectively. Jay’s actions are not limited to the Golder team, as she also demonstrates caring for the safety of site contractors. An excellent example of this is when she alerted contractors working for another party on site to the unsafe storage of large steel drums on the top of a batter slope without adequate restraining measures.
Jay is an active member of the Professional Development Group and was a visible supporter of the recent APAC Environment Shutdown, passionately leading part of the session. It was clear from her presentation that she deeply cares for the environment and proactively supports efforts we are taking to reduce our impact. Jay is consistent in her communication with the HSSE team, actively seeking advice and consultation between field staff, HSSE team and subject matter experts.
