CIF Safety Campaign 2024

As the CIF Safety Campaign 2024 comes to a close, it’s the perfect time to reflect on an impactful few weeks where Dornan highlighted the importance of safety in all its forms – both physical and mental. Whether working on-site or in the office, safety is a key part of our daily conversations. But campaigns like this give us a unique opportunity to refresh and re-energize our safety practices, presenting crucial information in a way that truly engages our teams.

At Dornan, we took full advantage of the CIF Safety Campaign, starting our activities a little earlier than the official launch date. Our kick-off on October 10th, aligned with World Mental Health Day and World Suicide Prevention Day, setting a strong tone with a series of mental health toolbox talks across all our sites and offices. Magda, our in-house Health and Wellbeing Advisor, led these discussions, reinforcing the critical message that maintaining mental health is just as important as physical safety – especially in the construction industry, which has a high suicide rate, particularly among men. The talks encouraged open conversations about mental wellbeing and highlighted the various support systems in place for our employees.

Throughout the campaign, we focused on raising awareness around some of our most critical risks, ensuring that our teams stayed engaged and educated. Each event was designed not just to inform but to excite, offering our employees a chance to experience something new.

Key Highlights of Our CIF Safety Campaign 2024

1. Stop Work Authority (SWA) Workshops
   We kicked off with SWA workshops, where our teams were empowered to take control of their safety by halting work when they spotted unsafe conditions or behaviours. The workshops provided hands-on training and feedback in recognising unsafe situations, reinforcing the importance of this safety protocol across all our projects.
2. Stop the Drop – NLG Tool Tether Demonstration
   Preventing falling objects is critical when working at height, one of the biggest risks in construction. We partnered with Never Let Go (NLG), where their team conducted an insightful demonstration on tool tethering systems. This initiative not only helped reduce risks but aligned perfectly with our own tool-tethering policy.
3. Road Safety: Tyre Checks
   During Irish Road Safety Week, we partnered up with Banks Tyres and Bridgestone to set up tyre safety checks at various office and site locations. Employees were invited to have their tyres examined for tread depth, damage, and proper inflation, reinforcing the importance of vehicle maintenance in preventing road accidents.
4. Lighthouse Club Visit
   Mental health took centre stage when the Lighthouse Club, a charity that supports construction workers, visited several of our sites over the course of the campaign. Their visits left a lasting impact on our crews and highlighted the importance of having mental health resources readily available.
5. CPR & Defibrillator Training
   To equip our teams with life-saving skills, we conducted CPR and defibrillator training across several of our offices and sites. These sessions, in partnership with the Irish Heart Foundation and Anderlift Safety Services, trained dozens of our employees on how to recognise and respond to cardiac emergencies, further emphasising our commitment to safety in all aspects of life.
6. IPAF MEWP Demonstration
   As part of our focus on working at height, we held numerous MEWP (Mobile Elevating Work Platforms) demonstrations by Damien O’Connor, Irish Country Manager of IPAF. These sessions gave our teams essential training on using these platforms safely. We were also honoured to welcome our very own, Joe Conway, Dornan’s Business Development Manager and CIF President and CIF Director for Safety, Education & Training Sean Downey to our final event.

Looking Ahead

The CIF Safety Campaign 2024 has been a fantastic opportunity to deepen our commitment to health, safety, and wellbeing. From critical risk workshops to mental health initiatives, the campaign allowed us to educate, engage, and empower our teams in new ways. Most importantly, it provided a platform to not only remind our people of the importance of safety but also to offer them the tools and knowledge to ensure their safety and wellbeing, every day.

Thank you to everyone who participated, attended, and helped organise these important events. We look forward to continuing this momentum and building on these initiatives in the months to come.