Health and safety remains big priority at East Village
One million hours have been worked without a reportable accident, as work continues to transform the Olympic and Paralympic Village
Mike Cornelius and Gerry Murphy from the ODA congratulate workers on a significant health and safety milestone
The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) today reinforced its commitment to maintaining its strong health and safety record, as work continues at the site of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Village.
The ODA is working to transform the former athletes’ accommodation into the new neighbourhood of East Village, providing 2,818 new homes, including both affordable and market properties.
One million hours of work without a reportable accident have been achieved by the 1,200-strong construction workforce, and the ODA’s new management team visited the site to thank and congratulate the workers and contractor Lend Lease on this significant achievement.
ODA Director of Village and Commercial Mike Cornelius said: “Completing East Village is the final piece of the jigsaw for the ODA and we need to keep health and safety at the top of the agenda. The works taking place on the Village are creating a whole new neighbourhood for London, and our workforce can be proud that they are setting the highest standards in health and safety on this unique project.”
ODA Chief Operating Officer Gerry Murphy said: “We have achieved an excellent safety record on East Village so far through the commitment and hard work of everyone on the site. However, there are still challenges ahead of us as work ramps up over the spring and summer and we cannot afford any complacency. I encourage the teams on site to remain vigilant and continue with the excellent standard they have set so far not only in health and safety, but also in the quality of their work and environmental awareness.”
Lend Lease Project Director, Alan Bates said: “We are proud to be continuing our work here at East Village on behalf of the ODA and securing the first set of a million hours without a reportable accident. Lend Lease prides itself on promoting an incident and injury-free environment wherever we work, and this East Village milestone is testament to the efforts of the whole workforce.”
The safety standards set at East Village have beaten the average across all UK workplaces – even outside the construction industry.
The work at East Village to prepare the new homes includes the fitting of brand new kitchens, electrical works, plumbing, and landscaping. Partitions that created extra bedrooms for the athletes during the Games are being taken away, and first residents will start to move in late this summer.
The ODA has been working with Lend Lease and sub-contractors on site to promote the importance of health and safety, and initiatives have included:
- an on-site medical centre and health checks for every worker
- education and health promotion campaigns across the site
- a monthly awards scheme to recognise and celebrate individuals’ and teams’ performances
- Incident and injury free training