Northern Grid Alliance project steals the show
22 August 2011
L to R: Matt Pryor (design engineer), Ian Ditchfield (project manager), Steve Notman (health & safety manager), Jeremy Broad (design manager), Selina Corboy (communications advisor), Matt Copland (design engineer), Raewyn Rae (health & safety officer)
The Northern Grid Alliance scooped the prestigious national Transpower STAR Awards, claiming the coveted overall Top Project and Best Safety by Design for monopole engineering.
Project Manager Ian Ditchfield, says receiving these awards with the high calibre of competition, reinforces the exemplary approach to Safety in the Alliance.
“To consistently maintain the culture and safety record on a project this size, with all its complexity is outstanding,” he said.
“For our project to be acknowledged with a win like this is hugely rewarding. Safety is engrained into everything we do and we’re constantly challenging the norms in design, work methods and implementing change.”
The Northern Grid Alliance team, comprising Belfour Beatty United Group JV and Transpower, is responsible for one of the largest infrastructure projects in New Zealand since the 1960s.
The statistics are stunning: 426 400kV towers to be erected on over 300 landowners’ properties, each tower weighing up to 60 tonnes and the height of a 15-storey building, 460 towers to be dismantled and removed, 350 employees and subcontractors, 10,000 average kilometres travelled per day by project staff.
Equally as important, the Alliance is responsible for the safety of the landowners and communities living and working near the new line during construction.
The judges felt the Alliance team demonstrated outstanding innovation across every aspect of the NIGUP project, which presented a significant range of issues. As a result, the team has established an excellent and genuine positive safety culture, leading to an excellent safety record.
Thanks to the whole team in the Alliance for making this possible and remain vigilant and safe in all the work that we perform.