Irish firm Green Isle Foods has claimed top prize at the National Food and Drink Health and Safety Awards 2014, organised by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH).
Green Isle Foods impressed the judges with its efforts to eliminate a significant hazard at its pizza factory in Longford, implementing a simple idea to improve safety for worker on the pizza production line.
Awards head judge, Doug Russell said: “Positioners which were used to place dough balls correctly on the production line had to be changed between batches to suit the number of rows of dough required. Workers previously had to change the positioners by hand, lifting heavy bits of kit into place.
“They have now come up with an easy system of piling them on top of each other and sliding them into place when needed, eliminating the risk for workers.”
Mary Collins, health and safety lead for 2 Sisters Food Group’s frozen division, of which Green Isle Foods is a part, also commented: “It’s fantastic for the company to see this initiative being recognised at such a national level. It really endorses the interest our engineers have in making improvements to health and safety.”
Fox Biscuits in Batley and Littleport Mushroom Farm in Ely were named as runners-up.
Russell commented, “What was striking is that the top three all mentioned the positive impact that the improvements had on staff, and that they had each been suggested by the workers themselves.” The awards took place on 7 October during IOSH’s National Food and Drink Manufacturing Health and Safety Conference 2014, held at the Park Royal Hotel in Warrington.
© 2014 - Checkout Magazine by Emily Horne
