Health and safety awards

We are proud of our people’s attitude to safety, and of the awards which they have gained.

Some of those are listed below. VGC believes in recognising and rewarding excellence in our people. If you’d like to join VGC, go to our ‘apply’ page.

This page lists some of the individual awards which our clients have given to our people. Click here to go to the page showing the awards won by VGC as a company.

• Foreman Elton Cala was commended by the management on Crossrail ATC in March 2021.
• Charles Oluyede was given a ‘COVID champion’ award by the Ealing Common depot in March 2021.
• In December 2020, our people on the M4 project for client BBV won two awards “in recognition of unsung health, safety and wellbeing heroes working on the project.” Head of HSQE Richard Wheeler won his for building a positive health and safety culture on the project, and the cleaning and maintenance team won an award for “their continued hard work in difficult times”. The M4 project director said that without them, the project would simply have shut down.
• Brothers Adrian and Paul Nicolae were recognised in November 2020 for always going above and beyond their duties on site. They’re multi-skilled operatives helping to complete the A14 C2H project with work on verges, completing cycle, horse-riding and pedestrian paths, and final landscaping works.

  

• In October 2020, earthworks ganger Borislav Evtimov won an award from the M4 BBV project for spotting a permit issue with ducting in an excavation.
• In August 2020, earthworks ganger Aaron Strovers received an award for his safety-cautious approach on the M4, raising an alert when he smelled gas.It turned out to be a faulty seal on a gas pipe fitting.

  

• In March 2020, Mihai Chris Radu won an M4 TRIP award after he proposed an innovative sub-duct solution that removed the need for traffic management which the team was having trouble securing. (The M4 TRIP awards recognise trust, transparency, respect, support integrity, simplicity and passion.)
• In October 2019 the section 4 maintenance team won A14 ‘above and beyond’ awards for the way they look after 48 welfare units “to a very high standard, with a smile”. Mandeep Sandu (Danny Sullivan Group), Kamal Mehmi, Krishan Chand Sharma, Cosmin Roman and Stelica Enache (VGC) were presented with gift voucher: “You are a credit to the project.”
• Multi-skilled operative Adam Ali won an environmental award on the A14 C2H project in June 2019. When he saw that a sweeper was leaking fuel, he stopped the driver, so it didn’t spread any further, and instigated the spill protocol.

  

• Site supervisor Saqieb Farooq won a health and safety award from BBMV on Crossrail Whitechapel in November 2018. (Saqieb is a key influencer and also a mental health champion.)
• Ganger Lee Pearce won a safety award on from Balfour Beatty on the M20 J7-9 works for Highways England
• Forklift driver Anthony Simons was the ‘Spot on’ winner for August 2018 at Hinkley Point C for “going above and beyond”.

  

• Kimberley McGinty, skills and employment adviser, was shortlisted for the CECA Inspiring Change individual inspiration award in May 2018.
• Richard Nickell was commended by Ferrovial Agroman on the Kilo substructure fuel mains at Heathrow.
• Key influencer Opeyemi Osiyemi won a Track Partnership safety close call award.
• Balfour Beatty’s delivery supervisor raised a ‘good practice’ form to recognise foreman Mick McCarney for his attitude to safety.
• Track Partnership’s lead delivery night manager complimented key influencer Opeyemi Osiyemi on raising a close call regarding plant exclusion zones.
• Tideway East SHEQ management raised an observation about an ‘excellent’ safety briefing by key influencer John O’Loughlin.

  

• Costain Skanska JV’s general foreman at Crossrail Bond Street station commended Caplea Pastoral Razvanthe and key influencer Bereket Kidane for their awareness ofsite safety.
• CVU’s senior construction manager complimented Mark Mullan, Valentin Coneac and Przemyslaw Dzieciol for ‘remarkable progress’ on a project in Lambeth.
• Balfour Beatty’s environmental adviser thanked Sean Thompson, Carlos Allca and Declan McComb for their work to minimise the environmental impact – and cost – of disposing of hazardous lead paint, during demolition of a building, as part of our project at Gidea Park substation.
• The Track Partnership head of delivery thanked Richard Wheeler, Ben Keegan and Ian Keen for their “support and passion for safety, and drive to deliver”.

  

• Viorica Voicu was commended by Track Partnership’s senior delivery engineer in May 2017 for her work ethic.
• Key influencer Joe Atherton was commended by Siemens in April 2017 for his performance on the Manchester-Blackpool rail upgrade project.
• Andrew Donnelly and Sean Burdette, Alan Taylor, Ian Hendry, Mark O’Leary, Lee Cavill and Jamie Burdette were commended by Siemens for supporting a distressed member of the public and maintaining the safety of the railway in April 2017.
• Costain thanked James Piercy, Mihai Gligor, Jamie Crowe, Joe West and James Burke in March 2017 for giving assistance to the British Transport Police.
• Balfour Beatty gave a ‘continuous excellence’ award to Carmen Masdrag for her work at Crossrail Abbey Wood station in December 2016.
• In November 2016 Maria Spiridon was commended by client BBMV for her work at Whitechapel Crossrail C512.
• Alexandru Soare was given an A2 observation award for work on the M5 by Balfour Beatty in October 2016.
• In August 2016 Janis Ernestovskis was commended for safety on the M25 jn 30 Balfour Beatty Skanska JV smart motorway works.

  

• Andy Burgess was thanked by Ferrovial Agroman in June 2016 for good safe work at Heathrow.
• Alan Burnett and James Purcell were awarded by BBMV for their safety initiative on Crossrail Whitechapel in October 2015.

• Costain Skanska JV gave awards for safety on the Crossrail Bond Street station contract. Dumper driver Pastorel Caplea was given an environment award in March 2015. In October 2015 Mohammed Hasan and Adrian Iliuta received observation awards. Bereket Kidane has received three awards.

  

• VGC’s Dai Williams was named Supervisor of the Year at the Heathrow Safety Development Awards on 29 January 2015. Dai and key influencer Jaskaran Singh were shortlisted for further Heathrow Safety awards in January 2016.

  

• Ferrovial Agroman gave individual health and safety awards for work at Heathrow Bravo Taxiway to Jaskaran Singh, Carl Dent, Elias Woldeyes and Andrew Burgess.
• Charmaine Bailey, quality manager, received two Network Rail Quality Coin awards.
• The Atkins SAG (Safety Action Group) selected Shane Jupp and his team of Steven Hodges, Josh Cormack and James Piercy for their January 2015 safety award for carrying out EKR2 works at Gillingham in a safe and orderly manner. In March Stores manager Paddy Collins won a project safety award for his high standards at the Gas House Road compound.

VGC believes in recognising and rewarding excellence in our people. If you’d like to join VGC, go to our ‘apply’ page.