Eiffage Polska Budownictwo (EPB) wins first prize for Hanza Tower in the “Build Safely” OHS contest

The Polish National Labour Inspectorate awarded EPB, a Polish subsidiary of Eiffage Group, “for the construction of the multifunctional building Hanza Tower together with land development and technical infrastructure”.
The high-rise building Hanza Tower is under construction in Szczecin, north-west Poland. Construction started in September 2011; completion is scheduled for 2020. From March 2017 to November 2018, the contractor responsible for structural works was Eiffage Polska Budownictwo S.A., operating in a consortium with Eiffage Polska Serwis S.A.
In this year’s edition of the nationwide “Build Safely” contest participated investment projects from West Pomerania, the province in the north-west of the country. The occupational health and safety (OHS) standards observed at each project entered into the contest were scrutinised by the District Labour Inspectorate in Szczecin. The condition precedent for all entries is an immaculate safety record with no irregularities or deficiencies identified or reported; furthermore, the successful contestants are expected not only to follow strictly all applicable OHS rules and regulations required by law but – additionally – to apply state-of-the-art OHS solutions and safety standards which go one step further.
– “In our annual OHS contest, the highest total score – and the first prize – was awarded to the construction site of Hanza Tower. We highly rated the Health and Safety Protection Plan developed for the construction site; the high quality of risk assessment procedures; the scale and complexity of the construction work carried out by Eiffage Polska Budownictwo; and, finally, the high quality and effectiveness of the on-site construction supervision” – said Jacek Krzywonos, Labour Inspector at District Labour Inspectorate in Szczecin.
– “The biggest challenge for construction projects developed in city centres, at main thoroughfares, is logistics. This is due to the usually limited space available for the construction camp facilities, coupled with the need to ensure the safety of all workers and any third parties present at and near the construction site at all times. Building safely is not only about hundreds of miles of guardrails, special roofing and all other additional OHS standards and solutions applied by Eiffage. The crucial success factor is all our staff who provide ongoing on-site construction supervision, their awareness of the potential hazards and risks, and their commitment to put their OHS knowledge into practice at every stage of the works. Only a combination of these two key elements produces a synergy effect in the form of zero accidents on the construction site” – said Piotr Karolczak, Project Manager at Eiffage Polska Budownictwo.
Thus far, Eiffage Polska Budownictwo has been awarded a total of six times in the previous editions of the “Build Safely” contest. The prizes of District Labour Inspectorates across the country were given to the following projects developed by EPB:

• Angel Wawel apartment building in Cracow (first prize),
• Optical Internet Research & Development Centre in Poznań (second prize),
• POSNANIA shopping centre – the biggest retail space in western Poland (second prize),
• OVO in Wrocław – the multi-function and futuristic apartment and office complex with a 5-star Hilton hotel (second prize),
• Auditorium of Primary School No. 356 in Warsaw (third prize),
• District Police Headquarters in Nowa Sól (third prize).

The “Build Safely” contest is organised by the National Labour Inspectorate – District Labour Inspectorates. Its aim is to promote safe and healthy working conditions on construction sites by endorsing those contractors who provide safe workplaces during the construction process, thus contributing to the general improvement of OHS standards in the construction industry nationally.
Eiffage Polska Budownictwo has also participated in other initiatives aimed at improving work safety. Previously, its commitment to OHS was recognised in the National Labour Inspectorate’s “Construction Site. STOP to Accidents!” prevention programme, in which EPB was awarded for the construction of the housing estate Przy Bażantarni in Warsaw.