Over the past two weeks, ABM Contractor teams across Ireland proudly participated in CIF Safety Week 2025, joining the national effort to promote a safety first construction industry culture. This year’s theme - ‘Back to Basics’ - encouraged everyone to refocus on the fundamental safety principles that keeps everyone safe every day.
At ABM Contractors, safety is the foundation of everything we do. Our core value “Build Safely” is our shared responsibility and that “We plan what is Safe. We do what is Safe. We go home Safe.”
As part of the Construction Industry Federation (CIF) Safety Week, our project teams have delivered toolbox talks, interactive workshops, and onsite demonstrations designed to educate and reinforce our commitment to safe working practices. These sessions covered this year’s key sub-themes:
1. Leadership in Safety
Our Leadership in Safety sessions explored how effective leaders shape a culture where safety, quality, and performance align. Through interactive discussions and real-life examples, teams reflected on the five core responsibilities of leadership - setting direction, inspiring others, developing teams, driving accountability, and modelling the culture we want to see on every site.
2. Utilities
By using samples of underground services, discussing what each duct or pipe is for, and emphasising how warning tape is to be used for safety, our Utilities sessions focused on the importance of utilities and what to what to look out for either above or below ground. An approach endorsed by Uisce Éireann, is contractors asking themselves, ‘Am I SAFE?’
- Stop and think “What if?”
- Assess the task, work area and equipment.
- Follow the procedures and method statement.
- Engage with your Supervisor if an aspect of the task has changed and deviates from the plan.
3. Developing the Next Generation
At ABM, we ensure that the health and safety of our new entrants is accounted for. It is important that new, young people of the construction industry are mentored and trained properly to protect them from any serious risks. It is the responsibility of all on site to ensure the safety of everyone working, especially those who lack experience in identifying risks to themselves.
4. Critical Risks
The Critical Risks sessions focused on raising awareness and reinforcing control measures around the activities that pose the greatest potential for serious injury or harm. Our teams explored three key areas – working at heights, moving plant on site, and live services – discussing real-life scenarios, best practices and applying control measures consistently. These sessions encouraged everyone to recognise critical risks and how to best communicate them effectively to ensure that safe systems of work are always in place before starting any task.
5. Falls from Height
With working at height being the greatest casual factor for fatalities and serious injury in construction, it is essential to follow proper safety practices. Falls from Height toolbox talks held across our sites discussed working with ladders, MEWPs (Mobile Elevated Work Platforms), and scaffolding. A focal point of these talks was to stress the importance of carrying out appropriate planning and organisation when working at heights, especially to report any unsafe working at height platforms to management.
A huge thank you to every team member for your focus and commitment throughout CIF Safety Week 2025. Your engagement in these sessions reflects our shared dedication to building a safer, stronger workplace for everyone. By sharing our core value ‘Build Safely’, you continue to reinforce that safety is at the foundation of everything we do at ABM.
