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8
NEWS
Aug/Sept 2011 www.esb.ie/em
VOLUNTEER TEAM WINS Bi-monthly Sustainability Award
THE AUGUST/SEPTEMBER winner of the Bi-monthly Sustainability Award are the volunteers who worked on the refurbishment of Edel House and Riverside House, Cork City, over the weekend of May 14th and 15th. Edel House is a residential centre for girls, women and children, who are homeless. The service offers both crises and medium-term accommodation. Edel House provides nine family units and 24 single beds. Four of these beds are allocated to girls aged between 14 and 18, who require emergency accommodation. Riverside House also caters for the 14-to-18-year-old age group.
The refurbishment project was selected as ElectricAid’s latest challenge in Cork and more than 30 ESB volunteers assisted with painting and decorating and a small bit of gardening, getting the work finished ahead of schedule. The work includes the painting of bedrooms, halls, offices outdoor areas, kitchens and communal areas.
Speaking after the announcement of the award, ESB co-ordinator Dave Carey said it was a great reflection on the team who had volunteered to get involved in the project. “We were very pleased at the level of interest and commitment shown after our call for support in early May. With such a large number of volunteers, we were able to get through the work quickly and to a very high standard. I would like to thank everyone who supported our work, they can be proud of the difference they have made. I would especially like to thank Ger McCarthy and Kay O’Keefe for all their help with the organising of the project. Lastly, I would like to thank Pat McDonnell Paints for their support, when they heard we were giving up our weekend at our own expense they gave us all the paint and materials free of charge. This included paint, brushes, rollers, dust sheets, trays, buckets, masking tape and many other smaller items.”
Sustainability Executive Director John Campion extended his congratulations to the team, “2011 is the European Year of the Volunteer and it is appropriate that we take this opportunity to reflect on the great work being done by ESB staff, both in teams and individually, in communities and charities throughout the country. This important work deserves to be acknowledged and supported, we can see the real difference it has made in Edel House, and be proud of our staff volunteers. I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their hard work and congratulate them on this award.”
Sustainability Champions League Success
SUSTAINABILITY CHAMPIONS throughout the country have recently completed the first round in the series of ‘Champions League’ webex meetings – a series of engagements designed to facilitate contact and knowledge sharing between champions working throughout ESB.
The league has proved to be very worthwhile, both in terms of the quality of interaction at each meeting and as a forum for reporting local initiatives thus facilitating sharing of best practices. During the first half of 2011, six teams were formed and each team met during a Webex sessions of typically two-hours duration. Participants made great contributions to the meetings and enhanced their understanding and awareness of the high level of sustainable business being done in ESB.
Following a review with the Sustainability Managers, and taking into account the positive feedback from participants, it has been decided to establish the league as a permanent communications tool for champions, as a quarterly event. Four new teams will be created and team compositions will change to ensure a new mix of locations for each event, in order to optimise the contacts each Champion can build.
ESB Networks Sustainability Manager Paddy Hamill was particularly pleased with the way in which the league meetings facilitated interaction between Irish and international ESB locations, commenting, “Webex is ideally suited for this forum and allowing local champions to hear from the ‘international plants’ introduced a valuable dimension in terms of content and diversity.” Echoing this ESBI Sustainability Manager Ray Hester pointed to best practice sharing as another key benefit of the League, saying, “There is such a lot of activity underway, it’s very useful to take time out to present it, so that we can capture it for the benefit of all locations.”
If any Sustainability Champion has feedback or comments on the league, they can contact any member of the Programme Team or their local Sustainability Manager.
It is proposed to start the next round of league meetings in September.
2011 Disability Traineeship programme underway
ESB’S 2011 DISABILITY Traineeship programme is underway and seven new trainees commenced their placements on 18th July last with a further three commencing at the end of August. The Disability Trainees attended a two day induction to ESB where they were given a broad overview of the company.
The following gave excellent presentations over the two days:
- Bernie O’Connor - Equality and Diversity
- CiaraWhelan - ESB Electric Ireland
- Una Kernan - ESB Networks
- Mary Mangan - EAP services
- Pauline Holland - ESB Heritage & House 29
- James Foley - ElectricAid
- Karen Brady - SPORTSCO
- Fiona Coughlan - Occupational Health & Wellbeing
- Eddie Nally - ESBnet & Web policies
- Joy Dunne & Mary Moloney - Contract Overview
- Tony Carroll - Sustainability
The programme, an initiative supported by the Chief Executive, Padraig McManus, is celebrating its 6th year in existence and to date it has provided eighty eight disabled participants with the opportunity to gain some valuable work experience, improve social skills, build confidence and improve their employment prospects. Equally ESB has gained much learning and insight into disability awareness through this programme and this has been extremely valuable to us in creating and promoting an inclusive work environment for all our staff in ESB.
The programme this year attracted nearly one hundred applicants of which forty were called for interview.
This year, with the support of management and staff, the 10 placement opportunities across ESB are as follows:-
- Four placements in ESB Networks (Portlaoise, Waterford and two in Cork)
- Three placements in Services and ESB Electric Ireland
- Two placements in ESBI (Fleet Street and Stephens Court)
- One placement in Head Office Redevelopment Project
We wish all the Trainees the best of luck with their six month placement.
Joe O’Halloran retires after half a century
A LARGE GATHERING were present at a recent gathering to say farewell to Joe O’Halloran who retired from ESB and in recent times EirGrid after 50 years service. Joe joined ESB on 20th september 1961, aged only 16, and completed an apprenticeship in his native Tralee. Joining the ESB apprenticeship scheme was an item of such significance at the time that is was reported in the local newspaper. Joe moved to Dublin in 1967 and joined the Operations Department where he worked in the Transmission Control Division.
In 1978, Joe started working in the Load Dispatch Office (later the NCC) and, after 33 years as a relief engineer, he completed more than 3,000 shifts. Joe was always very committed to his role as a relief shift engineer and consistently lead the league table in terms of shifts completed each year. Indeed, according to National Control Centre Manager Michael Kelly, it will take seven staff to replace Joe! Joe has worked in seven different control centres over the years, which is a unique feat that will never be surpassed.
In recent years, Joe has been working in Technology & Standards in EirGrid Grid Development. In 2009, a delighted Joe won the EirGrid Living the Values Award for his open communication, ‘can do’ attitude and the total respect he always showed to all his colleagues. A truly wonderful, compassionate and humble person, Joe will be missed by all his colleagues. We wish him good health and happiness into the future.
