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ESB NETWORKS LTD

Oct/Nov 2011 www.esb.ie/em

Sustainability Update

ON-LINE SUSTAINABILITY TRAINING COURSE

A KEY STEP in raising awareness in sustainability is ensuring that we all understand the basic principles behind what ESB is doing in this regard. Climate change is the biggest challenge facing our generation and, as Ireland’s leading energy company, we need to be at the forefront in setting out how we intend to reduce our carbon footprint.

Sustainability has now been included as a core competence within ESB. To assist staff achieve a foundation level knowledge and understanding of sustainability, an online e-learning training course has been developed that introduces ESB’s strategic framework and provides information on what we can all do to reduce our carbon footprint. The course, which has been dropped onto the C-drives of ESB PCs, takes approximately 30 minutes to complete and there is a short assessment at the end.

At the end of August, 229 Networks staff had successfully completed the course. The Networks target is for 50% of staff to have completed the course by the end of 2011.

It is also planned to make this sustainability training course one of the main Networks themes for Sustainability Week, which runs from Monday to Friday October 10th to 14th. In particular, it is envisaged that managers will arrange for staff to get together a local level and to complete the course including assessment in a group setting. This is particularly relevant for staff that don’t necessarily have regular access to PCs.

According to Networks Sustainability Manager Paddy Hamill, “The feedback received from those who have already taken the course is very positive and I would encourage everyone to take course as soon as they can. Online courses such as this have a big future in that they facilitate the delivery of training in a cost-effective, user-friendly, efficient and, very importantly, very sustainable manner”.

For more information, you can contact Val Warren of the Central Sustainability Team, at ext 54353, or Paddy Hamill at ext 42729 or, indeed, your local Sustainability Champion.

WORLD CUP CONNECTION!

Three generations! Conor is pictured above with his dad Gerry and his granddad Con holding his First Cap prior to his trip to New Zealand.

CONOR Murray, a key player on the Irish squad at the Rugby World Cup, has also key ESB connections! His dad, Gerry, retired from ESB Networks in Limerick last year and himself is a noted cyclist taking part in the Rás event and still continues to cycle with a game of golf in between. His mum Barbara is also a keen golfer and played squash for Ireland. Barbara has now returned to playing competitively and is on the Irish Veterans’ squash team.

Connor’s granddad, Con Roche, played for Garryowen and Munster and got a final trial for Ireland. Con also was an ESB man with 38 years service and joined ESB in O’Curry Street in Limerick which was the original ESB Depot. Moving to Rosbrien he took up the position of pole truck driver travelling to every forestry throughout Ireland. A very organised driver, on the road well before 7.30am every day, Con would have, on the odd occasion, a special cargo of Paddy Hanrahan’s racing pigeons with strict instructions for them to be released at a specific mileage for training purposes!

Conor himself now has 3 Irish Caps

PPE Users Group

Pictured (l-r): Siobhan O’Callaghan, Ciaran Lynch, Gary Mehta, Fintan Fitzpatrick, Joseph Roche and Alice Quin.

A PERSONAL PROTECTION Equipment (PPE) Working Group was set up in September 2010 to review all aspects of PPE in ESB Networks. One of the recommendations of this group was to reconvene the PPE Users Group. ESB Networks Health, Safety, Quality and Environment Manager Dominic O’Brien, launched the new PPE Users Group at the ESB Networks Training Centre in Portlaoise.

Terms of Reference

• Continuously review the appropriateness of the current PPE range with a view to ensuring that all staff are equipped with all necessary PPE, while minimising costs to ESB Networks.
• Be a conduit for communicating feedback to and from frontline staff in relation to;
• Their experience of using their PPE.
• Quality of the PPE – waterproof, easily damaged etc.
• Problem solving.
• Facilitate the piloting / assessment of new PPE items and the recording of feedback from each pilot.
• Promote full PPE safety compliance amongst frontline staff.
• Continuously review the logistical performance of the Managed Needs Based Replacement system.
• Forum members to brief their local Safety Committee.

Staff are reminded that they must contact their supervisor regarding replacement or repair of items of PPE. Staff are also encouraged to contact the nearest member of the group with any problems or issues they may have concerning PPE.

Pictured (l-r): Gerry Kelly, Paddy Murray, Philip Conway and Dominic O’Brien.

PPE User Group Members

ESB at the National Ploughing Championships 2011

Jerry O' Sullivan, MD ESB Networks Ltd welcomes Dermot Byrne, Chief Executive EirGrid to the ESB Networks stand.

Jerry O' Sullivan welcomes some old friends to the stand.

ATHY IN Co.Kildare played host to the 80th annual National Ploughing Championship this year, between September 20th to 22nd.

ESB Networks was one of more than 1,000 exhibitors who had a stand at the event this year. With more than 17,000 visitors to the event everyone was kept busy meeting customers, providing information and dealing with queries as the staff of Networks confirmed they were inundated with callers.

Meeting land owners at events such as this gives ESB Networks the perfect opportunity to foster and enhance relations with the farming community.

Overall, the event was a fantastic success and enjoyed by all, many thanks to all those who helped at the event.