Bord na Móna - Source Issue 6 - (Page 12)
Snowed
The exTraordinary weaTher – frosT, snow, low TemperaTures – challenged Bord na móna’s Business uniTs like never Before. yeT, The dedicaTion and innovaTion of sTaff ensured cusTomer supply was mainTained
under!
f
eedstock and fuels remain core contributors to Bord na móna’s bottom line. Those business units also represent core values of the company – resourcefulness, loyalty, adaptability – and exhibited those traits in the past winter to maintain customer service. “Between the flooding of november 2009, the harsh weather in January 2010 and the snow in december 2010, we had three once-in-ageneration events in the one year,” says ceo gabriel d’arcy. “yet, we kept the power stations going, we kept our peat briquette factories going, we kept our horticultural business going in kilberry. Throughout this time, the guys worked 24 hours a day, seven days a week. “in all of that, not one of our customers was let down. This is a testament to the resilience of the employees within Bord na móna and to their absolute commitment and determination that the customer gets provided with whatever goods or services are needed. it is an incredible achievement, and it has been remarked upon by third parties. This is a source of great pride in the company and the people in this organisation.” at feedstock, staff had to deal with temperatures as low as -18 °c and up to nine inches of snow on the bogs. “we couldn’t see the rail lines, so we improvised and came up with devices like snow ploughs,” says head of feedstock, paul riordan. The biggest problem was that the diesel in machines actually froze. additives from suppliers didn’t remedy the situation, so feedstock had to improvise. “we moved some machines indoor at night where possible. we ran some machines all through the night,” says paul, adding that frozen rail layers were a significant problem. in addition, the peat froze in the wagons on the rail tracks, so not all wagons emptied in the rotary tipplers at the power station. This then created instability on the route back to the bog,
as still-full wagons can cause the rakes to de-rail on their return journeys. how do you resolve issues never seen in 40 years of peat drawing? “we drafted in additional personnel to work on our lines and our peat,” says paul. “we worked seven days a week instead of six days, including christmas day, st. stephen’s day, and new year’s day.” and, those decisions to work were left to staff and management on the ground who were most familiar with the conditions and risks. “we relied on our experienced employees to make a judgement on what was possible within reason and what was not possible, both in terms of operations and health and safety.” not surprisingly, the company is researching forecasts for future winters. “we have also done some work with our fuel suppliers, in terms of the availability of winter diesel and so, we will have a better product to resist freezing. we have snow ploughs at the ready, so they will be part of our stock. we will need to have greater capability at the power stations for 100% rail supply in order to
12 | Source Winter 2011 Spring 2010
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Bord na Móna - Source Issue 6
Bord na Móna - Source Issue 6
Contents
A Round-Up of News From Around the Company
A Values-Driven Company
A Bright Future
Snowed Under!
Training & Development for Performance
Onwards and Upwards
Updates on Important Developments and Projects Around the Company
Heritage Corner
The World at His Feet
A Nationwide Spotlight on Special Occasions, Events and Achievements Across the Company.
Bord na Móna - Source Issue 6
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