Irish Water has unveiled a major safety initiative bringing together key industry partners to support the safe delivery of more than €1 billion in capital works each year.

The new Infrastructure Delivery Collaborative Forum includes leading Irish contractors and engineering firms—such as Coffey Group, Glan Agua, Murphy Ireland, Jacobs, and Jennings O’Donovan—alongside Irish Water’s infrastructure and EHS specialists. The group’s mission is to cultivate a world-class safety culture across water and wastewater infrastructure projects nationwide.

Between 2020 and 2024, Irish Water is investing €5.35 billion to upgrade public water and wastewater networks. With over three million site hours projected for 2022 alone, Infrastructure Delivery Director Brian Sheehan emphasised that “putting safety at the heart of everything we do” remains a core value.

“Creating a positive safety culture is key to ensuring that everyone on our projects is empowered to do the right thing,” Sheehan said. 

“Through collaboration and open communication, we can identify practical ways to prioritise health, safety, and wellbeing—setting a new standard for the wider construction and engineering industry.”

The leadership group, co-chaired by Irish Water’s EHS Design and Construction Manager, Timmy Harnett, will oversee the broader forum’s activities, driving continuous safety improvements through shared learning, safety conversations, and recognition programmes.

Harnett added that the initiative builds on Irish Water’s Work Safe Home Safe ethos, aiming to make safety not just a policy but a shared culture across all partners.

Read the full story for insights into how Irish Water is reshaping industry safety through collaboration and leadership.