The ODA awards, now in their second year and judged by an independent adjudication panel coordinated by the British Safety Council, recognise the health, safety and environmental performance and contribution of teams and individuals working across the Park.

Alan O’Hagan, a carpenter working on the Olympic Park’s south loop road and bridges, won Worker of the Year award. The judges praised Alan’s attitude, aptitude, enthusiasm and sense of responsibility.

Alan said: 'I’m absolutely delighted to have won the Worker of the Year Award. My eight-year-old son is so proud that he is taking the award into his school assembly.

'Although this is an individual award, it’s been a real team effort and I’d like to thank all my colleagues who pull together to make this a safe project.'

The ODA has also been recognised by the British Safety Council with the BSC 5-star award, following an independent rigorous audit of the ODA’s health and safety management system and processes.

Lawrence Waterman, Head of Health and Safety at the Olympic Delivery Authority said: 'Our record on health, safety and environment is down to the hard work, dedication and professionalism of the thousands of people who work on the site.

'As we enter our busiest year on site, we are not complacent. We will continue to work with our contractors, sub-contractors and workforce to make the Olympic Park the healthiest, safest and greenest construction site in the country.'

Hugh Robertson, Minister for Sport and the Olympics, said: 'The iconic structures of the London Olympic and Paralympic Games have changed forever the east London skyline. Working on the Olympic Park site brings with it the unique challenges of an immoveable deadline and intense scrutiny.

'It is a credit to the workers that as the construction phase intensifies creating a healthy, safe and environmentally friendly work place is still a top priority. Their hard work and dedication has helped ensure that the ODA’s safety record remains second to none.'

The ODA has also launched an online health and safety resource for schools across the UK. The film ‘safe’ has been adapted from the ODA programme which involved interactive theatre performance to raise awareness of safety around construction sites. It toured into 75 schools close to the London 2012 construction sites, engaging more than 6,800 children and young people.

Notes to editors:

The winners of the Awards included:

• Alan O’Hagan, a carpenter working on the south loop road and bridges, who won Worker of the Year
• Kerri Chambers, an apprentice bricklayer working on the Olympic Stadium, who won the Apprentice of the Year award
• Richard Hirst from one of the contractors working on the Olympic Park’s structures, bridges and highways won the award for Individual Contribution to the Environment
• The contractor working on one of the Olympic Park’s structures, bridges and highways contracts won the Environmental Team of the Year
• The contractor building the southern loop roads and bridges won the award which recognised Workforce Engagement

The independent adjudication panel was coordinated by the British Safety Council, and included representatives of the Institute for Environmental Management and Audit (IEMA), the International Institute for Risk and Safety Management and the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH).  
 

‘Safe’, written by Jim Dunk, is an online storytelling Health and Safety resource for eight to eleven year olds (Key Stage Two pupils), which is being made available to schools nationwide on the official London 2012 education website, Get Set. 

The ODA worked with Arc Theatre to deliver the programme to more than 6,800 children and young people in schools near the London 2012 construction sites.  
 
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For further information please contact the Olympic Delivery Authority Press Office on +44 (0)20 3 2012 700.

The construction of the venues and infrastructure of the London 2012 Games is funded by the National Lottery through the Olympic Lottery Distributor, The Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the Mayor of London and the London Development Agency.

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