Local pupils get the code to Play Safe, Stay Safe
It was a bumper week for safety sessions as more than 350 pupils from Castlewellan and Dundrum took part in a ‘Play Safe, Stay Safe’ construction site awareness session, delivered by Phoenix Natural Gas.
The ‘Play Safe, Stay Safe’ schools programme aims to help local school children understand the hazards of playing on or near construction sites and was launched last year to primary schools within the area as the company works to extend the natural gas pipeline and bring the benefits of natural gas to an additional 28,000 properties across County Down.
Sessions have so far been delivered to 11 local schools this year, with Sacred Heart Primary School in Dundrum and St Malachy’s Primary School in Castlewellan the most recent schools to participate in the programme in the new school year.
Adrian McNeilly, Health, Safety and Environmental Manager at Phoenix Natural Gas said: “As a construction company, safety is our number one priority and our ‘Play Safe, Stay Safe’ programme and safety code has been designed to help educate primary school children about natural gas and keeping safe in areas where we are working, which are often residential streets.
“Construction sites are hazardous places, particularly for children, who may not be aware of the threats they pose. Our sessions are designed to be fun, interactive and engaging, whilst delivering an important message to help protect children in our local communities.”
Sacred Heart Primary School teacher, Laura Murray, said: “With construction works ongoing in the Dundrum area we were keen to make use of the Play Safe Stay Safe sessions to ensure our pupils are aware of the dangers associated with construction sites. The pupils really enjoyed the presentation and learning the ‘Safety Safe Code’ and it was great to have a safety expert deliver the session.”
St Malachy’s Primary School teacher, Odette Clarke added: “It’s great to see the commitment from Phoenix Natural Gas to educating local children on the dangers of construction sites and I would highly recommend this programme to other primary schools in the area.”
Phoenix Natural Gas is committed to upholding the very highest standards in health and safety, which has been recognised internationally through numerous awards. The company recently won an International Safety Award with Merit from the British Safety Council and the company was also one of only 64 organisations worldwide to receive a prestigious Sword of Honour award, accepting the accolade for the third time in 2016.
The ‘Play Safe, Stay Safe’ educational programme has been delivered to over 1,000 children to date and runs throughout the school calendar year.
If you are a primary school and would like to request a ‘Play Safe, Stay Safe’ visit, please contact Gillian.orr@phoenixnaturalgas.com
For more information on the benefits of natural gas, visit:
