HSE award for Veidekke at Gulskogen Centre

Veidekke's HSE award was presented to the employees of Veidekke Entreprenør who are building the new shopping centre at Gulskogen outside Drammen. 

"Systematic and targeted HSE work, innovation using clever solutions and work methods for safety and orderliness, and the fact that health, safety and the environment has been an integrated and important part of the activities, was decisive for the bestowal," said Veidekke's CEO Terje R. Venold when the prize was presented in Stockholm today.

The jury's decision also emphasizes that the project has actively worked towards reducing absence, and also employed equipment and carried out training to prevent muscular and skeletal injuries. Measures have been implemented to achieve a good working environment, and there has been active work with respect to reporting and learning from adverse events at the building site. Weekly HSE meetings are held in Norwegian and English on the project, and turnover and activity in the project has been high with good financial results.

Veidekke's work on redeveloping and extending Gulskogen Centre has taken place in several phases since 2007, and is to be completed on 1 November this year. The number of stores will increase from 62 before the development to approx. 130 shops, and the net space will be more than doubled from 16,500 to more than 40,000 sqm. The total space of the centre will increase from 30,000 sqm to approx.  55,000 sqm. In 2009 Veidekke had an average of 50 own employees and the same number from subcontractors on the project.

The other nominated finalists for Veidekke's 2009 HSE Award:

·         Litra Grus AS in Lillehammer, Veidekke Industri

·         Elisabet Langbråten, working environment supervisor with Veidekke Bygg, Stockholm

·         Hoffmann's projects Guldregnen in Middelfart and Gudenåcenteret in Tørring, Denmark

For more information please contact:

Head of department Steffen Fagerås of Veidekke Buskerud, tel. +47 90 51 92 70, steffen.fageraas@veidekke.no

Communications Manager  Helge Dieset, tel. +47 21 05 77 91 / +47 90 55 33 22, helge.dieset@veidekke.no

Picture:

Left to right: Safety superviser Geir Boman, safety deputy Rune Ingebrigtsen and project manager Nils Mogstad 

Veidekke ASA is a leading Scandinavian building contractor and property developer with 6,000 employees and turnover of NOK 15.6 billion (2009). The group is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange and has a dispersed ownership structure with the employees owning 20% of the stock. The business spans a wide spectrum of building and construction projects, developing housing and commercial buildings for private and public sector clients, asphalt plants and road maintenance as well as collecting and recycling waste.