Longford County Council wins Health and Safety Excellence Award - Public Sector

Award recognises excellent health and safety standards across the organisation

Press Release: Friday, 25 April 2025 

Longford County Council has been announced as the overall winner of the Public Sector category of the Health and Safety Excellence Awards at a special ceremony which was held recently in the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Santry, Dublin. It is the third consecutive year for Longford County Council to win this prestigious award and is testament to the excellent reputation of health and safety culture within the organisation. 

The Health and Safety Excellence Awards by BusinessRiver recognises outstanding achievements in health and safety practices across Ireland. 

Longford County Council uses several initiatives to implement workplace health and safety. The council has an impressive reputation in the Health and Safety Excellence Awards having also won the Public Sector category in 2023 and 2024 as well as being nominated for the overall Grand Prix award in 2023. Longford County Council was one of three finalists along with Bord na Móna, Derrinlough Wind Farm and Uisce Éireann in the Public Sector category in the 2025 awards. 

A recent audit report from the National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI) reported Longford County Council's safety culture as a strength. The auditors pointed out that a "positive safety culture cascades from the top down through the layers of the organisation."
The audit report also found that Longford County Council was "very proactive in continuously improving their safety management processes" through various programmes including safety committee meetings, investment in a new fleet of lorries and new fleet asset maintenance software, removal of digital divide for outdoor staff and lone work apps for income collection staff. The NSAI audit also found that fire stations were maintained to an extremely high standard while it was also noted that through the Business Skills Training, Personal Development Process and various health and well-being initiatives, Longford County Council "has demonstrated that employees are seen as the organisation's greatest asset."

Longford County Council was also shortlisted in the Mental Health and Wellbeing Initiative of the Year category in this year's Health and Safety Excellence Awards. 

Speaking in relation to the recent award, Longford County Council Cathaoirleach Cllr Mark Casey said, "This is a fantastic recognition for the Health and Safety team and all Longford County Council employees for their ongoing hard work and efforts to maintain the highest standards of health and safety in the workplace. Their dedication and commitment has once again been rightfully recognised at these awards."

Longford County Council Chief Executive Paddy Mahon said, "The council is committed to promoting a culture of upholding excellent health and safety standards across the organisation. This is the third consecutive year for Longford County Council to win the Public Sector category in these prestigious awards which is testament to that ongoing culture of health and safety. I commend all employees for their efforts in fostering and maintaining a healthy and safe working environment."