4 minute read
STEVE KEARNEY
GALLOWGLASS HEALTH & SAFETY’S MANAGING PARTNER EXPLAINS HOW EXPO 2020 IS SET TO BE A CATALYST FOR GROWTH AT THE COMPANY.
Health and safety is always of paramount importance for any large-scale event, and with delegations from 191 countries as well as tens of thousands of visitors from all over the world descending on Dubai for a six-month period, they don’t come much larger in scale than Expo 2020 Dubai. For Steve Kearney, Managing Partner at Gallowglass Health and Safety, which has been tasked with delivering HSE for the entire Expo 2020 site, the project represents a milestone for the company. “It’s a massive undertaking, the likes of which have never been seen in the Middle East before,” he described to TPMEA prior to the show opening on 1 October. “The ramp up in scale as we get closer to the beginning is huge.”
Gallowglass’s role at Expo is a large and multifaceted one, with more than 40 team members already engaged in the project full time. “For our purposes, the whole site has been split into six zones and we have four HSO Zone Managers per area, working shifts to ensure that each zone is covered 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” Kearney explained. “Worker welfare is high on the agenda at Expo, and nobody is allowed to work more than 48 hours per week. We’ve built in some redundancy to our rota to ensure that everyone has the appropriate breaks and time off throughout the project.”
Kearney described the roles of the Zone Managers as “a two-pronged approach”. He commented: “Their first remit is to look after crowd safety during the busy periods when large
Gallowglass Health & Safety Managing Partner, Steve Kearney.
Steve Kearney, Gallowglass Health & Safety
numbers of people are on site – they will identify possible pinch points and report any potential issues up the chain of command to the Visitor Safety Managers before they arise.”
The second aspect of the Zone Managers’ role comes after hours when the large crowds have dispersed, and the site is taken over by technicians and crew working to prepare for the following day. “The majority of temporary infrastructure, overlay, installs and derigs will take place at night,” Kearney specified. “So, the role of the Zone Manager reverts to overseeing all that work once the guests are safely off-site.”
Although Expo is all about creative collaboration between countries all over the world, Dubai’s commitment to support suppliers with a local presence in the region such as Gallowglass shows the strength of the industry in the UAE. “This is a major international event and the fact that the organisers have brought us in to lead shows a huge level of trust, which we’re extremely pleased about,” Kearney said.
Gallowglass has grown its workforce to handle the increased capacity that the project demands and, according to Kearney, the size of the company is only moving in one direction from here. “We’ve always known that this was a fixed-term project. However, it’s clear that the opportunities are there for much more work throughout the region to keep our team busy well after Expo has come to an end. Expo has served as a great catalyst for growth. If anything, we’ll be looking to increase our resources further following the end of the event to meet the incredible demand in the UAE and elsewhere in the region,” he explained.
Yet while growth is inevitable, Kearny warned against the dangers of overstretching. “There are lots of opportunities available, but one thing I have to guard against is stretching the team too thin. We’re renowned for providing the best qualified and experienced workforce in the sector, and if we were to suddenly bid on and win every job that goes to tender, we’d have no choice but to take on staff who are not up to the level of qualifications and experience that we currently insist upon.”
Giving his final thoughts, Kearney expressed his enthusiasm ahead of what he called “an unprecedented time for the region”. “It’s hugely exciting to be involved in an event that will go down in history for not only Dubai but the Middle East as a region,” he concluded.
“We’ve got big-game experience from our work with the likes of the Olympic Games and UEFA tournaments so we know the kind of challenges involved in large-scale events such as this, and we’re confident that we will deliver.” Photos: Expo 2020 & Gallowglass Health & Safety www.gallowglasshs.com
