Award-winning Rilean Construction has been rated one of the top construction companies in New Zealand for its exceptional health and safety practices and procedures.
The ranking has come from the construction industry’s national health and safety capability rating system AppCon.
Rilean, which operates throughout the South Island, achieved 98% in a recent AppCon pre-qualification process that awards companies a grade based on the strength of their health and safety practices.
The “Green Light” rating now puts Rilean in the top ranks of pre-approved contractors in the country, which will be used by Christchurch contractors to establish a shortlist of tenderers for future jobs.
Rilean and seven other contractors have all achieved the impressive 98% grade, and so far no company has achieved higher than that.
‘Exceptional result’
Rilean Construction Canterbury manager and director Trevor Meikle says the “exceptional result” gave the company an even bigger competitive edge in the Christchurch market.
“To achieve such a high score is fantastic, and highlights what we already knew — that our health and safety procedures and practices are beyond reproach,” Mr Meikle says.
“The result isn’t just applicable to our work in Christchurch either. It shows Rilean’s commitment to health and safety competence as a company, and is something we’re very proud of.”
The AppCon Contractor Prequalification Database innovation was a recommendation from the Canterbury Rebuild Safety Forum in response to the influx of contractors coming to work in the area.
Launched in April 2012 it is being led by national health and safety organisation Site Safe NZ Inc.
Site Safe New Zealand Inc acting chief executive Geoff Wilson says the system provides transparency in the industry, and also aims to raise health and safety standards through effective contractor management.
“While reducing the need to submit health and safety submissions for every job, AppCon stores all your information in one place, so a major contractor can easily see another contractor’s rating before tender,” Mr Wilson says.
In order to receive an AppCon rating, companies and contractors complete a detailed online questionnaire and supply evidence of competency in their Health and Safety work. Based on criteria established by the Canterbury Forum, companies are then given a percentage mark and graded using the traffic light system.
Results are stored in an online database for all Tier One main contractors and project manager officers (PMOs) to access.
The Christchurch Forum’s main contractors have already made a commitment to hiring companies that can prove a “satisfactory level” of health and safety competence.
A red light is given for companies with a score up to 50%, an amber light for scores up to 75% and a green light for those achieving above 75%.
There are three levels of qualification available from Tier One (large construction and project management companies such as Fletcher and Naylor Love) to Tier Two, which is for contractors such as Rilean, and Tier Three for individual subcontractors.
The AppCon database system enables businesses to provide feedback on contractors during and after a project’s completion, ensuring transparency and accurate, up-to-date information is available for companies at all times.
“AppCon also acts as a training tool, highlighting companies that may need assistance in their health and safety procedures.
“It’ll improve overall industry standards and grow their safety knowledge, competency and performance,” Mr Wilson says.
The AppCon system has proved so successful it has been rolled out at a national level, beyond the rebuild.
