Our Awards
O'Donnell Griffin rewarded for excellence with multiple NECA Award wins
Electrical engineering and communications specialist O’Donnell Griffin has reinforced its position as an industry leader winning nine titles across four states in the National Electrical and Communications Association (NECA) Awards. These industry award wins demonstrate the company’s commitment to quality, training, innovation and safety across projects of all sizes.
O’Donnell Griffin won three South Australian titles, three Victorian titles, two Western Australian titles and one ACT title. As a result of these wins, the company is now a national finalist in numerous categories ranging from commercial and industrial projects to environmental efficiency and occupational health and safety.
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“To take out nine state NECA Awards is a result we’re very proud of,” said O’Donnell Griffin CEO David Rafter.
“NECA is the peak industry body, so their acknowledgement of the high quality work O’Donnell Griffin is doing around the country is a real compliment to our team. Our customers’ projects are delivered by highly skilled, innovative and committed people, and these awards are great recognition for them and for O’Donnell Griffin’s focus on continual improvement and exceptional results,” David said.
The Victorian awards were the first to be announced, with O’Donnell Griffin winning in three of the four categories it entered, which included; |
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- Occupational Health and Safety, for their Incident Investigation Process
- Industrial Small Project, for their work at Crown Entertainment on the Generator Step-up Transformer Refurbishment Project
- Industrial Large Project, for the electrical installation at Telstra’s Clayton Operations Building upgrade.
“Safety is at the heart of everything we do, and we know it’s incredibly important for our customers, so it’s especially thrilling to be recognised for our safety initiatives,” said David.
The South Australian Awards followed with wins in the Apprentice of the Year category and Industrial Large Project category for their Glenside Power Cooling and Support Capacity upgrade works. This project also won the prestigious South Australia Perpetual Award for best project across all categories.
“We were also very proud to see our Industrial division apprentice Michael Cirocco take out the South Australian Apprentice of the Year title. Michael has worked hard to earn this honour, and the award is a testament to his work ethic and skills,” David said.
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In Western Australia, O’Donnell Griffin claimed the coveted Environment and Energy Efficiency Award for a project to install a large and complex solar power system at the Perth Zoo. The WA team also won the Commercial Large Project title for major electrical services at the new performing arts venue at the landmark State Theatre Centre of WA.
The ACT award was also in the Commercial Large Project category, for a major project at the Canberra Airport Multi User Terminal, Southern Concourse.
“We’ve been fortunate to be involved in some exciting and innovative projects and we’re very pleased to be recognised for the work we do in order to deliver the very highest quality results for our customers,” David said.
The state-winning entries are now all in contention for the national award titles, to be announced in October.
Safety All Ways Winner 2010
O’Donnell Griffin, RGP5 Port Hedland
The purpose of the rapid growth project is to improve BHP Billiton Iron Ore’s mine, rail and port capacity operations in Western Australia.
Their newest growth project, Rapid Growth Project 5, will take installed capacity at their Pilbara Iron Ore operations from 150 to 205 million tonnes of iron ore per annum.
The BHP Zero Incident and Injury Award is a regular periodic team award presented to the Best Contractor on the Rapid Growth Project. O’Donnell Griffin also won this award on RPG4. The O’Donnell Griffin team received this safety award for the continued high quality of their Safe Work Method Statements/Job Safety Analysis and for the rigor applied in using the “Take 5” methodology, even for driving on the access roads. Along with this award, the O’Donnell Griffin team is regularly recognised for having the best kept sites with signage barricading muster areas, along with a strong HSE team culture, e.g. members challenging visitors to sign on JHA’s and seek permission to enter.
O'Donnell Griffin Apprentice Wins Prestigious Awards
19 August 2010
James Pitts, of O’Donnell Griffin, has won both Industrial Apprentice of the Year in the National Electrical and Communications Association (NECA) Apprentice Awards in Victoria, as well as NECA’s inaugural overall state Apprentice of the Year award
This overall award, given for the first time in 2010, is given to one of the three winning apprentices from the industrial, commercial and communication categories.
The prestigious industry awards were held at a cocktail party at Crown on Wednesday the 7th of July where the best of Victoria’s talented and committed young workers in the electrotechnology industry were recognised.
“I was very pleased with the award and I think it’s a good accolade to use to further my career in the future,” says James. “I chose the industry and trade due to the problem solving and the mathematics involved. It’s a thinker’s trade, working in the electrical industry.”
James also said he was “absolutely pleased to be working with O’Donnell Griffin and I feel thankful for the opportunities provided.” Melbourne-based James completes his fourth year next January and went straight from VCE to his apprenticeship.
The awards are open to fourth year apprentices, who have completed their TAFE or other RTO training or any recently graduated apprentices, who have excelled in any area of their training. The awards acknowledge achievement in personal development, effort, academic attainment and workplace competency.
O'Donnell Griffin Apprentice Program Success
February 2010
Engineering company O’Donnell Griffin’s commitment to apprenticeships and the strengthening of its national training programs has received recognition in a round of five recent industry awards.
Mr David Rafter, CEO of Norfolk Electrical & Communications, of which O’Donnell Griffin is a subsidiary, said O’Donnell Griffin had won five State and National Apprentice of the Year awards in the past year.
Victorian-based O’Donnell Griffin fourth year apprentice Tim Vining was awarded the state National Electrical and Communications Association (NECA) award for Apprentice of the Year in the Industrial category.
Tim, 23, who has now just completed his four-year systems electrician apprenticeship, was placed second in the 2009 NECA Apprentice of the Year national awards.
Queensland apprentice Anthony Jupp was awarded the 2009 Electrical and Communications Association’ (ECA) 2009 Apprentice of the Year award.
Vining and Jupp were just three of the 107 apprentices directly employed last year in apprenticeships at O’Donnell Griffin. The national figure comprises 19 first year apprentices, 22 second year apprentices, 28 third year apprentices and 38 fourth year apprentices. In 2010 there will be another uptake of new apprentices at the company, starting in January.
O’Donnell Griffin also received awards for apprentices employed through its group training program. In South Australia, O’Donnell Griffin group training electrical trades apprentice Ryan Coats (with O'Donnell Griffin as host employer for Peer Veet) was named Apprentice of the Year at the 2009 Training Awards, and was also a runner-up in NECA’s State awards in the Commercial Category.
Also hosted from Peer Veet by another Norfolk subsidiary, O'Donnell Griffin - Data (formerly Diverse Data Communications), SA-based fourth year apprentice Amanda Hewison was awarded NECA’s South Australia State Award for Apprentice of the Year, in the Industrial/ Automation Communications category. She was subsequently awarded third place nationally in this category.
“The calibre of our apprentices is shown in these awards,” said Mr Rafter. “In Tim Vining’s case, as an example, he came into the Victorian O’Donnell Griffin program after transferring from a construction management degree and scored extremely highly on his NECA pre-selection score. His continued hard work, including the additional load of being examined and presenting for these awards, has been outstanding”. Mr Rafter said the Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show that a worrying fall in apprenticeship numbers continues.
The ABS found the number of apprentices employed between May 2008 and May 2009 falling from 188,700 to 163,000 while the number of people who applied for an apprenticeship/traineeship increased from 26,900 to 41,200 in the same period.
Mr Rafter said that for over 100 years O’Donnell Griffin had demonstrated a great commitment to apprentice programs that would continue into the future. ”Supporting the skilling of young, enthusiastic candidates is even more important now with the pressure on resources on one hand and the growing business of O’Donnell Griffin on the other.”
NECA Victoria Excellence Awards – 2009 Winner
Industrial technology upgrade for the Viridian Glass Coating Plant – Dandenong
A technological upgrade for the Viridian glass coating plant in Dandenong has been recognised at the National Electrical and Communications Association (NECA) Victoria Excellence Awards announced in Melbourne on 10 July. Electrical contractor O’Donnell Griffin won the Industrial Award for its electrical installation at the Viridian plant.
O’Donnell Griffin was engaged by Viridian to install the electrical and instrumentation components of a new glass coating process at the plant. The process produces hard coating, low energy products that are manufactured from stored chemicals mixed on site. The chemicals are heated and delivered to the glass surface at extreme temperatures via five retractable coating beams.
The contract involved installation of switchboard, mains, sub mains, cable ladder systems, type K screened multi core cables (Europe supply), EMC screened control cabled (Europe supply) and power/control cables from Australia, plus other control panels, junction boxes and equipment. As the most advanced installation of this new technology in the world, the project knowledge and installation methods developed by O’Donnell Griffin have become a benchmark for similar installations globally.