SAFETY | AUCKLAND CENTRAL INTERCEPTOR


team (WSL & GAJV) signed up to a broad set of


commitments that would lay the foundations for what was to come. The initiative would be funded by WSL and was viewed as an investment in health, safety and wellness. Embedded into this was a set of jointly agreed, project-specific Values that helped to further create the Central Interceptor project’s own distinct identity and also meshed well with family-owned Ghella and Abergeldie. It is also where the commitment to ‘collaboration’


was first formally documented. The WSL Central Interceptor project leadership would hold firm on this despite others over the years intermittently insisting that a ‘policing’ approach is a better way to manage contractors, rather than collaborating with them. Collaborating with our GAJV colleagues on safety would become the Central Interceptor project’s modus operandi. The G2G commitments encompassed various aspects


of project execution, e.g., site supervision, training, competence, etc. The project’s two-day long induction is a key component. Everyone working on the project is required to attend. It is delivered at a purpose-built training centre located near to the main worksite at Māngere. In addition, anyone working underground is required


to attend an additional two days of training. The training is high quality and well thought-out, with a variety of speakers that keep attendees engaged.


More importantly the WSL and GAJV Project Directors


attend the first day to introduce themselves, the project and to make clear its ambition to be the safest job site any of them have worked on. At the conclusion of the second day, these leaders personally distribute Central Interceptor project identification cards during a ‘graduation’ ceremony, reinforcing the project’s commitment to safety. GAJV Project Director, Francesco Saibene, says: “The


‘Good to Great’ initiative has been an essential approach to elevating Health, Safety, and Wellness standards. The focus on continuous improvement and collaboration between WSL and the GAJV has been instrumental in fostering a culture of safety and wellbeing. “This dedication to excellence, supported by


leadership visibility and regular site inspections, has created an environment where health, safety, and wellness are ingrained in every aspect of work, pushing the project from ‘good’ to ‘great’.”


ENHANCING MORALE AND WELFARE Project inductions are nothing new, doing them well is obviously key and the Central Interceptor project scores well. However, as stated G2G contained a wide range of commitments, which were expanded as the project progressed. Below are examples of some of its key elements. It’s the changes that these commitments made to the conditions of those working on site that have made the most impact, in terms of improving morale. Good morale is an essential building block of a


positive health and safety culture; it’s almost impossible to have good safety performance without it. That’s assuming the term ‘safety culture’ is still relevant (Sherratt, Szabo, & Hallowell (2025), Seeking a scientific and pragmatic approach to safety culture in the North American construction industry).


MEALS To start with, subsidised hot meals are provided to all workers, something unheard of in New Zealand on such projects. This was a major commitment by WSL, logistically and financially; at its peak the GAJV were providing on average three hundred meals a day to workers across sixteen work sites on both day and night shifts. With the work being physically demanding, the importance of having a regular hot nutritious lunch every day (or night) should not be underestimated. Having lunch delivered to sites daily also had an added benefit during Covid restrictions in that workers didn’t have to leave site, reducing the risk of exposure. Fresh fruit is also delivered to every site three times a week. For individuals, it was something less to have to think about every morning, and the more focused and nourished people are at work, the better and safer it is for everyone.


Above: CI route map 24 | January 2025


PPE The provision of high quality, branded PPE also made a huge difference to workers.


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