As we cast our minds back to the Health & Safety Excellence Awards 2026, held last 30th April at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Santry, the Life Sciences category award presented to AstraZeneca and John Sisk and Sons for Project Joyce stood as one of the most compelling examples of cross-organisation safety collaboration recognised on the night.

Project Joyce was built on the conviction that safety culture in construction does not emerge from policy alone but from the quality of the relationships and the tools that connect people on site. By combining modern digital technology with people-focused initiatives, the partnership between Sisk and AstraZeneca has created a safety environment where frontline workers are not passive recipients of safety instructions but active participants in identifying, communicating, and resolving risk. Data-driven tools provide the real-time visibility that supports proactive safety management, while frontline engagement ensures that technology serves people rather than replacing the human judgement at the heart of good workplace safety practice.

The judging panel was particularly struck by the breadth of the wellbeing dimension within Project Joyce's safety approach. Alongside the physical safety initiatives that define most construction health and safety programmes, the project has addressed mental health and lifestyle factors with the same seriousness, including health screening and targeted awareness around energy drink misuse among site workers. These are the kinds of practical, well-targeted interventions that reflect a genuine understanding of the full range of factors that affect worker safety and performance on a complex construction site, and they have clearly strengthened both safety culture and engagement across the project.

The results achieved through Project Joyce reflect what is possible when two major organisations commit to building a shared safety culture rather than managing separate obligations. Strong collaboration between Sisk and AstraZeneca has elevated occupational health and safety standards across the project, demonstrating that construction and life sciences environments can lead the way in integrated, people-centred safety management and setting a benchmark the sector can build on.

Stay tuned for the Health & Safety Excellence Awards 2027 cycle, where organisations from across Ireland will once again have the opportunity to showcase their commitment to workplace health and safety excellence.

View the full list of winners at www.hsawards.ie/shortlist, and subscribe to the newsletter to stay informed on future award cycles and industry news.