Jan De Nul and Keppel FELS: Winners of the IADC Safety Awards 2021

During the virtual IADC Annual General Meeting, IADC President Frank Verhoeven revealed the winners of the Safety Awards 2021.

As of this year, IADC presents two safety awards: one to a dredging contractor and one to a supply chain organization active in the dredging or offshore industry. The first award was granted to Jan De Nul Group for its Bollard Step. The second award went to Keppel FELS, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Keppel Offshore & Marine, with its Safety Plus Program and National WSH Vision 2028.

Dredging Contractor Award

Jan De Nul's bollard step was designed by crew, creating a solution that is both easy and quick to use and requires little maintenance. The bollard step transforms mooring equipment into a safe and secure step for making maritime transfers. There are several step designs to deal with different locations and scenarios, all of which can be used on a variety of vessels. The simple and smart solution is adaptable to different types of bollards and creates a stable platform in places where a transfer zone would not normally be possible.

Jan De Nul's bollard step 

Supply Chain Organization Award

Anchored in Keppel Offshore & Marine’s Safety Plus Program and Singapore's National WSH Vision 2028, Keppel FELS continues to consistently improve and enhance its existing Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) management systems. The company invests in building HSE competence and capabilities through training, outreach activities and empowerment of every employee to intervene and stop unsafe acts. Keppel FELS adopts a set of ten lifesaving rules and carries out an assessment of high impact risk activities (HIRA) prior to the execution of works.

Annual Awards Promote Safety Innovation

“At IADC, we realize that suppliers and dredging contractors play an important role in increasing safety. Sometimes the simplest idea can make a major contribution to improving safety, as is the case of the Bollard Step. This nomination, designed by crew, showed once again that an idea doesn't always have to be rocket science, but innovation can be found in the simplest of things,” says René Kolman, Secretary General of IADC. “Our Safety Awards are designed to encourage the development of safety skills in the workplace and to reward people and companies who demonstrate a commitment to safety awareness in the course of their profession. The awards, presented each year, recognize the exceptional safety performance demonstrated by a particular project, program, procedure, product, vessel, team or employee(s).”