Worksop firm wins safety award at event to honour brightest and best in industry

Wright Engineering, from North Nottinghamshire, received the Leading Industry Safety Award at a prestigious ceremony at Glaziers Hall to honour the very best of engineering construction talent.

The event, organised by the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB) and hosted by Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock, brought together industry leaders, as well as the rising stars of tomorrow, for a celebration of excellence in training and development in the ECI.

Wright Engineering specialises in the design, supply and installation of turnkey bulk materials processing and handling solutions, as well as providing mechanical engineering services to industry.

A year after being named SME of the Year at the 2024 ceremony, the company scooped the safety award for its commitment to cultivating a safe working environment and for supporting industry in developing a safe working culture.

Judges recognised the company’s commitment to embedding health and safety as a “non-negotiable priority” and how its training and coaching has helped improve safety through competence.

Its belief that “safety is everyone’s responsibility” means the CCNSG Safety Passport is mandatory for all employees, not just site operatives.

The company also holds monthly safety observation awards that promote both positive and improvement-focused reporting, while employees actively shape safety protocols through structured feedback, toolbox talks and engagement forums.

George Bowksill, Health and Safety Adviser and Trainer at Wright Engineering, was handed the trophy by award category sponsor, Bilfinger UK. He said: “It’s great to win the award.

“It really is nice to be recognised again. We work very hard at it in terms of getting all our people on board with what we do, why and how to do it. And that’s what makes a difference.

“On health and safety, we say ‘this is how it should be’. We don't say you must. Through training and conversation we say this is why we do it, what’s the reason for it and why it’s so important to do and that really works for us.”

A judging panel of industry representatives – made up of Tracey Shelley (BCECA), John Simpson (ECIA), Mark Riley (Phillips 66 Limited), Steve Hunt (Altrad) and Helen Woodward Davies (EDF Energy) – picked the overall winners based on the significant contributions they have made both to the ECI and their own organisations.

The ECI spans sectors that focus on the construction, maintenance and decommissioning of heavy industry, including oil and gas, nuclear, power generation, renewables, carbon capture and storage, hydrogen, chemicals, food and drink, pharmaceuticals and water treatment.

ECITB Chief Executive Andrew Hockey said: “As the industry-led skills body for engineering construction, we are committed to developing the skills needed for the delivery of critical infrastructure projects, energy security and net zero ambitions across Great Britain.

“We spoke of this commitment when launching our new strategy, Leading Industry Learning, back in September, which outlined how we will help to address skills shortages and support industry growth amid an increasingly complex and fast-changing external environment.

“We highlighted how achieving the outcomes from our 2026-30 strategy will require collaboration and commitment well beyond the ECITB alone.

“It fills me with great hope, therefore, to see this commitment to skills development showcased throughout industry in the inspiring entries we received this year for the awards.

“Congratulations to Wright Engineering and to all the winners and finalists who are great examples of these success stories over the past year and set standards to which we all aspire.”

See the full list of winners from the ECI Training & Development Awards 2025 at www.ecitb.org.uk/eci-training-development-awards-2025/