Phoenix Energy and Downpatrick Primary School this week celebrated the company’s educational programme for primary school children, ‘Play Safe, Stay Safe with Safety Sam’, reaching it’s 1,000th pupil.
The ‘Play Safe, Stay Safe’ schools programme aims to help local school children understand the hazards of playing on or near construction sites and was launched last year to primary schools within County Down, where the company is currently working to extend the natural gas pipeline and bring the benefits of natural gas to an additional 28,000 properties.
Adrian McNeilly, Health, Safety and Environmental Manager at Phoenix Energy said, “As a construction company, safety is our number one priority and our ‘Play Safe, Stay Safe’ programme has been instrumental in educating primary school children across County Down about natural gas and keeping safe in areas where we are working, which are often residential streets.
“I’m delighted at how successful the programme has been since it launched last year and this week we visited Downpatrick Primary School where the programme reached its 1,000th pupil and 30th primary school.
“Construction sites are hazardous places, particularly for children, who may not be aware of the threats they pose. Our sessions are designed to be interactive, fun and engaging, whilst delivering serious message which will help protect children in our local communities with the help of our friendly character, Safety Sam.
“In addition, the programme also includes a ‘Phoenix Eco-Warriors’ session, focused on the environment. The aim of this session is to communicate the importance of looking after our environment and to inspire a new generation of environmentally focused children to continue to do good work in this area”, added Adrian.
Downpatrick Primary School Principal, Niall Stevenson, said, “With Phoenix Energy working in the Downpatrick area, we were keen to avail of this educational programme and ensure our pupils are aware of the dangers of construction sites. The pupils thoroughly enjoyed the session and learnt a lot about natural gas in the process, as well as learning the special Safety Sam Safety Code which will help our pupils avoid any potential dangers associated with construction sites in residential areas.
“I would highly recommend this programme to other primary schools in the County Down area and commend Phoenix Energy for being committed to educating local school children as it carries out essential works to bring natural gas to Downpatrick.”
Phoenix Energy is committed to upholding the very highest standards in health and safety, which has been recognised internationally through numerous awards. The company recently won an International Safety Award with Merit from the British Safety Council and the company was also one of only 64 organisations worldwide to receive a prestigious Sword of Honour award, accepting the accolade for the third time in 2016.
The ‘Play Safe, Stay Safe’ educational programme continues to run throughout the calendar year until end of June 2019.
If you are a primary school and would like to request a ‘Play Safe, Stay Safe’ visit, please contact geri.wright@phoenixnaturalgas.com.
For more information on the benefits of natural gas visit www.phoenixnaturalgas.com.