O'Donovan-Newsletter Summer 2016

SUMMER 2016 

O’D News 

Driving sustainability - Delivering excellence 

Safety is our priority 

Campaigning to raise 

awareness for road safety 

Read more on page 3 

Outstanding woman 

in construction 

Jacqueline wins 2016 award 


Unveiling our new 

Alperton facility 

£ £ £ £ 

May saw the grand opening of our Alperton material recycling facility. 

We were thrilled to be joined by His Excellency Dan Mulhall, The 

Ambassador of Ireland to Great Britain who officially opened the site. 

We welcomed guests from across industries to celebrate our latest 

investment. It’s an important step for O’Donovan’s development, 

enabling us to continue to exceed customers’ needs in diverting 100% 

of waste from landfill and achieving broader sustainability goals; in 

line with the circular economy. 

Alperton launch 

See photos from our 

opening event 

Read more on page 6-7 

Ethiopia visit 

Read Bríanán’s experience 

with charity GOAL 


0800 731 3332 sales@odonovan.co.uk odonovan.co.uk /OdonovanWasteDisposal @ODonovanWaste

OdonovanWasteDisposal @ODonovanWaste SUMMER 2016 

Welcome from 

Jacqueline O’Donovan 

In March, we kicked off our 2016 Safety 

Campaign in conjunction with road 

safety charity Brake Professional. The 

drive will see us helping raise awareness 

and share our best practice throughout 

2016 across a range of safety topics 

around driving for work. You can find 

out more about the campaign on page 

3 and I’d encourage as many of you to 

help us spread the word on social media 

using our hashtags; the flyers are also 

available, so please let us know if you’d 

like copies! 

So far 2016 has seen some exciting developments 

for O’Donovan and hence it’s been a busy few 

months. The year started with the planning of our 

May opening event for our new material recycling 

facility in Alperton. We were thrilled to welcome 

Dan Mulhall, the Ambassador of Ireland to Great 

£ £ £ £ 

Britain, as our guest of honour on the day. We had 

a great turn out with guests joining us from across 

our client-base and broader industry to celebrate 

the culmination of a long-held dream, months’ of 

work and investment on the development of our 

new site. 

In an industry-first we made some 

additions to our fleet in March and 

unveiled our brand new Mercedes Benz 

Econic skip lorries at the annual CLOCS 

exhibition which took place at ExcCeL 

London. It was great to see the reactions 

of the delegates to this unique vehicle 

and to receive encouragement from 

Mike Brown, Transport Commissioner 

which cemented our decision to invest 

in some of the safest vehicles currently 

available on the market. 

Looking forward to the rest of 2016 we’ll 

be continuing in the same vein with lots 

more planned for the coming months! 

Jacqueline O’Donovan 

Managing Director 

>2 



/OdonovanWasteDisposal 

@ODonovanWaste 

Breaking the 

mould with new 

vehicle design 

In March we unveiled these new additions at the fifth 

CLOCS conference and exhibition, which saw over 650 

delegates get together from around a range of construction 

and logistics sectors, trade associations and road user 

groups from across the UK. It was great to hear the views 

of our industry peers and garner support from Transport 

Commissioner Mike Brown. 

As a CLOCS Champion we must make resolute steps and 

embrace change to help reduce road danger posed by 

construction vehicles. As a progressive company, we are 

willing to continue to make bold decisions in order to ensure 

we make the best choices to help further protect vulnerable 

road users. 

Earlier in 2015 we undertook trials, in conjunction with 

CLOCS and the vehicle manufacturers, of a range of new 

safety-enhanced skip loaders. As a result of these trials we 

added new lorries to our fleet in March: the Mercedes Benz 

Econic skip loader. These are the first vehicles of their 

kind to be commercially bought and put to work in 

the UK. 

Pioneering safety features 

We opted to buy the Econics due to their innovative 

features, which give our drivers an unparalleled view of 

vulnerable road users. 

Our Econics feature: 

• A wide field of vision thanks to a deep panoramic 

windscreen 

• Fully glazed, floor-to-ceiling ‘bus style’ nearside door 

• Lowered driving position putting the driver at eye-level 

with both cyclists and pedestrians 

• Direct visibility of the nearside blindspot through the 

glazed door 

£ £ £ £ 

In addition to these standard safety features, we also 

commissioned a further range of CLOCS safety features 

including: side scan system, side under run protection, left 

hand turn audible alarm, hesitancy markings and more. 

Spreading the word on safety 

In support of Brake 

Professional, the road 

safety charity, we are 

championing a campaign 

in 2016 to help raise 

awareness in our industry 

of the issues surrounding 

driving for work and road 

safety. One in three deaths on our roads involve one or more 

vehicles being driven for work. As a London-based operator 

in the construction and demolition waste industry we are 

only too aware of the need for awareness of the issues 

surrounding road safety. 

In support of Brake, over the coming months we will 

be sharing some key messages with our drivers and our 

connections in the industry. Each month will focus on 

a theme in line with Brake’s activity to support their 

great work. 

We’re encouraging all our staff, clients and connections to 

share our campaign messages as widely as possible to help 

raise awareness. We’ll be sending out flyers and emails 

each month and busy on Twitter (@ODonovanWaste) and 

Facebook (www.facebook.com/OdonovanWasteDisposal) to 

get the message out to all our followers, encouraging them 

to spread the word. If you’d like any copies of the flyers to 

circulate, we’d be happy to supply them, just call or email. 

We hope you’ll get involved with us and show your support. 

We’re happy to share our experiences of running a fleet with 

other businesses, so if you’d like to find out more please do 

get in touch with us! 

0800 731 3332 sales@odonovan.co.uk odonovan.co.uk /OdonovanWasteDisposal @ODonovanWaste 

>3


Driving 

compliance 

Developing our team 

with in-cab training 

To date, 45 of our drivers have completed 

a new training course which has been 

developed by Transport for London in 

partnership with the Metropolitan Police 

DVSA and Traffic Commissioners. 

The Driver CPC Staying Legal course was 

delivered to our drivers onsite at our 

headquarters, out-of-hours so as not to 

impact on the working day. With the aim 

of protecting our Operator’s Licence, and 

our drivers’ driving licences. The course 

provides trainees with an understanding 

of the regulatory framework governing 

road transport and the enforcement 

agencies and regulations to ensure drivers, 

vehicles and journeys are compliant and 

ultimately, stay legal. 

Although the course was available to us 

as FORS operators on a funded basis, 

we opted to commission our own onsite 

course. This investment in our drivers is 

a high priority to ensure they are aware 

of their own and the company’s legal 

obligations. We believe it’s this level 

of senior management commitment 

that means we have a workforce that 

is engaged and proud to be part of the 

O’Donovan team. 

£ £ £ £ 

Nick Caesari, Managing Director, Fleet 

Source Limited said “We offer a range of 

open training courses across the UK and 

are currently delivering Staying Legal 

for FORS operators around the UK. It’s 

extremely positive to see O’Donovan 

proactively training its drivers on the very 

latest course available. The Fleet Source 

team has worked closely with O’Donovan 

to enable the training to be delivered 

onsite and at weekends, avoiding any 

impact on their business operations” 

>4 

Paul Neal, our logistical supervisor has recently undertaken the Road Haulage 

Association (RHA) Driver CPC LGV Driver Assessor – Instructor training; to equip 

him with the relevant knowledge and skills to assess and train our own drivers. 

The two-day course saw Paul getting to grips with fuel economy, creating training 

programmes, reducing accidental damage and assessing the cause of accidents. 

Paul will now be putting his enhanced knowledge into practice by training our 

drivers in the ‘O’Donovan Way’, ensuring they are equipped to drive to the highest 

standard possible; improving safety for drivers and other road users alike. 

We pride ourselves on our high standards of training for staff and recognise 

the importance of developing the skills of our team, ensuring they receive the 

right training throughout their employment. Our team is our biggest asset, so by 

ensuring they operate to the highest standard this in turn benefits the service we 

provide to our clients. 





Outstanding! 

Initiative wins edie 

Health & Safety award 

In March Jacqueline was crowned 

Outstanding Woman in the 2016 

Women in Construction awards. 

The ceremony, which celebrated 

its tenth year, showcases the 

brightest and best female 

achievers in the construction and 

built environment industries. 

Our Safety 2015 and 

Beyond programme 

has seen us scoop 

the Health & Safety 

Initiative award 

in this year’s edie 

Environmental & 

Energy awards. 

These awards 

recognise 

and celebrate 

advancements in 

green technologies; 

excellence in onsite 

energy, water and resource management and those who are 

driving forward change in organisational sustainability. 

The Health & Safety category, sponsored by NEBOSH, 

recognises the very best in occupational health and 

safety; so we were thrilled that our demonstration of our 

commitment and investment in these vital areas secured 

us a win. 

Jacqueline Balian of the Chartered Institute of Building 

commented that Jacqueline stood out for a number of 

reasons including having developed a successful company 

in a difficult sector, her implementation of a range of safety 

initiatives and the upskilling of the team. 

As a key role model for other females in the waste and 

construction industries, Jacqueline champions women in 

senior management roles and provides mentoring support 

for others at O’Donovan and in the wider industry. 

£ £ £ £ 

“It was a huge honour to be recognised at the awards. It was 

wonderful to have not just mine, but the whole O’Donovan 

team’s hard work recognised in this way; particularly as 

there were so many inspirational women in the room.” 

Our Safety 2015 and Beyond programme has been about 

O’Donovan working to break new ground in best practice 

and proving that we are prepared to do whatever it takes to 

effect real change within our business. 

To this end we are able to demonstrate the following: 

• A highly trained team in health & safety best practice, 

with key members of staff appointed H&S Champions 

• An engaged and committed workforce to help drive 

improvemnets in standards across all our operations 

• A significant reduction in driving ‘events’, such as harsh 

braking, cornering and idling 

• Played a leading role in improving HGV cab design 

Award finalists included multinationals, industry consultants 

and energy professionals and we collected our award at a 

glittering ceremony at the National Motorcycle Museum in 

May. Although we’re an SME, we’re proud to not only think 

big, but challenge other bigger industry players to think 

differently and take action! 


>5


Alperton 

Launch 2016 

£ £ £ £ 

Goleen 

Alperton Depot 

Launch 2016 

>6 





Exciting 

times are 

ahead! 

£ £ £ £ 


>7


Leading the way at Constructing 

Excellence Awards 

In July we were thrilled to secure the coveted Health 

and Safety award at the 2016 Constructing Excellence 

in London and South East Awards. The awards, which 

brought together over 560 construction industry 

professionals, celebrated the best teams and organisations 

in the region. 

As noted by the judges, we have invested substantial time 

and resources into safety training, culture and technological 

innovation, continually setting new standards for Health and 

Safety best practice for other organisations to follow. 

“The judges were impressed not only by the huge investments 

made by the company into training its team for the safe 

operation of its waste business,” said Philip Baker of APS, 

co-sponsor of the category, “but also in the work undertaken 

with vehicle manufacturers, TfL, the police and the cycling 

public is making a huge contribution to the safety of all road 

users.” 

£ £ £ £ 

In addition to this great win, Jacqueline was awarded 

Achiever of the Year 2016. 

This award recognises outstanding performance or influence 

by an individual who has been inspirational in the opinion of 

the sector peer group during the year. The winner’s exemplary 

actions will have changed the behaviour and performance of 

others and delivered disproportionate benefits for, and left a 

legacy in, the outputs of the built environment sector. 

On winning the award the judges’ comments were that 

Jacqueline’s career has taught her that you never stop learning 

and this is something that she embeds in the O’Donovan 

team. She is a driver of people and her enthusiasm resonates 

throughout her family business, the built environment and 

the wider community. 

Jacqueline commented “We pride ourselves on our 

exceptionally high standards of health and safety training and 

are delighted that the judges have recognised the value we 

place on developing this area not only within our company, but 

across the industry” 

>8 





Putting school kids 

in the driving seat 

City of London Corporation Road Safety Officer, Sheila 

Moules, said: 

“It was a pleasure to invite O’Donovan Waste to the Sir John 

Cass School for our Road Safety Day, I know all 180 children 

were delighted to sit in the cabs of the lorries and learn about 

safety on the City’s roads. “Working with our partners, like 

O’Donovan, helps us at the City of London Corporation deliver 

our Road Safety aims and make the city streets safer for 

all users.” 

You can find out more about the Exchanging Places 

programme by visiting the Metropolitan Police’s website: 

http://bit.ly/ItBjro and get details of the any upcoming events 

where you can get involved. 

Getting involved in our local 

communities 

As part of the City of London Corporation’s Road Safety Day 

we recently helped to inspire and educate a group of school 

children, by taking part in an Exchanging Places programme 

at Sir John Cass’s Foundation Primary School, in the heart of 

the City. 

Exchanging Places, which is run by the Met Police and City 

Police, puts cyclists in the cab of a lorry to help them view 

the road from the perspective of the driver – encouraging 

collaboration, mutual learning and understanding. On the 

day we gave the children an opportunity to learn about the 

relationship between cyclists and HGVs on London’s busy 

roads. 

£ £ £ £ 

180 children – aged between 5-11 years old – took part in both 

classroom and playground-based activities designed to teach 

them the importance of road safety and the work that is being 

done to ensure safe logistics operations on London’s roads. 

We provided two lorries for the children to experience – a 

Leyland AEC, from 1966 and a current Scania high cab roll on 

off lorry, to show them first-hand how innovation has led to 

improved safety features in lorries to keep vulnerable road 

users safer. 

We’re always keen to support relevant activities in our local 

community and have recently sponsored kit for a group of 10 

Year Five children from the St John Fisher Catholic Primary 

School in Perivale. The school is currently trialling an exchange 

programme with schools in Cork and has also just introduced 

Gaelic football to the school. The football kit was supplied to 

the 10 kids as they travelled to Mallow, Ireland as part of the 

Schools Exchange Program. It was great to see them dressed 

in their kit and we also received a lovely thank you letter! 


>9


Drivers wanted - 

bridging the skills gap 

The phrase ‘skills shortage’ is everywhere we look at the 

minute and is a problem being faced by many industries 

across the UK. In waste and logistics we are suffering 

from a deficit of new talent rising up through the ranks. 

There’s an ever-growing need for people to join our 

sectors and despite the thousands looking for work, it 

would seem they’re not particularly attractive. 

One of the key issues is the perceived lack of appeal of 

driving as a career. However it’s a fact that the job itself 

has improved greatly. Especially in that a greater level of 

qualification is needed, before a driver can climb into a cab 

and take to the road. Now drivers, working for a responsible 

employer, can expect strong wages and benefits, good 

working conditions, well-maintained and technologically 

advanced lorries and opportunities to progress their 

careers with learning and upskilling. 

£ £ £ £ 

Whether this is being effectively communicated however 

is open for debate and as a consequence the industry’s 

suffering. Young people don’t see driving as an attractive 

career, but this view needs to change in order for the industry 

to thrive. 

There are a range of other hurdles preventing people 

considering driving as a career, including age restrictions on 

licencing, experience and the associated competition amongst 

employers. The skills shortage is very real and immediate 

issue and the need for good people will only increase. 

At O’Donovan we are already working hard to promote HGV 

driving as a legitimate career. We value our drivers as they 

are one of the most important elements to enable us to run a 

successful business. To this end we invest heavily and give our 

drivers opportunities to upskill and progress their career. 

However for the gap to be reduced, collaboration across all 

areas of the sector is vital. If we do not act together we will all 

suffer together and it’s not something we can afford to 

let happen. 

>10 





Inside Out: 

Vince Dignam, City of London 

regards to road safety and creating the correct standards 

for drivers/staff. Hopefully though we will see the benefit 

of spending less on fuel - if the price continues to fall! 

Q: Is there one thing you avoid doing at all costs? 

The ironing at home! 

Q: What’s been your greatest business challenge? 

Vince is business improvement and performance 

manager for the City of London, responsible for 

corporate transport and clienting of the cleansing/waste 

and ancillary contracts. 

Q: What do you enjoy most about your profession? 

Helping change the way that people think about 

transportation and vehicles, especially over the past five 

years or so. Previously the subject was not viewed as a 

priority, but now there are so many aspects that touch many 

people’s lives such as the safety of vehicles and drivers and 

air quality. 

Q: What single thing would improve the quality of 

your life? 

Implementing a new Corporate Transport Policy for all City 

departments and staff. It required a lot of consultation and 

committee approvals. At present I am rolling it out across all 

the City departments, even though it has taken a long time 

to complete, it’s also a great achievement. 

Q: Where would you like to be right now? 

Monaco Grand Prix on a yacht! 

Q: What will we be talking about in our industry in 12 

months’ time? 

We will be still talking about vehicle safety and vulnerable 

road users, but I feel a real hot topic will be vehicle 

emissions and the 2020 implementation of the Ultra-Low 

Emission Zone being and what vehicle technologies our 

industry will be using. 

My Mum’s health improving. 

Q: What will you be spending more on in 2016? 

£ £ £ £ 

The City will continue to spend more on vehicle safety 

and initiatives that help reduce accidents, including driver 

training programmes such as Work Related Road Risk 

driver training and Safer Urban Driver courses. Also on 

new technologies such as hybrids, electric and hydrogen 

technology. At present we are trialling the Hydrogen 

Hydrolyser system on one of our specialist Garchey tankers. 

Q: And what will you be spending less on? 

Certainly not on any initiatives within transport. This is due 

to the importance of what the City wants to achieve with 

Q: If you could change one thing about the industry, 

what would it be? 

Make it more appealing for young people to take the 

Transport profession up and offer Apprenticeships in 

transport management. 

Q: What’s your biggest vice? 

Cars. I love cars, new and old and really enjoy driving. My 

wife says I spend too much money and time on cars - my 

reply: it’s no different to handbags or shoes! 


>11

Supporting a great cause 

We support a range of charities 

throughout the course of the year and 

recently Bríanán Ludlow, Jacqui’s PA, 

took a trip to Ethiopia to see how our 

donations were being utilised via the 

humanitarian charity GOAL. 

GOAL delivers a wide range of programmes in over 50 countries 

world-wide to ensure the poorest and most vulnerable have 

access to the basic rights of life including shelter, food, water 

and sanitisation, healthcare and education. GOAL has been 

working in Ethiopia since the early 80s assisting with child 

protection, development, nutrition, emergency relief and 

rehabilitation. 

Bríanán flew to Ethiopia for a week to see exactly what 

GOAL is doing: 

Obviously lots of photos were taken and the children loved 

to pose and see the pictures of themselves, I suppose even a 

mirror, something we take for granted, isn’t available to them. 

The GOAL team are amazing, they are real heroes. The 

dedication they show is incredible, having basically given up 

their lives to look after others less fortunate than themselves. 

It was humbling to see their passion - it is unbelievable and I 

think it takes a very special person to devote their life to helping 

others. 

This was an experience I’ll never forget! 

Find out more about Goal by visiting: 

www.goalglobal.org 

The charity will also be holding its GOAL UK ball on 30 

September in London, this is a great fundraiser which is 

help annually in aid of its life-saving work around the world. 

“It was such a pleasure to meet all the children and volunteers 

at the GOAL Street Programme and to see such life changing 

work in action. So many of the kids had been abandoned by their 

families and left to live on the streets, fending for themselves. 

Fortunately GOAL is there to provide help and works closely 

with other organisations to offer these children shelter, care, 

education and even in some cases, work; however this can be a 

struggle. 

I couldn’t believe how happy these children were! They have so 

very little, yet their strength of personality just shone through. 

The conditions they live in are extremely basic; their clothes are 

very worn and I had taken plenty of t-shirts and baseball caps 

with me and could have given away thousands more. 

>Email 

sales@odonovan.co.uk 

>Call 

0800 731 3332 

>Twitter 


>Find us on Facebook 


>Web 

odonovan.co.uk 

O’Donovan (Waste Disposal) Ltd, Markfield House, 82 Markfield Road,London, N15 4QF

O'Donovan-Newsletter Summer 2016

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