Joseph Gallagher Wins Health, Safety & Wellbeing Initiative of the Year at the 2025 NCE Tunnelling Awards
The award coincides with a major milestone: 10 years of LIFE, marking a decade of cultural transformation, measurable safety improvement and a deep commitment to the wellbeing of every colleague across their UK and Middle East operations.
The judging panel added: “This entry presents a well-established and impactful wellbeing initiative that has demonstrated long-term commitment and cultural change over a decade. It is particularly notable for being internally driven, without client prompting or external funding, and has shown consistent improvement over time. The submission highlights strong leadership engagement and clear positive outcomes for workforce wellbeing. While more data linking the initiative to productivity or tunnelling-specific risk mitigation would strengthen it further, it stands out as a mature, thoughtful, and industry-leading example of health, safety, and wellbeing practice. This entry stood out as having real impact with Joseph Gallagher and their projects’’.
A Decade of Safety, Culture and Measurable Change
Since its launch, LIFE has grown from a behavioural safety initiative into a defining part of Joseph Gallagher Group. Over the past decade, LIFE has delivered:
- 1,474 LIFE Leadership project tours and 4,000+ colleagues trained
- 800+ Best Practice Awards in 2024
- A culture of open reporting, psychological safety and personal accountability
Wellbeing at the Core
LIFE integrates safety and wellbeing through:
- 60+ Mental Health First Aiders across the business
- ISO 45003 accreditation for psychological health & safety
- Onsite wellbeing initiatives, including prostate screenings that enabled four early diagnoses
- Monthly wellbeing campaigns and a dedicated Wellbeing Committee
- Materials translated into five languages to support our diverse workforce
Leadership at Every Level
To mark the 10-year anniversary, the LIFE Leadership Team visited every project across the UK and Middle East, joined by senior leaders including our founder, Joseph Gallagher- reinforcing the programme’s importance and our commitment to visible, accessible leadership.
‘’This award celebrates a culture where safety, wellbeing and respect are non-negotiable. We thank every LIFE Champion, MHFA, project team and colleague who lives our values daily.
As we enter the next decade of LIFE, we remain committed to listening, caring and keeping people at the heart of every decision.’’ – Paul Gallagher, Managing Director
