ICC Belfast, Waterfront Hall and Ulster Hall, has made the shortlist for the Safety and Health Excellence (SHE) Awards 2024. The emergency exercise ‘Operation Fallout’ has been nominated in the Best Health & Safety Project category, showcasing the continued commitment to set the standards for business events and live entertainment that deliver socially, culturally and economically for Belfast and Northern Ireland.
The shortlisted project, ‘Operation Fallout’, included a mock strategic emergency exercise to test the joint response to a major incident at live entertainment venue, Ulster Hall. This simulation ultimately enhanced the venue's readiness to manage emergencies and modelled real-life scenarios to scrutinise and improve the building's infrastructure, operational systems, and emergency response procedures.
Since 2016, BWUH Ltd. has been on a transformative journey, one that has seen significant success and positive change across our three venues - ICC Belfast, Waterfront Hall and Ulster Hall - including enhanced levels of health and safety, elevated accessibility standards and streamlined operations.
Julia Corkey, Chief Executive of ICC Belfast, Waterfront Hall and Ulster Hall said, “Venue safety is critical to the continued success of our venues, so we are delighted that our organisation’s efforts have been recognised by the Safety and Health Excellence Awards. ‘Operation Fallout’ involved comprehensive planning, coordination, and execution to mirror real-life emergency scenarios, and I commend the team for their efforts. It was an important undertaking that underscored our commitment to safety and excellence in emergency preparedness, and we will continue to execute it to ensure our standards remain. This large-scale simulation was not only a testament to our proactive stance on safety, but our commitment to working in partnership to provide as enjoyable an offering and environment as possible for our patrons and our team.”
Charlie McCloskey, Director of Events & Customer Experience said, “We pride ourselves on our patrons having a positive experience when they are with us, and whilst our venues may be very different in terms of their heritage, their design, and their offering the prioritisation of safety is evident across all three. This award shortlisting emphasises our commitment and showcases the expertise of our team. We are proud to represent the world of live entertainment alongside the other organisations shortlisted in our category, and I thank our partners and our team for their contribution to the project. I look forward to supporting the exercise again in the future so it can continue to enhance the visitor experience.”
The SHE awards ceremony will be hosted by comedian Dara Ó Briain on May 1, and will be attended by more than 750 representatives from the UK’s most recognised organisations including Netflix, AstraZeneca, and Sodexo.
