Portadown-based Industry Training Services opens for business in Dublin

Northern Ireland provider of health and safety training solutions has opened a base in Dublin as the company sees a demand within the Republic of Ireland.

As the leading provider of health & safety training to local authorities, food manufacturers, telecoms and construction companies across NI, Industry Training Services (ITS) is equipped to deliver safety training for essential safety certifications and for specialist conditions.

ITS was established in 2000 by civil engineer, Brendan Crealey who identified the need for a professional health and safety training company for the construction sector in NI after working on large motorway and construction projects in the UK. Since then, the company has grown across NI and into border regions with a purpose-built health and safety training campus on 12 acres near Portadown.

Brendan Crealey, said: “In the 23 years since we were first established, ITS has become the leading supplier of training courses for a wide range of industries across NI. However, throughout those years of growth we have had a sizeable number of companies from the south that have become long-term clients of ITS. We see establishing a permanent presence in Dublin as a key step in enabling us to better serve our customers in Dublin and the wider region.

“Our state-of-the-art training facility near Portadown, close to the M1 motorway is less than a 90-minute drive from north county Dublin and we have had a lot of clients from Dublin, north Leinster and indeed from a broad swathe of counties close to the border including Louth, Monaghan, Cavan, Roscommon, Sligo and right across the county of Donegal.”

ITS’ range of customers goes beyond the construction sector to include companies from utilities, telecoms, manufacturing and engineering, local authorities, food manufacturing, agriculture and horticulture.

The company has custom built confined space installations at its Portadown facility that replicates real world situations as faced by employees from varying sectors.

Mr Crealey explained: “Thankfully, accidents with employees in confined spaces are very rare, but companies need to be aware of their duty of care for employees in these situations and our expertise in this area coupled with our specially designed trailer mean we are a leading provider for this specialised training to companies and local authorities anywhere on the island of Ireland.”

Tower crane rescue is another area where ITS has built up a level of expertise.

He added: “Just look at the skyline of Dublin and you will see how many tower cranes there are in operation. Tower crane operators are trained workers who carry out their duties in a unique environment. Tower crane operator employers have a duty of care to these specialised workers, in the event of a health or other type of emergency that the operator could suffer, only trained personnel can bring the tower crane operator down in such a situation. It is up to the company who owns the tower crane to ensure they always have a trained team of personnel on site who can intervene and carryout a rescue procedure. ITS can offer expert advice on equipment needed and carryout tower crane rescue training for companies that own or operate tower cranes anywhere in Ireland.”