December 14, 2021
The British Drilling Association (BDA) awards entries have been judged and we are delighted to announce the winners for 2021.
The Awards are extremely important, being a highlight of the BDA calendar, as well as an opportunity for the Association to recognise the talent, the people and innovation that embody the principles of the BDA and its membership. In fact, their importance was demonstrated by the tremendous number of entries they attracted this year, and their quality was outstanding!
The Awards’ winners have been notified and trophies will be presented to each winner early next year, but in the meantime, let’s all raise a glass and give a big hand to all the winners – the first being:
- Lifetime Achievement | Winners – Ivor Reilly of Causeway Geotech Limited and Paul Mellon of Transport for Scotland: The vast contributions both Ivor and Paul have made to the drilling sector over many years meant it was only fitting to award them jointly this prestigious award. Well done both!
- Lead Driller of the Year | Winner – Jake Marshall, Soil Engineering GeoServices Ltd. Jake was able to demonstrate all the qualities in abundance necessary for the position of Lead Driller, also going above and beyond in preparing site documents and undertaking risk assessments.
- Lead Driller of the Year | Highly Commended – Paul Morton, BAM Ritchies, for his professionalism, commitment and dedication to the industry.
- Industry Excellence | Winner – SOCOTEC, for its “Drilling Wizard.” An excellent project and a worthy winner!
- Safety Initiative | Winner – AECOM, for its “AECOM DOSIWiG – Ground Investigation Guidance Series.” An excellent safety initiative having already making a positive impact on safety in the industry.
- Apprentice of the Year (The Derek Oakes Award) | There is no Award for this category this year, due to the delayed start of the BDA Apprenticeship Scheme, as a result of COVID-19. However, this category will be included in the 2022 Awards.
A big thank you to all members that entered the Awards – it was great to see on show the vibrancy of the drilling community and the dedication and commitment of those within the drilling sector.
A more detailed review of the winners will be published in the new year, but in the meantime well done to all!