Ballinahown man honoured for lifesaving efforts

Ballinahown man Oliver Egan has won first place at the Irish Steel Awards on Friday, October 4.

Ross Engineering Environmental, Health, and Safety Advisors Oliver and James Cassidy both received recognition for their fast reaction as they administered lifesaving CPR to a colleague.

The pair received the first place award in the Health and Safety category.

When asked how he felt after winning first place, Oliver said: “I am delighted for the company, and for ourselves. It's great to get the recognition. It could lead to further career opportunities.

"We also got recognition within Intel, but this award is just on a higher level."

Unfortunately, James couldn't attend the ceremony, but Oliver and their colleagues were there to pick up the award.

Oliver and James were working in Intel in Leixlip in November 2023, when they came across a man who had suffered a heart attack.

“We were walking along, and we came across this man who wasn't in good shape. He was grey in the face, and we just jumped in straight away,” Oliver said.

“Both of us are trained in CPR as EHS Advisors, so we knew what do to. We performed CPR and the defibrillator. We worked on him for half hour until the ambulance came.”

The EHS Advisor noted that whilst the man suffered broken ribs and required heart surgery - he has now made a full recovery and has returned to work in Intel's Leixlip plant.