Wheeler Site Investigation takes three individual honours at BDA Awards 2026

Staff at Wheeler Site Investigation have won three individual categories at the British Drilling Association (BDA) Awards 2026, a year after the Essex-based contractor took the association's Contractor of the Year title, the BDA announced on 13 November.

Aaron Hind of Wheeler Site Investigation won Best Audited Driller, and his colleague Luke Land won Best Audited Support Operative. A third Wheeler employee, Nathan Mcgraw, was highly commended in the support operative category, and Joshua Ovens, also of Wheeler, was named Rising Star.

BAM Ground Engineering took two awards, winning Land Drilling Industry Contractor of the Year and the Environment & Sustainability category. In Situ SI won Specialist Supplier to the Industry.

Two Lifetime Contribution to the Industry awards were presented, to Lee Allardyce and Alistair Huntly.

The BDA said the winners' achievements reflected the skills, commitment and experience that supported its work to raise standards across the drilling industry. It thanked everyone who had entered.

The audited categories

The Best Audited Driller and Best Audited Support Operative awards rest on the BDA Audit, which the association describes as a third-party assessment of drilling operatives and their equipment. According to the BDA, the audit examines the individual's current competence alongside their rig and equipment.

The BDA said the audit satisfies BS 22475 Parts 2 and 3 and is accredited by the awarding body MPQC. Audits are carried out by assessors drawn from the drilling industry, take half a day and are renewed annually, which the association said provides ongoing proof of current competence.

Wheeler Site Investigation's showing follows its win in the Land Drilling Industry Contractor category at the 2025 awards, announced on 27 November 2025, when the BDA described the company as the first to achieve 100 per cent compliance in BDA audits. On its own website Wheeler says its latest BDA Audit results confirm full compliance across safety, competency and operational standards.

The company was established in 1987 and says it operates nationwide from its Essex base, supporting construction, geotechnical and environmental projects.

The supplier winner

The BDA names the supplier winner as In Situ SI. On its own website, In Situ Site Investigation describes itself as a specialist geotechnical and geo-environmental site investigation company, specialising in cone penetration testing and pressuremeter testing in the UK and worldwide. The company says it has more than 50 years of experience in the industry.

No separate announcement from BAM Ground Engineering on its two awards was available; the BDA's winners list is the only source for those results.

The 2026 awards

The BDA launched its awards in 2014. Entry to the 2026 competition was open to individuals and to land drilling contracting or support businesses that are BDA members, according to the association's call for entries, which scheduled the ceremony for Saturday 7 November 2026 at The Grand, Birmingham, from 6pm.

The BDA extended its entry deadline to 5pm on Friday 16 October 2026 before the winners were confirmed on 13 November.