Applications now open for International Safety Awards 2024

The annual British Safety Council’s International Safety Awards, which recognise an organisation’s commitment to excellent standards of health, safety and wellbeing management are now open for applications.

In 2023, 773 organisations of all sizes, types and sectors won an International Safety Award. The winners included businesses from the UK, Africa, Asia, India, mainland Europe and the Middle East. A full list of 2023’s winners can be found here.

Businesses of all sizes, types and sectors around the world can apply. There are 13 award categories for 2024, including seven that are free to enter. A new sector award of Consultancy and Advisory has been added this year for relevant organisations in all countries.

Businesses applying can be recognised as ‘best in class’ across four categories:

• The Sector Awards will recognise overall ‘best in class’ submissions by organisations to the International Safety Awards, by industry sector category
• The Best in Country Awards will recognise the highest scoring and best overall application from individual countries where there are sufficient applications from the given country
• Best in Company Award is for organisations with 50 or more participating sites and recognises the site(s) with the most outstanding applications
• Chief Adjudicator’s Award will recognise the most outstanding applications from this year’s entrants. Previous winners have been exemplars in their respective areas and evidenced this through their application responses.

Winners of the Sector and Best in Country will only be awarded where there is an applicant who has achieved a Distinction in their 2024 International Safety Award application.

Seven of the awards are completely free-to-enter whether or not they have applied for an International Safety Award. These are:

• Seize the Opportunity Award: This award recognises organisations that have gone the extra mile to seize health, safety or wellbeing opportunities resulting from a crisis.
• CEO Award: This recognises the leadership and strategic vision of CEOs who have made a vital contribution to the health, safety and wellbeing of their business and to the wider society during 2023. The award recognises how an individual CEO has taken an active role in aligning and championing their organisation’s health, safety and wellbeing interests with their internal and external stakeholders.
• Health and Safety Transformation Award – sponsored by Croner-i: The Health and Safety Transformation Award is for organisations that have significantly changed or transformed any aspect of health, safety or wellbeing to a significant extent through the use of information.
• Health, Safety and Wellbeing Ambassador of the Year Award: This recognises an employee who, in the opinion of the organisation or person nominating them, has played a significant role in ensuring the health, safety and wellbeing of colleagues and others.
• Team of the Year Award: This recognises outstanding achievements resulting in a significant improvement to health, safety or wellbeing, from a collaboration of stakeholders, which may include members of the organisation, suppliers, subcontractors and/or the wider community.
• The James Tye Award: This recognises an organisation or a team of individuals who have developed and run a campaign in 2023 that has made a significant impact on health, safety or wellbeing in the workplace. It is named after British Safety Council’s founder, James Tye, who campaigned tirelessly on issues such as life jackets and seat belts.
• Wellbeing Initiative Award – powered by Being Well Together: This recognises and rewards those organisations that have demonstrated a proactive and effective approach to improving employee wellbeing.

Launching the International Safety Awards for 2024, Chief Executive of the British Safety Council, Mike Robinson said: “At a time when the term ‘perma-crisis’ has been used to define our age, and global events continue to threaten and disrupt lives around the globe, ensuring the health, safety and wellbeing of people at work has never been more vital. So it’s great that we can pause for a moment and celebrate the successes of people and their organisations in preventing accidents, injuries and ill health in workplaces over the past year.

“The British Safety Council’s International Safety Awards are rightly seen by companies, teams, and individuals as a pinnacle of achievement and recognition in protecting and enhancing the health, safety and wellbeing of workers. I would encourage all organisations and leaders around the world who are proud of their track record to put themselves forward for an award.”

The closing date for applications is 9 February 2024 and the results will be announced on 11 March 2024.

To apply go to: International Safety Awards 2024.