Recognising excellence

THE 2020 entries for the prestigious BSIF Safety Awards were completed before the onset of the Covid 19 pandemic, but had to be delayed by a full year before the announcement could be made. After a few false dawns and changes to the event, it was finally possible to recognise our winning entries. The companies that entered our awards recognise that through their hard work and innovative thinking we can collectively continue to keep people at work safe.

The three categories of the BSIF Awards are Product Innovation, Safety Solution and Service Excellence:

Product Innovation: An award for products that are new and innovative and will contribute to improvements in occupational safety & health within the UK.

Safety Solutions: Based upon case studies submitted by members, these awards recognise major improvements in occupational safety as a result of a supplier/customer project created in 2017/2018.

Service Excellence: An award for companies in the safety field offering exceptional and innovative service solutions. Voted for by the entrants’ own customers who respond to questionnaires focusing on their supplier’s service.

Water Pollution Prevention: The award, supported by the Environment Agency, the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency and Natural Resources Wales recognises the efforts made by business to protect the environment and ensure that all water pollution risks are managed in an effective and efficient way.

The BSIF Product Innovation Award was judged using live presentations of the products to the judges enabling them to ask questions to the entrants and gain a full understanding of the product.

The judging panel consists of highly respected and well-known figures from the health & safety arena, with a broad range of professional expertise.

The winners of the four award categories are listed below:

Product Innovation:

Winner

Brilliant Ideas – Net Recovery System

Highly Commended

Design Reality – FitCheck® technology

Keir Highways – Instaboom

Commended

Centurion – XIV Arc Screen

Panduit Verisafe – Voltage Assesser

After learning of their success, Bright Ideas commented: “We are delighted to have won the Product Innovation Award and to have been Highly Commended for our SLAPP Clamp product. As with all our products these were invented to improve Health & Safety on construction sites, something we are very passionate about at Brilliant Ideas”

Customer Service Award:

Winner

EssentialSkillz

Highly Commended

Concept Products

Commended

Martor Highly

Lyreco

Seton

Essential Skillz were quoted as saying: “We are honoured to accept the BSIF customer service award on behalf of EssentialSkillz and our fantastic Support team. We’re incredibly proud of them for winning this award for the second year in a row. It is always a joy to work alongside our colleagues in Support, and it’s wonderful to see that our customers feel the same! ”

Safety Excellence:

Safety Solutions: Based upon case studies submitted by members, these awards recognise major improvements in occupational safety as a result of a supplier/customer project created in 2018/2019.

Winner

Hunter Apparel Solutions

Commended

VPS UK Ltd Highly

Brilliant Ideas

Lyreco

Water Pollution Prevention Award 2020: Entrants must demonstrate a detailed understanding of their working environment in relation to preventing incidents that could lead to the pollution of the water environment, surface water or groundwater.

Joint Winners:

BilgeAway – River Canal Rescue

Loughborough University

Upon receiving their award River Canal Rescue commented: “RCR are over the moon to receive the award and being recognised as an important product to assist in protecting the environment and preventing pollution of our valuable waterways”

The BSIF Safety Awards 2021

The BSIF Safety Awards 2021 winners were announced during a digital event on 13th October 2021. The awards were hosted as part of the Safety & Health Excellence Awards by The ‘Voice of the Balls’ and Radio 2’s Chief Network Announcer Alan Dedicote.

The awards were reduced from the normal four categories to just two, a reflection of how the Covid 19 pandemic had continued to cause problems across industry.

Product Innovation Award 2021

Winner:

3M Welding Helmet G5-02

Highly Commended:

Guardian Quick Switch

3M™ E-A-R ™ Flexible Fit HA Earplug

Commended:

CleanSpace Steri-Plus Exhalation Filter

Shawcity QuantiFit 2

Customer Service Award 2021

Winner

Rapid Fire Supplies

Highly Commended

Red Wing UK Ltd

Martor UK Ltd

Commended

Swift360

Guardsman

Rapid Fire Supplies commented: “Rapid Fire Supplies are thrilled to have won the BSIF Customer Service Award 2021. Craig and Nikki have gone above and beyond to provide great customer service as part of their business, especially in this highly competitive market. It is extremely rewarding to be recognised for all the hard work.”

The awards are a celebration of Safety & Health and help to demonstrate the importance of the role it plays across all industries in the UK. It’s time to move away from the notion of the ‘Burden of Health & Safety’ to celebrating and truly recognising the vital role we all have in looking after employees whilst they are at work. The UK has one of the best health & safety records in the world, it is something to be proud of and something to be shouted about and that is the purpose of the BSIF Safety Awards.