RoSPA Occupational Health and Safety Awards

Dating back to 1956,RoSPA's annual awards scheme - the largest and longest-running occupational safety awards programme in the UK - recognises organisations' commitment to accident and ill health prevention. It is open to businesses and organisations of all types and sizes from across the UK and overseas

The RoSPA Awards, which are sponsored by NEBOSH (the National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health), look at entrants' overarching health and safety management systems, recognising important practices such as strong leadership and workforce involvement.

The scheme is widely regarded as not only impartial recognition of performance but also a prestigious not-to-be missed event with after dinner entertainment from top names. This is reflected in recent finalist nominations in two categories at the UK Event Awards 2011. The winners will be revealed at a ceremony at Wembley Stadium on November 30.

Rewarding excellence The majority of awards are noncompetitive and are presented at a range of achievement levels. Competitive awards are presented in more than 20 sectors and specialist awards recognise excellence in specific areas. For 2012, the specialist trophy sponsors are once again: Westinghouse Springfields Fuels Ltd (Workforce Involvement in Safety and Health Trophy); Allianz Insurance plc (Managing Occupational Road Risk Trophy); Gulf Petrochemicals Industry Company of Bahrain (International Dilmun Environmental Award); and BHSF (SME Assistance Trophy).

All entrants must register for the awards at www.rospa.com/awards/ by December 1, 2011. After registering, entrants will receive a RoSPA Awards USB key loaded with the required electronic forms, entry structure and simple guidelines with links to further online help. These should be completed and returned to RoSPA by February 1, 2012.

David Rawlins, RoSPA's awards manager, said: "The RoSPA Occupational Health and Safety Awards seem to break records every year. In 2011, over 1,900 entries were received - more than ever before. Not only do our awards provide well-deserved recognition for the winners, enabling them to differentiate themselves from competitors when tendering for new or repeat business, but they also encourage other organisations to raise their standards of accident and ill health prevention."

Celebrating continued success Many of RoSPA's award winners enter year after year, and a prime example of this can be seen in the association between RoSPA and Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company (GPIC) of Bahrain.

First entering in the early 1990s, the organisation initially won a bronze achievement award. In 2005, having climbed through the award ranks, GPIC reached the pinnacle of success when it was named the winner of the highest accolade - the Sir George Earle Trophy.

The internationally-recognised trophy is presented in honour of a firm's outstanding occupational health and safety management performance.

Abdulrahman Jawahery, who was GPIC's general manager in 2005 and is now the firm's President, described winning this prestigious award as the highest testimony from the world's leading occupational health and safety organisation.

GPIC's enduring run of success in the RoSPA Awards has continued since 2005.

Earlier this year - in the 55th running of the awards scheme - it won the Chemical Industry Sector Award.

Mr Jawahery said: "At GPIC we pride ourselves in being associated with the RoSPA Awards for more than two decades, which has enabled us to build a comprehensive safety, health and environment (SHE) culture and management system. Over the years the Awards have provided us with opportunities to measure our performance and enhance it wherever we can." The GPIC and RoSPA relationship is an excellent demonstration of how exemplary health and safety can become part of a continuing success story.

The 2012 RoSPA Awards ceremonies will take place alongside Safety and Health Expo in Birmingham from May 15-17, 2012 and also in Glasgow on September 20, 2012. For more information: Visit:www.rospa.com/awards Email: awards@rospa.com.