The British Safety Council has launched its prestigious 2016 Sword of Honour and Globe of Honour awards, designed to recognise and celebrate health, safety and environmental management excellence worldwide.
The 2016 awards mark the 37th year of the Sword of Honour, awarded for health and safety management excellence, and the seventh year of the Globe of Honour, awarded for best practice in environmental management.
These two awards are open to business units and sites from all countries and business sectors who have achieved the maximum five stars in the British Safety Council’s independent Five Star health, safety and environmental management audits in the period 1 August 2015 – 31 July 2016.
To be awarded a Sword of Honour or Globe of Honour, an organisation must be able to demonstrate to an independent adjudication panel that it has a proven track record and a culture of best practice for excellence in health and safety or environmental management that runs throughout the business – from the shop floor to the boardroom. The Sword of Honour and Globe of Honour are an important part of the British Safety Council’s drive to recognise and celebrate exemplary health, safety and environmental management in the workplace.
Mike Robinson, Chief Executive of the British Safety Council, said: “The Sword of Honour and Globe of Honour awards shine a light on businesses which are at the forefront of achieving safe, healthy and sustainable workplaces and business practices. The awards celebrate their efforts and encourage other organisations worldwide to follow their lead.
“The British Safety Council’s vision is that no one should be injured or made ill at work. Currently, 6,300 people die every day globally as a result of occupational accidents or work-related diseases, contributing to over 2.3 million deaths per year. The economic cost of poor occupational safety and health practices is estimated at 4 per cent of global Gross Domestic Product each year (source: ILO). This demonstrates that there is still a great challenge ahead of us to convince business leaders around the world that investing in good health, safety and environmental management is a social imperative that also makes business sense.”
The closing date for applications is 2nd September 2016 and the results will be announced on 7th October 2016. The winning organisations will be invited to a celebratory luncheon on Friday 25th November 2016 at the historic Drapers’ Hall in the City of London to receive their awards. More details can be found HERE
Last year, 61 Swords were awarded and eight organisations achieved the Globe of Honour. The winners were drawn from a wide range of industry sectors in the UK, mainland Europe, India and the Middle East, including construction, education and training, energy generation and distribution, food and drink, leisure and manufacturing.
In 2015, seven organisations won the ‘double’ – both the Sword of Honour and Globe of Honour. These were: Dubai Electricity and Water Authority; OSI Food Solutions UK Ltd – Scunthorpe; Qatargas Operating Company Ltd – Commercial & Shipping Group – Shipping Department; Unipart Aftermarket Logistics; Unipart Logistics; Unipart Technology Logistics and United Biscuits (UK) Ltd.
Commenting on the award, Hisham M AlSubyani, Safety Officer, Marafiq Co. which previously won a Sword of Honour, said: “The British Safety Council Sword of Honour has helped us attain safety excellence and benchmark ourselves with the best organisations globally. The award exemplifies the pinnacle in health and safety standard and practices which has had a very positive impact on the international goodwill of the organization.”
Interested parties can discuss and follow the Sword and Globe of Honour awards online using the hash tags: #awards and #GOHSOH2016.
Details of the British Safety Council’s Sword of Honour and Globe of Honour awards for 2016 can be found HERE
