British Safety Council launches Sword of Honour and Globe of Honour awards to celebrate health, safety and environmental management excellence

The British Safety Council has formally launched its prestigious 2014 Sword of Honour and Globe of Honour awards, designed to recognise and celebrate exemplary management of health, safety and environmental risks by businesses around the world.

The 2014 awards mark the 35th consecutive year of the Sword of Honour, awarded for health and safety management excellence, and the fifth year of the Globe of Honour, awarded for excellence in environmental management.
These two awards are open to organisations 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 August 2013 – July 2014.

To be awarded a Sword of Honour or Globe of Honour, an organisation must be able to demonstrate to an independent adjudication panel that they have 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 shopfloor 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.

Alex Botha, chief executive of the British Safety Council, said: “The Sword of Honour and Globe of Honour are highly prestigious accolades that recognise the huge commitment and effort of the winning organisations and their employees in achieving and sustaining the highest standards of health, safety and environmental practice.

“Sensible and proportionate health, safety and environmental management is of great social and economic value: it protects people and the environment and is good for business.

“In order to achieve the vision of the British Safety Council, that no one should be injured or made ill at work, we need to publicise the example set by both Sword and Globe of Honour winners. Publicising the successful management approaches of Sword and Globe winners will help other organisations to focus on what they can do ensure that their health, safety and environmental risks are properly controlled.

“I would urge any eligible organisation to apply for the Sword of Honour and Globe of Honour – both to celebrate their achievements in ensuring safe, healthy and sustainable workplaces and business activities; and to inspire other organisations around the world to strive for excellence in the management of health, safety and environmental risks.”

The closing date for applications is 12 September 2014 and the results will be announced on 10 October 2014. Winning organisations can attend a celebratory luncheon on 28 November 2014 at the historic Drapers’ Hall in the City of London to receive their awards.

Last year, 68 Swords were awarded and eight organisations achieved the Globe of Honour. The winners were drawn from a wide range of business sectors in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and India, including construction, energy generation and distribution, financial services, manufacturing, oil and gas, retail, transport and utilities.

In 2013, seven organisations won the ‘double’ – both the Sword of Honour and Globe of Honour. These were: AWE Construction; Dubai Electricity and Water Authority; Hargreaves Industrial Services (Liverpool Bulk Handling Terminal); Mace Ltd (Technology and Renewable Energy) Horizon Centre; Reliance Gas Transportation Infrastructure Ltd; Unipart Consumer Logistics – Cowley; and United Biscuits – Midlands Distribution Centre.

Other notable Sword and Globe winners in 2013 included Aston Martin Lagonda, Drydocks World Dubai, JCB Excavators, Lloyds Banking Group, McArthurGlen Designer Outlet, Office Depot UK and the Wellcome Trust.
Details of the British Safety Council’s Sword of Honour and Globe of Honour awards for 2014 can be found at http://www.britsafe.org/SOH and http://www.britsafe.org/GOH