The British Safety Council has launched the International Safety Awards 2023, which are now open for applications.

The Awards are an internationally recognised accolade for health, safety and wellbeing excellence. This year will be the 65^th year the awards, which recognise an organisation’s commitment to excellent standards of health, safety and wellbeing management, have taken place.

In 2022, 549 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.

Businesses of all sizes, types and sectors around the world can apply. There are 12 award categories for 2023, including seven that are free to enter and three additional categories that are new and free for Indian businesses to enter this year.

Launching the International Safety Awards for 2023, Chief Executive of the British Safety Council, Mike Robinson said: “As we continue to emerge from the Covid pandemic, the importance of everyone’s health, safety and wellbeing at work has never been more at the forefront of people’s minds. So, it is only right that we pause to celebrate the massive contribution people who work every day to prevent accidents, injuries and ill health in their workplaces have made this year.

“The British Safety Council’s prestigious International Safety Awards offer companies, teams and individuals the chance to be recognised for their hard work and achievements in protecting and enhancing the health, safety and wellbeing of their organisations’ workers. I urge all organisations and leaders around the world who are proud of their track record to put themselves forward for an award in 2023.”

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 more than four 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.

Seven of the awards are free-to-enter with three new additional categories that are free for Indian businesses to enter this year whether or not they have applied for an International Safety Award. These are:

• Best contractor Safety Initiative: This recognises organisations based in India, that have implemented a significant initiative to improve the health, safety and wellbeing of the contractual workforce, which was started and concluded between 1 January 2022 and 31 December 2022
• Best Fire Safety Initiative: This recognises organisations based in India that have developed and implemented innovative policies and processes, which were started and concluded between 1 January 2022 and 31 December 2022, to enhance fire safety in the workplace
• Outstanding Road Safety Initiative Outside Work Premises: This is aimed at organisations based in India and rewards them for pioneering initiatives they have undertaken to enhance road safety outside work premises in the supply chain between 1 January 2022 and 31 December 2022.

Applications and nominations for the wider free-to-enter awards are invited regardless of whether an organisation is applying for an International Safety Award. These are: Seize the Opportunity Award, CEO Award, Health and Safety Transformation Award, Health, Safety and Wellbeing Ambassador of the Year Award, Team of the Year Award, The James Tye Award, and the Wellbeing Initiative Award .

The closing date for applications is Friday, 10 February 2023 and the results will be announced on Friday, 11 March 2023.