British Safety Council revealed the winners of its prestigious International Safety Awards for 2023, marking the highest ever number of organisations around the world received a highly prized accolade for their work in health, safety, and wellbeing on 20 March.

The awards recognise and celebrate organisations from around the world which have shown a true dedication in the last year to keeping their workers and workplaces healthy, safe, and well. 

This year, 773 organisations of all sizes and sectors won an International Safety Award from 44 countries worldwide, including the UK, China, India and the Middle East, as well as countries in Africa, Southeast Asia, and Central and South America. 138 organisations were awarded a Distinction, 298 organisations were awarded a Merit and 337 organisations achieved a Pass. 

The number of successful entries this year was higher than in 2022, when 549 awards were given out. The increase was driven largely by a rise in Merit awards – up from 204 (32%) in 2022 to 298 (31%) in 2023, and by Passes – up from 210 (33%) to 337 (35%). The percentage of applicants who were unsuccessful in their application also rose, from 91 (14%) to 199 (20%).

The full list of winners is here.  

‘Heartfelt congratulations’

The winners span numerous sectors with significant representation from the construction, manufacturing, oil, gas and mining, and power and utility sectors and include such companies as Kier Infrastructure and Overseas Ltd (UK), L&T Construction (India), WSP (Middle East), SunExpress Airlines (Turkey), Zublin Construction LLC (UAE) and China Construction Seventh Engineering Division. Corp. Ltd (China).

Mike Robinson, Chief Executive of British Safety Council, said:  “Our International Safety Awards recognise the highest achievements of organisations around the world in health, safety and wellbeing. This year, I am thrilled that a record number of organisations have attained that level and won an award. In a world of ever-increasing risks, from climate change to global instability, British Safety Council’s vision that no-one, anywhere in the world, should be injured or made ill through their work is ever more important and pressing.

“To win an International Safety Award organisations must show they are investing in employees’ health, safety and wellbeing and that everyone from the top down make health and safety a core part of their work and inspire others to do the same. In celebrating the achievements of the 773 winners in 2023, we encourage other organisations to follow their lead and place employees’ health and safety at the heart of their business.

“We send our heartfelt congratulations to all the winners of this year’s International Safety Awards, who should be truly proud of their achievement.”

The Awards

There will be two separate events to celebrate the awards in May, one in Mumbai on 10 May and one in London on 19 May. Other International Safety Award categories will be announced at the Gala Dinner in London as well as in Safety Management magazine. These are:

• Seize the Opportunity Award: This new award recognises organisations that have gone the extra mile to seize health, safety or wellbeing opportunities resulting from a crisis.
  
• CEO Award: This recognises the leadership and strategic vision of CEOs who have made a vital contribution to the health and safety of their business and to the wider society during 2022. The award recognises how an individual CEO has taken an active role in aligning and championing their organisation’s health, safety and wellbeing interests with their internal and external stakeholders.
  
• Health and Safety Transformation Award – sponsored by Croner-i: The Health and Safety Transformation Award is for organisations that have significantly changed or transformed any aspect of health, safety or wellbeing to a significant extent through the use of information.
  
• Health, Safety and Wellbeing Ambassador of the Year Award: This recognises an employee who, in the opinion of the organisation or person nominating them, has played a significant role in ensuring the health, safety and wellbeing of colleagues and others.
  
• Team of the Year Award: This recognises outstanding achievements resulting in a significant improvement to health, safety or wellbeing, from a collaboration of stakeholders, which may include members of the organisation, suppliers, subcontractors and/or the wider community.
  
• The James Tye Award: This recognises an organisation or a team of individuals who have developed and run a campaign in 2022 that has made a significant impact on health, safety or wellbeing in the workplace. It is named after British Safety Council’s founder, James Tye, who campaigned tirelessly on issues such as life jackets and seat belts.
  
• Wellbeing Initiative Award – powered by Being Well Together: This recognises and rewards those organisations that have demonstrated a proactive and effective approach to improving employee wellbeing.