Nineteen voluntary groups have been recognised for their excellence and achievements in making workplaces safer and healthier at the annual Alan Butler Awards.
Leading organisations in the Safety Groups UK network were presented with gold, silver and bronze awards at a ceremony at the House of Lords this week (27 January), which was supported by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA).
Overall winner Harrogate and District Health and Safety Forum walked away with the top prize after judges were impressed by its initiative, which involved developing a practical partnership with Harrogate Borough Council’s economic development unit to reach more companies.
Roy Hewson, vice president of Swansea and West Wales Occupational Safety Group, scooped the Maurice Adamson Award for outstanding individual commitment.
The Safety Groups’ UK network includes around 70 local groups, each of which consists of health and safety professionals who give up their free time to promote, share information and offer practical help to employers in their communities in a drive to prevent accidents and ill health at work. The latest campaign focuses on raising awareness of health risks at work.
Roger Bibbings, RoSPA’s occupational safety advisor and Safety Groups UK’s secretary, said: “Not enough people realise that there is a fantastic network of hard-working volunteers working across the UK in local safety groups, giving up their time for free to make a vital difference to workplaces up and down the country.”
He added: “The Alan Butler Awards scheme is all about celebrating and publicising these stellar efforts, which take place day in and day out to the benefit of people in businesses of all kinds, particularly SMEs.”
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Safety Groups U.K. with 72 such safety groups around the country is a very cost effective way in which to keep up to date with health and safety issues. In the Birmingham group for example, we have 300 members from major PLC to very small businesses who for between £36 – £60 annual membership (depending on business size) have the opportunity to attend up to 10 relevant health and safety lectures and receive a hard copy newsletter. Many free to attend HSE & Working Well together events are also offered each year.
I regularly promote SGUK whether in Birmingham, Leeds, Rotherham, Hull or Sheffield. There will be a group somewhere near you – Great value for money and for me a no brainer – Everyone get on board and join your local group who are charitable not for profit organisations where hard working volunteers give of their time free in order to raise health and safety awareness within their local business commuity.
I would suggest that anyone interested in health and safety or with responsibility for safety at work check out the Safety Group U.K. website and join up.