World leaders in health and safety were recognised at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) Health & Safety Awards, held at the Grosvenor Hotel in London on 30 June.
Sponsored by the National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health (NEBOSH), the ceremony marked the 70th anniversary of the RoSPA Awards, which began with a small event in London in 1956 and have since grown into the world’s largest and most prestigious health and safety awards scheme.
The event was hosted by stand-up comedian Lucy Porter and featured keynote speeches from RoSPA Life President, Lord Jordan of Bournville, RoSPA Chief Executive, Rebecca Hickman, and NEBOSH Chief Executive, Andy Shenstone.
Celebrating safety excellence
The anniversary provided an opportunity to reflect on seven decades of progress in workplace health and safety while recognising organisations continuing to drive improvements today.
This year’s awards attracted around 2,000 entries from organisations in 60 countries, highlighting the global commitment to preventing accidental injury and improving workplace safety.
Organisations received Bronze, Silver, Gold and President’s Awards, while others competed in sector-specific categories covering industries including manufacturing, engineering and healthcare.
Entries were rigorously assessed across every aspect of health and safety performance, including management systems, continuous improvement and innovation in addressing emerging risks such as artificial intelligence.
Many organisations were recognised for maintaining high standards through repeated success over multiple years.
Top honours announced
The Sovini Group received the event’s highest honour, The Lord Jordan of Bournville Trophy.
RoSPA’s oldest and most prestigious award has been renamed from The Sir George Earle Trophy in recognition of RoSPA Life President Lord Jordan, celebrating both his lifelong contribution to worker safety and his 90th birthday. The overall winner is selected from the highest-performing sector award recipients.
Sector award winners included:
- Barchester Healthcare (Healthcare)
- Shepley Engineers Ltd. (Engineering Services)
- Kuehne & Nagel – HMRC Inland Border Facilities – UK Sites (Public Services)
- AS Watson UK – Superdrug / Savers / The Perfume Shop (Wholesale and Retail)
- MAS Active (Pvt) Ltd – MAS KREEDA Synergy (Manufacturing)
New report launched
During the ceremony, RoSPA Chief Executive, Rebecca Hickman, also launched the organisation’s new OSH Skills Commission report, sponsored by Speedy Hire.
Based on insights from leading health and safety professionals, the report outlines evidence-based recommendations to address current and future challenges facing the occupational safety and health sector, with the aim of helping organisations continue reducing accidental deaths and serious injuries.
Lord Jordan of Bournville said: “It is an enormous honour to have RoSPA’s top award named the Lord Jordan of Bournville Trophy.
“But it is an even greater privilege to meet the award winners taking forward the cause of everything I, RoSPA and other champions of health and safety have fought for over 70 years.
“The enthusiasm, energy and innovation of all our award winners are the driving force towards a safer society for everyone.”
Rebecca Hickman said: “While every RoSPA Awards ceremony is a memorable celebration of excellence, reaching 70 years is a true milestone moment.
“There has been incredible change over the last seven decades, which has seen the RoSPA Awards grow into the most rigorous and highly regarded health and safety awards scheme in the world, covering SMEs through to huge global corporations, all united in their dedication to keeping people safe and healthy at work.
“For a healthy workforce is essential for a healthy economy, and all our RoSPA winners – past, present and future – are at the vanguard of a global movement demonstrating that health and safety isn’t just about compliance, but is central to success.”
Andy Shenstone said: “NEBOSH is proud to sponsor the RoSPA Awards. As a fellow charity, we deeply value our longstanding partnership with RoSPA and the shared mission that unites us: to prevent accidents and protect lives.
“This commitment to bettering the lives of people and communities is at the heart of everything we do – and it’s reflected in the achievements we celebrated on the evening.
“The Award winners have achieved the highest standards in health and safety and raised the bar for the entire profession.”
