Call for 10th DuPont Safety Awards applications now open

Aimed at stimulating innovative safety initiatives in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, DuPont Sustainable Solutions has announced a call for applications for the 10^th DuPont Safety Awards. The 2011 DuPont Safety Awards will take place in Istanbul at the XIX World Congress on Safety and Health at Work in September this year and will be judged by a jury drawn from a range of respected European occupational health and safety organisations. An application form including a brief abstract of the project should be submitted by 31 May 2011, while complete entries must be received by 20 June 2011. Further details, as well as the application, can be obtained by contacting the organizing committee at [email protected].  

Since it was launched in 2002, the competition has attracted a growing number of applicants especially in the last four years with 2010 entries up nearly 40 per cent on the 2006 event. Last year’s entries came from a wide number of industry sectors all over Europe, ranging from Germany to the UK, France, Belgium, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Turkey, Hungary and Romania, and also included applications from South Africa, India and Saudi Arabia. The winners were oil & gas producer Petrom (Romania), cement manufacturer Titan (Greece), materials and energy producer Reliance Industries Limited (India & Africa), energy engineering provider Isastur (Spain) and automotive manufacturer PSA (France) who all showed tremendous achievements in the field of work safety. 

The annual DuPont Safety Awards welcomes entries from all companies, individuals or organisations that can demonstrate significant safety achievements in one or more of the following five categories: Sustainable Business Impact, Cultural Evolution, Visible Management Commitment, Innovative Approach and Performance Improvement. Judging this year’s entries are Dr. Janet L. Asherson, Advisor Environment, Health & Safety at IOE- International Organization of Employers; Walter Stahel, Vice Secretary General and Head of the Research Programme for the International Association for the Study of Insurance Economics; Louis Wustemann, Journalist and Editor at Health and Safety at Work magazine; Andrew Sharman, Health and Safety Director at glass packaging manufacturer O-I Europe, as Jury President; and Richard Wiley, European Operations Director at DuPont. In August 2011, the jury will announce a shortlist of three finalists per category based on criteria such as design & innovation, scope, results, replicability and risk. The winner for each category will be presented with a trophy and a certificate at the award ceremony. 

DuPont Safety Awards judge Janet Asherson, Adviser Environment, Health and Safety at IOE-International Organisation of Employers, says, “This competition is open to any company, of any sector and any size, not just to organisations operating at high risk. Previous winning projects have demonstrated both innovation and motivational leadership. An award system of this kind is a major contribution to maintaining motivation for good workplace health and safety.” 

The Safety Awards are endorsed by DuPont, a global company widely recognised for its excellent Safety and Health performance. For over 30 years DuPont has used safety as a catalyst to achieve sustainability and improve its bottom line. 

DuPont Sustainable Solutions is one of 13 DuPont businesses. Bringing customers the benefits of an integrated global services and technology delivery enterprise, it applies DuPont’s real-world experience, history of innovation, problem-solving success, and strong brands to help organizations transform their workplaces and work cultures to create safer, more efficient and more environmentally sustainable workplaces.