With the health, safety and wellbeing of those it serves and its employees at the heart of its business, Sodexo, the world’s largest services company, has today announced its achievement of nine golds and a silver at the RoSPA Health & Safety Awards and nine merits and a pass at the British Safety Council International Safety Awards.
Sodexo’s corporate services business was awarded a gold medal for its sixth consecutive gold year from RoSPA as well as a merit from the British Safety Council for its UK head office in Holborn, London.
Sodexo received another gold medal for its services at Hereford Hospital having achieved gold for the last five years; the team there also received a pass from the British Safety Council.
Five of Sodexo’s contracts within the healthcare sector did well at both awards this year with five other gold RoSPA awards as well as a silver and six merits from the British Safety Council (BSC). They are as follows:
Central Manchester University Hospitals: gold (RoSPA); merit (BSC)
University Hospital South Manchester: gold (RoSPA); merit (BSC)
Royal Stoke University Hospital: gold (RoSPA); merit (BSC)
Stoke Mandeville Hospital: gold (RoSPA); merit (BSC)
Queens & King George’s Hospital, Romford: silver (RoSPA); merit (BSC)
Sodexo’s justice services business also achieved recognition from both RoSPA and BSC:
HMP Bronzefield: gold (RoSPA)
HMP Addiewell: gold (RoSPA)
HMP Northumberland: merit (BSC)
HMP Forest Bank: merit (BSC)
Norfolk and Suffolk Community Rehabilitation Company Ltd: merit (BSC)
Chris Dark, Health, Safety Environment Director for Sodexo UK & Ireland, said, “We are delighted to have received these awards. It is testament to the high standards that have been implemented and executed across Sodexo and we are committed to ensuring our sites continue to be a safe place to operate for our employees and our customers.
“This year RoSPA celebrates its centenary and we were honoured to receive an invitation for representatives from our award-winning sites to join them at a Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace to mark the occasion.”
Both awards recognise an organisation’s commitment and efforts to maintaining health and safety systems and practices in the workplace for their employees and customers alike. As a business providing a wide range of services with differing levels of complexity and technical requirements, Sodexo recognises that health and safety has to be embedded into its day to day business.
Sodexo knows that keeping people safe isn’t about just about preventing accidents, it also enables employees to confidently perform their job which leads to greater productivity and employee engagement as well as better quality services provided for customers and clients.
Chris Dark added, “We want every single one of our employees to develop a mindset that health and safety is an integral part of they do and that all incidents are preventable. We will continue to look at ways to improve our health and safety performance.
“The safety and wellbeing of our workforce and our customers is of the highest importance to us and critical to our success as a leading provider of FM services. Finding new ways to engage our employees in this commitment will help keep the message fresh and top of mind for each and every one of them.”
RoSPA’s Health & Safety awards, now in its 61st year, are open to businesses and organisations of all types and sizes from across the UK and overseas, judges consider entrants’ overarching occupational health and safety management systems, including practices such as leadership and workforce involvement.
Julia Small, RoSPA’s head of awards and events, said, “The RoSPA Awards are the most prestigious in the world of occupational health and safety, and held in high regard around the world, as winning one demonstrates an organisation’s commitment to maintaining an excellent health and safety record. Achieving the standard required is no mean feat. This is a special year in the history of RoSPA, and we congratulate all of our winners in this, our centenary year”.
The British Safety Council International Safety Awards, now in its 59th year, recognise and celebrate organisations from around the world which have demonstrated to the satisfaction of the scheme’s independent judges their commitment to preventing workplace injuries and work-related ill health during the previous calendar year.
In 2017, 578 organisations, spanning all sectors, won an International Safety Award. 31 organisations received a distinction, 300 organisations received a merit and 200 organisations achieved a pass.
Mike Robinson, Chief Executive of the British Safety Council, said, “The British Safety Council commends Sodexo on this achievement which recognises its commitment and efforts to keep employees and workplaces free of injury and ill health.
'Sensible and proportionate management of health and safety risks at work brings lasting benefits for workers, their families, businesses and society as a whole.
'By celebrating and sharing the achievements of the winners of the International Safety Awards, we encourage businesses all over the world to follow their lead and place employees’ health and safety at the heart of their business.”