Wales & West Utilities’ drive to raise the bar on safety and continually improve safety standards has won the gas distribution network a Gold Award at the RoSPA Occupational Health and Safety Awards 2015.

The annual award scheme is run by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents and the gold award was presented to Wales & West Utilities, which has a base in Newport, during a ceremony at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole Hotel.

As the UK’s family safety charity, RoSPA’s mission to save lives and reduce injuries covers all ages and stages of life. In support of this mission, the RoSPA Awards, which date back 59 years, recognise commitment to continuous improvement in accident and ill health prevention at work. Through the scheme, which is 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.

The achievement of a gold award for occupational health and safety involves entrants demonstrating an excellent health and safety culture within their organisations. They must show that they take a rigorous approach to keeping their workforce safe and healthy, and have excellent levels of compliance and control measures in place, particularly in relation to the main risks associated with their business sector. Also, they must have below average and reducing rates of ‘near misses’ and accident and work related ill health and associated costs.

Mark Benton, Wales & West Utilities operations health, safety and environment manager, said: “This is the fifth year that we have entered the RoSPA awards. In 2011, we won the Bronze Award, in 2012 and 2013 we won the Silver Award. Last year we won the Gold Award and we are very pleased have won it again. We are always looking for ways to improve safety standards for the public and our workforce and we are proud that our continual improvement in this area has been recognised by RoSPA in the awarding of this gold award, their highest accolade.”

David Rawlins, RoSPA’s awards manager, said: “The RoSPA Awards encourage improvement in occupational health and safety management. Organisations that gain recognition for their health and safety management systems, such as Wales and West Utilities, contribute to raising standards overall and we congratulate them.”

Wales & West Utilities is celebrating 10 years of delivering gas safely and securely to more than 2.5 million homes and businesses across Wales and the south west of England.