The UK Mineral Products Association (MPA) has held it prestigious Health and Safety Awards 2012. The event brought together 78 organisations, including members, contractors and other key stakeholders from all over the UK to recognise, reward and share best practice, progress and results in health and safety. The aawards attracted 142 entries from 32 member companies, with a significant proportion of submissions provided by companies with less than 1,000 direct employees. A full-house of 224 delegates attend
The UK Mineral Products Association (MPA) has held it prestigious Health and Safety Awards 2012.
The event brought together 78 organisations, including members, contractors and other key stakeholders from all over the UK to recognise, reward and share best practice, progress and results in health and safety.
The aawards attracted 142 entries from 32 member companies, with a significant proportion of submissions provided by companies with less than 1,000 direct employees. A full-house of 224 delegates attended on the day.
The theme of this year’s conference and awards, sponsored by PICS, was Delivering Safer by Partnership and Inspiring Excellence.
A key focus of the morning conference session was MPA’s Safer by Partnership initiative, launched earlier this year, for members and their contractors to work more closely together to reduce contractor injuries and the incidence of ill health, as part of the drive to achieve Zero Harm.
Progress on MPA’s emerging Contractor Charter was reported, while MPA’s new Contractor Database (also part of the Safer by Partnership initiative) was launched at the event.
Nigel Jackson, Chief Executive MPA, said: “MPA members need to be able to demonstrate contractors’ and sub-contractors’ competence with the same degree of rigour as if the contractors were directly employed.
“It is in recognition of the key role that contractors play in the achievement of Zero Harm, that we have developed Safer by Partnership and will shortly be launching the MPA Contractor Charter to complement the MPA Contractors’ Database that we have launched today.
“Health and safety is the top priority for MPA members and our conference and awards aim to celebrate outstanding practice in this field and inspire the best possible performance.
This year has been a great one for the UK with the success of the Olympics and the wins by Team GB’s cycling squad after so much hard training.
Let’s learn from that Olympian dedication and commitment as an industry, to continually push for a health and safety record that is nothing less than first class and the achievement of Zero Harm.”
Dr Steve Peters, the psychiatrist behind the winning Olympic GB cycling team and creator of the ground breaking mind model, was a keynote speaker at the event, and Dr Carolyn Yeoman, managing director Highley Yeoman Consulting, behavioural expert and business psychologist, looked at why people ignore safety training.
Another keynote Speaker, Frances Outram, Hhealth and Safety Executive (HSE) board member and chair of the Small Business Trade Association Forum, drew on the Olympics in her address as well.
The afternoon awards ceremony showcased members’ cutting-edge approach to understanding and tackling health and safety challenges in ways that are helpful to the whole industry.
The two overall winners of this year’s independently judged MPA Health and Safety awards were Stanton Bonna Concrete, who won the Sir Frank Davies Trophy for companies with less than 1000 employees, and Singleton Birch, who won the John Crabbe Memorial Trophy for overall “outstanding excellence in health and safety.”
The awards were judged across seven categories, with winners in each:
Bitumen; Asphalt; Contract Surfacing: Promoting Safer Behaviour:
Winner: Midland Quarry Products, Griff Quarry and Asphalt Plant.
Contractors Safety:
Winner: Cemex UK/Response Engineering, South-West and Wales
Engineering Initiatives –
Winner: Aggregates Industries – Bardon Aggregates, Stoneycombe Quarry, County Devon.
Leadership; Training and Management Systems Initiative:
Winner: Lafarge Aggregates and Concrete, Granite House, Syston, County Leicestershire.
LGVs and all company vehicles; Driver Safety/Public Safety:
Winner: Hanson UK, Hanson Concrete.
Occupational Good Health:
Winner: Aggregate Industries, Concrete Products, Leighton Buzzard, County Bedfordshire.
Worker Involvement:
Winner: Tarmac, Buxton Lime & Cement, County Derbyshire.
Four MPA Special Awards were also presented to SME member companies. For companies with less than 100 employees, the MPA Special Awards went to Eurovia Roadstone and Hills Quarry Products.
For companies with 100-1,000 employees, the MPA Special Awards went to Barr Quarries and Colas.
In addition, 29 named individuals were recognised for “going the extra mile” in furthering the cause of health and safety.
