Highways England (HE) has launched a new set of awards that aim to showcase individuals, teams, projects and companies, that have contributed to making major improvements in the operation of the country’s road network.
To recognize the very best of its suppliers and staff, HE has combined its existing Health, Safety and Wellbeing Awards and the Supplier Recognition Scheme under a single framework.
Nominations are now open, and are invited from all HE employees, its suppliers and their supply chain, including extended supply chain and small and medium enterprises. The HE judging panel will be looking for nominations that demonstrate clear outcomes and benefits and illustrate how these have been evaluated.
The winners will reflect the very best of the business and demonstrate the highest standards for the industry. The closing date for entries is December 3 and a ceremony to present the awards will take place in Birmingham on March 28 next year.
The 10 categories for the new Highways England Awards are:
Safety –
• Excellence in Occupational Health and Wellbeing;
• Excellence in Safety for Road Users;
• Championing Safety;
• Leading Behavior Change for Safety;
Customer –
• Excellence in Customer Service;
• Improving Customers Journeys;
• Improving Employee Engagement and Behavioral Change;
Delivery –
• Excellence in Environment and Sustainability;
• Leading Efficiencies and Continuous Improvement;
• Project of the Year.
In addition, the Chairman’s Award for Excellence in Safety, which focusses specifically on excellence in safety and getting people ‘home safe and well’, will also be presented at the awards ceremony.
“At Highways England we are constantly challenging ourselves and our supply chain to achieve more for our customers. We focus our efforts around our three imperatives, safety, customer and delivery, and seek out ways to improve and innovate in these areas,” explained Jim O’Sullivan, HE’s chief executive (above right).
“The Highways England Awards allow us to reflect on our accomplishments, celebrate our achievements and share examples of excellence in our industry. These awards will continue the legacy of the Supplier Recognition Scheme and the Health Safety and Wellbeing Awards under a single event, which recognizes the very best work of our company and its suppliers. I encourage you to apply for these awards.”
HE is highlighting the promotional benefits of its award scheme, citing a previous winner, Carnell Support Service, as an example. Carnell developed the SafetyCam, a mobile road worker protection system that collects hard evidence of drivers entering roadworks to improve road worker safety.
Darren Nelson, chief executive of Carnell, noted, “Winning a Highways England Health, Safety & Wellbeing Award provided us with a powerful endorsement of SafetyCam. This has not only raised awareness of our innovation, but also the dangers that site teams face every day on the strategic road network.
“Since the awards success we have seen an increase in requests for long-term deployment from clients nationwide, which has led to us doubling our fleet. We are proud to have developed and shared a solution that has led to a demonstrable improvement in driver behavior through road works.”
