Opportunity for Australian and NZ companies to be recognised for best practice

The excellent work Australian and New Zealand workers are undertaking in safety and sustainability, particularly in the oil and gas sector, will go head to head for the first time against world’s best practice.

DuPont Sustainable Systems has announced that Australian and New Zealand businesses would be able to enter its Safety and Sustainability Awards in 2015.

“Over the last decade, the DuPont Safety and Sustainability Awards have become widely recognised among industrial companies as a benchmark for workplace safety and sustainability,” said Rod Nelson, ANZ business leader. “More importantly, they have helped to promote initiatives aimed at saving lives and protecting the environment.

“We are pleased to announce that these awards will now be open to Australian and New Zealand companies for the first time. This region has made impressive progress in safety and sustainability over the past few years, and we’re proud to be showcasing some of our best achievements on a global stage.”

Since its launch in 2002, the biannual competition has attracted a growing number of applicants, with entries for 2013 increasing nearly 50% compared to 2011. Last year’s entries came from a wide range of industry sectors across EMEA - from the UK to Germany, Saudi Arabia, Kazakhstan, Turkey, France, the United Arab Emirates and Italy.

2013 award winners included a major global producer of oil and gas, the Abu Dhabi Marine Operating Company, for its innovative approach to safety embodied in the company’s Green Hands program. The initiative was developed after a number of accidents had occurred due to new or redeployed staff commencing their work without comprehensive safety training. The program, which includes a safety orientation program, as well as the wearing of a symbolic ‘green hat’ until employees complete the program, has eliminated accidents involving new workers since its implementation.

Kuwait Petroleum International (Q8 brand) was a recipient of the award in 2013 due to the company’s efforts to ensure a sustainable corporate footprint. Through two sustainable filling stations projects, the company was able to increase CO₂ emission reductions 250 tonnes per month and decrease energy use by 50%.

DuPont is also creating a new category for the awards this year - Operational Excellence.

“The addition of this category acknowledges the strong correlation between operational performance and corporate footprint reduction and looks to highlight the importance of an integrated approach,” said Nelson.

The award encourages entries from companies that can demonstrate significant achievements in the following categories: safety, sustainability or operations excellence. Regional awards will be issued to one winner in each category for the Asia Pacific, North America, the Caribbean and South America, Europe, and the Middle East and Africa. Regional winners in each category will be announced in May 2015 and the global winner will be announced at the award ceremony in September 2015.

Entries are now open for the 2015 awards and further details are available at www.dssa.dupont.com.