Navy base sails off with top RoSPA prize

News | HSW
01.06.2006

The Devonport naval base has won this year's Sir George Earle Trophy, the highest prize in the annual RoSPA health and safety awards. The trophy is awarded to the organisation that most exemplifies excellence in the management of health and safety risks and the promotion of an all-round health and safety culture.

The panel of judges, which includes experienced health and safety professionals, trade unionists and HSE representatives, said they were impressed with the way the Naval Base Commander (NBC) Devonport improved its health and safety performance in a constantly changing working environment, which includes major hazard and nuclear safety challenges.

The judges also commented on the base's ability to build on and adapt advice and guidance provided centrally by the Ministry of Defence.

NBC Devonport also demonstrated its ability to work effectively with other business partners on site, including a continually varying cohort of contractors.

The judges noted the organisation's efforts to work with the local community in and around Plymouth, and to benchmark key aspects of its performance against other organisations. They found a strong focus on off-the-job safety, particularly road safety, and the overall culture demonstrated a positive approach in ensuring effective cooperation between civilian and military personnel, the judges felt.

They were impressed with the personal commitment of senior managers at Devonport, including the commodore, Simon Lister, who said that the award was "the result of hard and diligent work by our workforce and shows our total commitment to health and safety within the navy base".

The base operates an integrated safety-management system to manage the full range of specific nuclear, explosive and petroleum risks it faces.

The main aim of NBC Devonport's safety policy is to ensure that all safety risks are managed in a proportionate way, using the "as low as reasonably practicable" principle - which is particularly important, bearing in mind the need to keep to budgets set by central government. Working with the community on health and safety is vital to ensure the base's reputation, Commodore Lister emphasised, since some Plymouth residents live within metres of its walls.

Other winners at the awards included the Rainbow Children's Hospice in Loughborough, which won the Norwich Union Trophy for achievements in a small or medium-sized company, and the Royal Mail which won the Astor Trophy for occupational health management.

Sector prize winners included Toyota Motor Manufacturing UK for manufacturing, MacLellan International in the facilities sector, Saltend Cogeneration Company in electricity generation and Morrison Utility Services in construction.

Distinguished service awards went to Gary Booton, director of health, safety and the environment at the EEF manufacturers' body, Brian Kazer, chief executive of the British Occupational Health Foundation, Professor James Reason of Manchester University and Nina Wrightson, who chairs RoSPA's National Occupational Health and Safety Committee.