Annual Health, Safety and Environment Awards promote core values of safety and sustainability

Over the past eight years, our Health, Safety and Environmental (HSE) Awards have celebrated and reinforced a culture of excellence across our business. The programme is critical to aligning business operations with the core values of safety and sustainability. By recognising outstanding achievements in workplace safety, environmental stewardship and employee wellbeing, we are fostering accountability, innovation and collaboration which all contributes towards continuous improvement and long-term excellence:

• Enhanced Safety Performance: A consistent year-on-year reduction in workplace incidents, with 85% improvement in safety metrics since the programme’s inception
• Environmental Impact: A wealth of innovative initiatives that have reduced carbon emission, improved waste management and enhanced resource efficiency.
• Employee Engagement: Increased participation in safety and environmental initiatives, with employees empowered to take ownership of HSE practices.
• Industry Leadership: External validation through industry awards and certifications.

As ever, entries for the 2024 awards were many and varied. The judging panel selected the most outstanding projects for special recognition. These teams or individuals will all receive money to donate to their preferred charity or good cause in their community:

Most Outstanding Environmental Performance

The prize for Most Outstanding Environmental Performance this year went to the team at PGP's Woodland site in recognition of their excellent work to manage and reduce energy costs. By installing smart meters, they were able to view and analyse real-time usage then they identified and implemented a number of changes to reduce demand particularly in the peak summer months. These included: adjusting office hours to reduce air conditioning demand during peak times; rescheduling milling operations to avoid high energy consumption periods; avoiding forklift charging during peak hours.

These initiatives have led to significant cost savings, all without impacting our operations or customer orders. 

Most Outstanding Environmental Ambassador

Marty Zendejas and Sara Tucker at PGP were recognised as Most Outstanding Environmental Ambassadors for their work in championing community involvement and sustainability at PGP. 

Marty has organised monthly volunteering with Yolo Food Bank, supporting 150-200 families in the Woodland area while Sara has built a community involvement programme at the Evansville site collaborating with a range of charities supporting animals, young adults and children with special needs. 

In addition to bringing structure to PGP's community work, Marty and Sara lead day-to-day sustainability efforts by guiding the teams on recycling and waste disposal. They have embedded the values of giving and volunteering within the team, sending a clear message that what matters to employees is important to PGP. 

Most Outstanding Safety Performance

Ohly’s “Safety in All We Do” initiative was awarded 'Most Outstanding' in the category of Health & Safety Performance.

At Ohly, safety is the top priority. This initiative fosters a shared commitment to safety among all employees, emphasising that safety is not just a workplace concern but a vital part of everyone's lives. Through these efforts, Ohly aim to enrich their safety culture and improve overall work practices, prioritising safety before profit to protect families and livelihoods.

The initiative included a range of activities:

• My Safety, My Movie: Employees create safety videos, promoting ownership and creativity.
• Safety Improvement Reports: A 200% increase in reports, including audits and risk assessments.
• Weekly Safety Topics: Regular updates on health and safety, fostering continuous learning.
• Monthly All-Hands Safety Meetings: Interactive discussions on incidents and proactive measures.
• Hunting Season: Encourages real-time identification of unsafe behaviours.
• Info Screens: Real-time safety updates in central work areas.

Most Outstanding Safety Ambassador

Ohly’s Process Engineering Manager, Haillea Weiss and Maintenance Manager, Michael Bischel won the award as ‘Most Outstanding’ Health & Safety Ambassadors for driving a positive safety culture at Boyceville. Their dedication and effective implementation of safety initiatives have led to a remarkable 53% reduction in total safety incidents over the last two years.

Their humble attitude, paired with dedication and care for their coworkers, sets them apart and makes Ohly’s commitment to safety visible and impactful.