Health and Safety Innovation Award

From our establishment in 1975, IIRSM has been a professional body working to support practitioners of health and safety, and to recognise individuals and advance professional standards in accident prevention and occupational health throughout the world.   Since then we and our members have broadened out our remit to recognise the role of everyone involved in managing risk.  We work hard to ensure our members' professional skills are recognised and respected, sometimes supporting awards that reward outstanding contributions. 

We enjoy positive relationships with other member associations, including the Association for Project Safety, and we're delighted to tell you that this year, we're supporting a very prestigious category at its ninth National CDM and Student Designer Awards.

Like IIRSM, APS works to continuously improve and promote the professional practice of design and construction health and safety risk management.  Its members include some of the UK's leading architectural, engineering, health and safety, project management and surveying professionals, who maintain and develop their skills by undertaking Continuing Professional Development programmes each year, to help shape and share good practice throughout the industry.

Of course, innovation supports good practice.  But what does is actually mean?

Innovation can mean different things to different people.  However, for us and the team at APS, innovation is about a new idea, turning that idea into a method, and then applying that method to a real-life situation that has tangible benefits when it comes to Design and Construction Health and Safety.  Ultimately, innovation is critical in the advancement of our profession – to help keep driving standards – and that's why we've chosen to support the 'Innovation' category at APS's National CDM Awards.

What's more, Clive Johnson, IIRSM Council Member, will be sitting on the judging panel, and so we thought we'd take this opportunity to share with you what it is we're looking for from your entry into the category.  Essentially, we're looking for entries that involve innovative projects, products or processes within the fields of design and construction. They should be new, something that could be utilised throughout the industry and not simply good practice.  We want to see submissions that cover reasons for the innovation, its research and development and its testing in the practical world.

If that sounds like something you've been working on and fits the criteria, we want to see your submissions for consideration into the National CDM Awards. The prestigious annual event will take place on Thursday 27 October at the Radisson Blu Portman Hotel in London, and the evening promises to be bigger and better than ever before, showcasing the exceptional work happening in the industry.

Entries into the National CDM Awards are now open now to both APS Members and non-members, but you must be quick – submissions will only be accepted until Tuesday 31 May.  The shortlist will be announced in early September, with all shortlisted entries invited to an exclusive reception at the House of Commons on the afternoon of the awards evening, before attending the Radisson Blu Portman Hotel, where the winners of each category will be revealed. 

If you'd like to submit an application into the National CDM Awards, you can do so online via the APS website and each entry is free of charge.  If you'd like more information about the awards, visit  www.aps.org.uk/how-apply  or call the APS team on 0131 442 6600.

Best of luck with your entries and we look forward to seeing you at the awards ceremony.