Two top honours for O.C.O Technology

Company wins Gold Award and International Dilmun Environmental Award from RoSPA

CARBON-negative aggregate specialists O.C.O Technology have taken top honours by securing a prestigious Gold Award from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) for Health and Safety Excellence. The accolade, achieved at the first time of entering, means the company is recognized as a world leader in health and safety practice.

In a second triumph, O.C.O have also been named winner of the RoSPA International Dilmun Environmental Award (sponsored by GPIC), for demonstrating excellence in environmental as well as health and safety management.

A thrilled Lee Thompson, O.C.O’s health, safety, environment, and quality (HSEQ) manager, said: ‘We are extremely proud and honoured to be the recipient of two such important awards and the win is all the more special because it was the first time we had entered.

‘There were three key components to our winning gold entry – making sure we had robust management systems and the right culture in place to achieve excellence in health and safety; having the commitment from the directors to make any necessary changes; and the buy-in from all our employees – which has been tremendous.

‘The support everyone within the business has shown for health and safety has been excellent and that has now been recognized by the RoSPA judges.’

Since joining the company three years ago, Mr Thompson (pictured), together with health and safety assistant Christine Oddy, has driven forward several changes, including overseeing the transition from OHSAS 18001 to the new internationally recognized occupational health and safety ISO 450001 standard.

For the environmental award, the team had to demonstrate ways in which the business manages its environmental risks; including how it mitigates its own carbon footprint and helps other organizations to achieve carbon savings by diverting air pollution control residue (APCr) waste from landfill and recycling it to create the world’s first carbon-negative aggregate.

In addition, practical measures at O.C.O’s three operations in Leeds, Avonmouth, and at Brandon in Suffolk, have included introducing electric cars to the fleet and appointing energy champions at each location.

Julia Small, RoSPA’s achievements director, said: ‘This is a fantastic and well-deserved accomplishment. All our award entrants demonstrate their unwavering commitment and passion for keeping people safe at work. By receiving this recognition, O.C.O Technology join like-minded businesses and organizations worldwide who represent the very best in their approach to health and safety.

Every year, nearly 2,000 entrants vie to achieve the highest-possible accolade in what is the UK’s longest-running health and safety industry awards. The 2022 awards will be presented at a gala dinner and awards ceremony in London on 17 May.