Frequently asked questions

• Demonstrate your commitment to excellent health, safety and wellbeing management
• Gain expert external feedback on your services from an independent adjudication panel
• Promote your achievement with press coverage and winner's logo
• Raise the profile of the health, safety and wellbeing function within your organisation.

General eligibility terms

Applications are by site or business unit. To be eligible a relevant member of senior management at that site must confirm that since 1 January 2025 the site or business unit has NOT:

• Suffered any work-related fatalities
• Been subject to any prohibition notices
• Been the subject of any convictions in relation to health and safety
• Had any ongoing criminal investigations or prosecutions pending in relation to this site/business unit.

In addition, an extra two key criteria will be used to determine whether an organisation is eligible to apply for the International Safety Awards 2027 scheme.

1. Whether there are relevant UK trade sanctions in place for a country. Furthermore, even if sanctions don’t strictly apply to our activities, if the sanctions have been imposed due to human rights / humanitarian law related issues we will deem them to apply.
2. Whether we can carry out due diligence checks effectively. This is influenced by:
   • Whether there is moderate to good, accurate and open reporting of accidents/incidents from the country’s relevant authorities across all industries (especially high-risk industries such as construction/mining etc). Countries not providing data to the ILO are by default considered not eligible to apply for the Awards scheme.
   • Whether the country’s press is sufficiently free, combined with whether individuals or groups can express their views free from government interference.

Based on the above criteria, organisation sites from the following countries are not eligible to apply for the International Safety Awards 2027:

Afghanistan, Belarus, Burma/Myanmar, Central African Republic, China, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Eritrea, Iran, Libya, Myanmar, North Korea, Russia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Turkmenistan, Venezuela, Yemen, Zimbabwe.

Please note that due diligence monitoring will take place and a false declaration will lead to disqualification.

Free to enter awards

By applying for a free to enter award, you are agreeing that should you be successful and win an award, you will attend one of our dinner events to collect your trophy (unfortunately we can’t post/courier trophies to winners) and that you will allow us to use your organisation and logo as a case study in British Safety Council promotional activity. You also agree that you will work with us in the production of a video or other digital media to promote your achievement and the awards more generally.

Once you purchase the application via the website International Safety Awards | British Safety Council and make the payment you will receive a link to access the application form via the Learning Zone.

If you pay via invoice, access to the Learning Zone will be granted after payment is received.

The application form is submitted via our Learning Zone portal. You will receive an email detailing how to access the application after payment is received.

Each application addresses the management of health, safety and wellbeing at a single site or business unit. Applicants wishing to enter several sites or business units must complete a separate application for each one.

• All applications are submitted via our online system (we advise applicants to draft their responses offline before copying and pasting into their online submission)
• All applications must be submitted in English
• All application questions must be answered
• The response to each question must not exceed 600 words
• All questions are designed to be answered in plain text only (submissions must not incorporate images, tables, graphs or similar)

A detailed marking scheme and guidance notes are available which clearly indicate what is required to score high marks. You are strongly advised to familiarise yourself with these documents before starting your application.

There are various support options available, and you are highly encouraged to take advantage of them even if you have applied for the awards before.

• Webinars – we have 2 separate webinar options for applicants to join, which will be run by the Chief Adjudicator and the Independent adjudicator on the October 2026 and the January 2027
• Watch our video on how to enrol – on the Learning Zone tutorial. Click here
• Read the 2026 Chief Adjudicator’s reports – available on our website. Click here

The deadline for applications to be submitted is 23:59 GMT on Monday 01 February 2027. Late applications will not be accepted.

Early Bird prices – the early bird price ends on the 02 November 2026

£457+ VAT for members
£536+ VAT for non-members

VAT (Value Added Tax) at the standard rate of 20% is not applicable for overseas applications.

If your site/business unit is a member of British Safety Council, please ensure that the named point of contact for your membership purchases the International Safety Award application online to ensure you receive your member discount.

You can pay by credit/debit card, bank transfer (BACS) or you can request an invoice, via our website International Safety Awards | British Safety Council. When paying by invoice please provide a purchase order number.

If you decided to pay via credit/debit card, you will receive the licence to access the application automatically via email from the Learning Zone portal.

If you decide to pay via invoice, you will receive the licence to access the application once the payment has been received.

These documents will be available online at International Safety Awards | British Safety Council from Wednesday 30 September 2026.

Your application(s) will be marked by one of the independent adjudicators appointed and trained by British Safety Council.

The independent adjudicators are senior health, safety and wellbeing professionals in their respective organisations and senior examiners for the British Safety Council awarding organisation.

In order to prevent any possible conflict of interest, the adjudicators do not have sight of any audit reports or previous award applications or scores.

The onus is on applicants to convince the adjudicator that their particular site/business unit deserves an International Safety Award based on its commitment to health, safety and wellbeing management during 2026.

A rigorous standardisation process ensures that each adjudicator applies the marking scheme in a consistent manner so that all applications are marked to the same standard.

The adjudicator will apply the marking scheme and award a score out of 55.

Grades will be awarded as follows:

• 50+ – Distinction
• 40-49 – Merit
• 30-39 – Pass

Borderline marks explanation: any application scoring 28-29, i.e. a borderline fail, will be remarked by the Chief Adjudicator to check the accuracy of the marking. Similar borderline reviews will be conducted at the Merit (38-39) and Distinction (48-49) grade boundaries. The Chief Adjudicator’s decision is final.

Accreditation Marks

Applicants can also gain a maximum additional three marks by uploading evidence of the following accreditations:

• 1 Mark: 3 Star outcome from British Safety Council Five-Star Audit (within the ISA 2027 eligibility period)
• 2 Marks: ISO 45001 Certification (current) or 4 Star outcome from British Safety Council Five-Star Audit (within the ISA 2027 eligibility period)
• 3 Marks: 5 Star outcome from British Safety Council Five-Star Audit (within the ISA 2027 eligibility period)

Results will be emailed to applicants on Friday 19 March 2027 and a list of successful applicants will be published on the British Safety Council website on Monday 22 March 2027. Results will not be issued by telephone. Please ensure the email address submitted on the application is correct as this is the email we will submit results too.

Due to the large number of applications we are not able to provide individual feedback. However, the Chief Adjudicator’s report will be available on our website detailing the strengths and weaknesses of this year’s applications.

British Safety Council endorses the right of site/business units to enquire about their result. Procedures are in place to ensure that result enquiries are dealt with thoroughly and fairly.

A result enquiry can result in a grade being confirmed, raised or lowered. Where a grade is changed, the new grade will replace the original grade, whether it is higher or lower.

The following services will be available:

Remark and feedback £267 +VAT

Value Added Tax (VAT) at the standard rate of 20% is not applicable for overseas applications.

The deadline to apply for the remark and feedback is Friday 03 April 2027.

All winners will receive their results email on Friday 19 March 2027. This email will also contain links to the following:

• Winners’ logo - winning sites/business units may use the International Safety Awards logo on their websites, letterheads and other items.
• Press release template for winners to communicate their award to the media and stakeholders.

The name on the certificate can be amended only after paying a fee of £150. Please note that British Safety Council reserve the right to refuse the name change if the new name submitted differs substantially from the original name on the application, e.g. the site name cannot be removed to only read the company name.

It is the duty of the applicant when filling the application to make sure that the Company name and Site name are correctly written.

The deadline to request a name amendment is Monday, 29 March 2027.

The Safety Progress Awards recognise organisations that are making practical, evidence-led progress in protecting people and improving workplace health, safety and wellbeing.

Built around leadership, risk, culture, capability, performance and learning, the Safety Progress Awards help organisations celebrate achievement, strengthen internal engagement and demonstrate their commitment to safer, healthier and better workplaces. Entrants are assessed against a clear Safety Progress framework, so organisations of different sizes, sectors and levels of maturity can be recognised for the quality, credibility and impact of their approach.

Making practical, evidence-led progress in health, safety and wellbeing takes commitment, focus and continuous learning. The Safety Progress Awards give organisations recognition for credible progress; they can also help you to:

• Gain independent recognition from British Safety Council for credible progress in health, safety and wellbeing
• Show leadership commitment to employees, customers, contractors, regulators and stakeholders
• Engage and motivate teams by celebrating the people and practices that make work safer and healthier
• Reflect on performance through a structured submission process that helps identify strengths and areas for development
• Receive useful feedback to support continuous improvement and future award submissions
• Contribute to wider learning by helping British Safety Council identify and share practical examples of good practice.

This award assesses applicants against a defined British Safety Council Safety Progress Framework. The framework supports accessibility and encourages participation from organisations at different stages of maturity. Applications are assessed across six pillars:

• Leadership
• Risk
• Culture
• Capability
• Performance
• Learning

Once you purchase the application via the website International Safety Awards | British Safety Council and make the payment you will receive a link to access the application form via the Learning Zone.

If you pay via invoice, the licence to the Learning Zone will be granted after payment is received.

The Safety Progress awards are open to organisations of all sizes, sectors and geographies. Entrants can enter as a whole organisation, business unit, site, region or defined project, provided the scope is clear and the submission includes appropriate evidence for that scope.

The assessment will take account of the entrant’s context, including size, sector, operational risks, workforce arrangements and maturity level. This allows the scheme to recognise proportionate excellence rather than favouring only large organisations with mature systems and dedicated teams.

Yes, you can apply for both awards but there will be 2 application fees to pay.

The application form is submitted via our Learning Zone portal. You will receive an email detailing how to access the application after payment is received.

Each application addresses the management of health, safety and wellbeing at a single site or business unit. Applicants wishing to enter several sites or business units must complete a separate application for each one.

• All applications are submitted via our online system (we advise applicants to draft their responses offline before copying and pasting into their online submission)
• All applications must be submitted in English
• All application questions must be answered
• The response to each question must not exceed 600 words
• All questions are designed to be answered in plain text only (submissions must not incorporate images, tables, graphs or similar).

A detailed marking scheme and guidance notes are available which clearly indicate what is required to score high marks. You are strongly advised to familiarise yourself with these documents before starting your application.

The deadline for applications to be submitted is 23:59 GMT on Monday 01 February 2027. Late applications will not be accepted.

Early Bird pricing ends on 02 November 2026

£457+ VAT for members
£536+ VAT for non-members

VAT (Value Added Tax) at the standard rate of 20% is not applicable for overseas applications.

If your site/business unit is a member of British Safety Council, please ensure that the named point of contact for your membership purchases the International Safety Award application online to ensure you receive your member discount.

You can pay by credit/debit card, bank transfer (BACS) or you can request an invoice, via our website International Safety Awards | British Safety Council. When paying by invoice please provide a purchase order number.

If you decided to pay via credit/debit card, you will receive the licence to access the application automatically via email from the Learning Zone Portal.

If you decide to pay via invoice, you will receive the licence to access the application once the payment has been received.

These documents will be available online at International Safety Awards | British Safety Council from Monday 12 October 2026.

Applications will be assessed against the six pillars using the following weighting:

• Leadership: 20%
• Risk: 20%
• Culture: 15%
• Capability: 15%
• Performance: 15%
• Learning: 15%

The maximum available score is 100%.

Awards will be graded as follows:

• Pacesetter: 85-100
• Leading: 75-84
• Advancing: 60-74
• Foundation: 50-59

Question 1 provides organisational and risk context and is not scored. Each of Questions 2–7 is scored from 0 to 4 and converted to the approved weighting for its criterion. The resulting weighted score is expressed out of 100.

No recognition will be awarded where any scored question receives zero. Leading will require at least 40% of the available weighted score in every criterion. Pacesetter will require at least 50% in every criterion.

Each entrant will receive a feedback summary covering areas of strength, development opportunities and suggestions for future improvement. This makes the awards more valuable than simple recognition and supports British Safety Council’s wider mission to help organisations improve.

An enhanced feedback option is available as an additional paid service. This will include a fuller adjudicator report, more detailed commentary against the six pillars and recommended areas for development.

These awards recognise overall ‘best in class’ submissions to the International Safety Awards by:

• Sector Awards
• Best in Country Award
• Best in Company Award
• Chief Adjudicator’s Award.

The Sector, Best in Country, Best in Company and Chief Adjudicator’s Awards winners will be determined by shortlisting those submissions scoring highly within each category, with the highest-scoring submission winning per category.

In the event of several equally scored submissions within a particular category, the Chief Adjudicator will identify the best overall submission.

The Chief Adjudicator’s decision will be final in respect to all Auto Entry Award winners.

These awards recognise overall ‘best in class’ submissions to the International Safety Awards by industry sector. Sector Award categories are:

• Art and culture – museums, galleries
• Construction
• Consultancy and advisory
• Defence
• Education
• Financial
• Gas
• Health and social care
• Hospitality and catering
• IT
• Leisure and sports clubs
• Local government
• Manufacturing
• Media
• Mining and quarrying
• Not for profit
• Oil
• Onshore major hazard
• Other Property Activities
• Power and utilities
• Public services
• Retail
• Scientific and technical services
• Storage
• Transportation
• Wholesale and distribution.

All International Safety Award applicants are entered into this award, provided there is a significant number of applications from the same country at distinction level. The highest scoring and best overall application will be awarded.

This award is for organisations with 50 or more participating sites and recognises the site(s) with the most outstanding applications.

The Chief Adjudicator's Award is awarded to the ISA application that achieves the highest score each year. This award does not require an additional submission, and the winner/s will receive a certificate and trophy of their achievement.

These awards are open to all, and we particularly welcome applications from small businesses. They will go live for entries on 12 October 2026.

You do not have to purchase an International Safety Award application to enter any of the following free to enter awards.

The Innovation in Health Award in collaboration with HSE

We are excited to once more collaborate with The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and offer the Innovation in Health Award. This inspiring award recognises pioneering initiatives that have made a significant and measurable impact on the prevention of work-related health issues in the workplace or across an industry.

David Parr medal

This award recognises a public venue that developed a stand-out initiative in 2026 that made a significant impact on health, safety or wellbeing at the venue. It is named after British Safety Council’s late Technical Director, David Parr, who first became involved in the industry due to his own personal experiences at the Hillsborough disaster in 1989.

Environmental Award

This award recognises an organisation that has used climate change risk assessment and vulnerability modelling to identify and plan for future adaptation strategies to a changing climate.

Health Safety and Wellbeing Ambassador of the Year Award

The Health, Safety and Wellbeing Ambassador of the year Award recognises an employee who, in your opinion, has played a significant role to ensure the health, safety and wellbeing of colleagues and others.

Innovation of a Decade - NEW

New for this year, the Innovation of a Decade Award recognises an outstanding project or initiative introduced during the past ten years that has delivered a significant, sustained and measurable improvement in workplace health, safety or wellbeing. The award celebrates innovation with lasting impact and the potential to inspire good practice across other organisations and industries.

Lifetime Achievement award

This new award is voted for by the Trustees of British Safety Council and given to people who have made an outstanding contribution to workplace health, safety and wellbeing throughout their career.

Rising Female Star Award in collaboration with SOWSHE-A

This award recognises women that are breaking through and shaping future leadership in the health, safety, wellbeing or the environmental management world.

Seize the Opportunity Award

This award recognises organisations that have gone the extra mile to seize health, safety or wellbeing opportunities resulting from a crisis.

The CEO Award

Rewarding leadership and strategic vision of CEOs who have made a vital contribution to the health and safety of their business and to the wider society during 2026. This award recognises how an individual CEO takes an active role in aligning and championing their organisation's health, safety and wellbeing interests with their internal and external stakeholders.

The James Tye Award

Recognition for an organisation or a team of individuals who have developed and run a campaign in 2025 that has made a significant impact on the health, safety or wellbeing in the workplace.

Team of the Year Award

The Team of the Year Award recognises the outstanding achievements resulting in a significant improvement to health, safety or wellbeing from a collaboration of stakeholders which may include members of the organisation, suppliers, subcontractors and/or the wider community.

Wellbeing Initiative Award

This award recognises and rewards those organisations that have demonstrated a proactive and effective approach to improving employee wellbeing.

The shortlisted companies will be published on the British Safety Council’s website and communicated via email. The winners will be announced at the Gala Dinner event.

We are pleased to announce that the International Safety Awards Gala dinner this year will take place at TBC, Mumbai on TBC, exclusively for India based clients. We are also hosting our annual International Safety Awards dinner in the UK, TBC.

If you have any queries relating to this event, please contact: [email protected].

Individual ticket

Members - £432 + VAT
Non – Members - £455 + VAT

Full table (10 seats)

Members - £4,193 + VAT
Non – Members - £4,424 + VAT

New for this year the Gala dinner packages

Individual ticket + trophy

Members - £623 + VAT
Non – Members - £643 + VAT

International
Members - £675 + VAT
Non – Members - £696 + VAT

Individual ticket + trophy + plaque

Members - £891+ VAT
Non – Members - £911 + VAT

International
Members - £1,082 + VAT
Non – Members - £1,103 + VAT

Full table (10 seats) + trophy

Members - £4,008 + VAT
Non – Members - £4,216 + VAT

International
Members - £4,061 + VAT
Non – Members - £4,269 + VAT

Full table (10 seats) + trophy + plaque

Members - £4,276 + VAT
Non – Members - £4,484 + VAT

International
Members - £4,468 + VAT
Non – Members - £4,676 + VAT

All ticket prices include:

• Certificate presentation with official photographs
• Three-course meal with wine
• One drink voucher
• Evening entertainment.

The packages include also 1 trophy

You can book the Gala dinner tickets via International Safety Awards Gala Dinner | British Safety Council (britsafe.org)

Please refer to our events terms and conditions before booking Events terms and conditions | British Safety Council

You can still attend and enjoy the Gala Dinner

British Safety Council will, upon request, provide an attendee with an invitation letter for the purposes of the guest applying for a visa to visit the United Kingdom. British Safety Council cannot give advice or guarantee the issuance of a visa. You are strongly recommended to apply for your visa as early as possible. Visa letters will only be distributed once places at the UK gala dinner have been booked.

Please see our event terms and conditions.

We recommend that you complete the booking form and submit as soon as possible, communicating the guest/s details and any dietary requirements. A submission deadline will be communicated in good time, any dietaries not submitted within the timeframe may not be catered for.

For further information on this process, you can email [email protected]

There are no hardcopy tickets for this event.

An email confirmation will be sent by [email protected] to the contact indicated on the booking form.

The follow attire is expected:

• Black tie
• Evening dress
• National dress
• Honours may be worn

Any dietary requirements should be noted on the booking form next to the relevant guest’s name. The venue can cater for a variety of dietary requirements. Please provide clear details on the booking form and we will contact you if we need further details.

Yes, we kindly ask that guests requiring wheelchair access contact us prior to the Gala Dinner at [email protected].

Transport and travel directions will be provided in your confirmation email, along with a map. Journeys can be planned at www.tfl.gov.uk

All winning sites/business units that book seats at the Gala Dinner are required to be at the Intercontinental between 17:30 and 18:45 to collect their certificate and take an official group photograph with the British Safety Council Chief Executive, Chair or a Trustee. Winners will then go through to the winners’ reception.

Sites/business units that have achieved the top mark of ‘Distinction’ will be recognised during the Gala Dinner ceremony with an announcement, trophy presentation and photo opportunity.

The Auto Entry and Free to Enter award winners will be announced during the Gala Dinner ceremony with the trophy presentation and photo opportunity on stage.

All winner attendees will receive an email the week following the event which will contain information on how to access your photograph along with a post-event press release template.

This unique winners’ wall plaque features the International Safety Award logo and is designed to be used indoors or outdoors. The classic design of this 14-inch plaque reflects the impressive achievement of gaining an International Safety Award and all sites/business units have the opportunity to display the name of the winning site on their plaque.

You can order the commemorative plaque via our website or via the link you will receive on the result email.

The price per plaque is as follows:

£284 +VAT including postage and packaging for UK customers
£431 including packaging and courier charges for overseas customers

Government regulations state that Value Added Tax (VAT) at the standard rate of 20% is not applicable for overseas customers as the plaque is being shipped abroad. However, for overseas customers any local duties/taxes payable are the responsibility of the purchaser at the point of entry.

The deadline to purchase the trophy is Friday 23 April 2027.

Payment can be made by BACS or credit card. Details are to be completed on the booking form.

Please note that payment in full is required within 30 days. No refunds are available upon cancellation of an order.

Plaques will be produced only when payment is received and will be sent directly to the address stated on the booking form. You will receive by email a PDF attachment of your plaque for review and confirmation before it is produced. This can take up to six weeks once payment is received for your plaque to be delivered.

Please note you will not be able to collect your plaque at the Gala Dinner.

All sites/business unit winners can purchase the International Safety Awards trophy via our website or using the link shared on the results email. It features the International Safety Awards logo and has been designed to reflect the impressive achievement.

The price per trophy is as follows:

£260 +VAT including postage and packaging for UK customers
£318 including packaging and courier charges for overseas customers

Government regulations state that Value Added Tax (VAT) at the standard rate of 20% is not applicable for overseas customers as the trophy is being shipped abroad. However, for overseas customers any local duty payable is the responsibility of the purchaser at the point of entry.

The deadline to purchase the trophy is Friday 23 April 2027.

Those attending the Gala Dinner will receive their certificate on the evening. For those not attending, certificates will be posted to UK-based winners and couriered to international winners. This may take a few weeks; courier and global location dependant.

Terms and Conditions for the Awards and events can be found here.

Any queries on the scheme not covered by these FAQs should be sent to [email protected].

Queries on the Gala Dinner not covered by these FAQs should be sent to [email protected].