FAQs – The Application
What are the benefits to my organisation of entering?
You are showing a commitment to health and safety by entering. This commitment is shown to your organisation’s employees and management, your suppliers, customers and visitors. You get to benchmark yourself against other successful Irish companies. Feedback received by the organisers shows that it is the cheapest and most cost effective safety audit you can do for your organisation. Winning an award will bring immense benefits to your organisation whereby you can celebrate success.
I am interested in the All Ireland Occupational Safety Awards? What do I do?
Firstly, register your interest with NISO/NISG. Organisations based in the Republic of Ireland register here. Organisations based in Northern Ireland register here. We will forward you further information or contact you when appropriate.
Next, browse this website as it is the main source for information relating to the All Ireland Occupational Safety Awards but some information may be available from NISO [www.niso.ie] or NISG [www.nisg.org.uk] websites.
Check your membership status with NISO or NISG. Only paid up members are eligible to enter.
Is it difficult to put my entry together?
Entry to the Safety Awards is submission based and therefore your attention to the evidence submitted is important. Generally, NISO/NISG are seeking a submission which should be no more than a folder [lever arch file], therefore, keeping the information concise but relevant is important.
Can we submit the Awards entry form and send the submission later?
No. Any organisation wishing to enter the Awards Scheme needs to ensure we receive by the deadline stated on the Awards Brochure:
- the paper based submission [folder]
- the application form* and
- the award entry fee.
* Interactive fillable entry form which can be filled in using Acrobat Reader
Can I pay online, by card, EFT or send in a cheque prior to the early bird closing date and send my submission in after this early bird closing date?
No, the early bird price relates to the latest date when the submission and payment are received. If either is missing before the closing date, the normal fee applies. The same principle applies for the normal closing date.
When is the award deadline, at what time?
The Award deadline is the date stated on this website and should be no later than 5pm. Missed deadlines will incur a larger fee.
How can I submit a late entry?
You need to contact us in writing at <awards@niso.ie> or <info@nisg.org.uk> by the normal closing date and let us know why you wish to avail of the late submission and that you appreciate this incurs an extra cost.
Who are the workshops for?
The workshops are designed for organisations who have never entered before and are interested in learning more about putting together a submission. The workshops are also for those organisations who have previously entered the awards scheme and who are interested in obtaining further prompts to enable them to improve their entries in the current year.
I have a number of plants / sites. Can I make multiple entries?
Organisations may make a submission based on the whole organisation’s activities or a particular branch, site department or office. There is no restriction on the number of entries as long as the submissions are based on different locations. In occasional circumstances, we may also accept an entry from a particular department of an organisation. The resulting award, if successful, will reflect the type of entry made, for example, if an organisation submits an entry based on the whole organisation, the award will be made to the organisation, if successful. If the entry is based on a site, department or plant, then the award will reflect this.
Can I submit two or more entries from the same organisation?
Yes, provided the entries are based on different locations. The award, if successful, will indicate the location / site, etc.
Can I submit an entry from two or more different organisations?
Yes, provided there is a working relationship between the multiple organisations, e.g. joint venture on a project / client’s site. The evidence submitted must be relevant to the project / site / location. The award, if successful, will indicate the multiple partners or project name and/or site location.
What is the deadline for submitting an entry?
Normally the deadline date for submitting an entry is in late May or early June. The deadline is stated on the Dates and Fees page on this website.
There is an early bird fee for entries received and paid for by the early bird closing date. Check the promotional brochure and other pages on this website for closing dates. In exceptional circumstances and where we have been previously notified and approval given, late entries may be accepted subject to an additional late entry fee.
Questions you may have regarding the Entry Form
Region:
If you conduct work nationally or in a number of regions, insert the region of the organisation’s address.
Sub Categories (relating to Construction and Chemical / Pharmaceutical industries):
If your work is Construction or Chemical / Pharmaceutical related, please fill in the sub category (one only) that forms the greatest part of your business during the year under review.
Name of Organisation for Award purposes:
Pay particular attention to the exact name you wish to appear on your award should you be successful in winning an award. Attention should be given to punctuation, Limited or Ltd., GmBH, plc / PLC, etc. It is important that the award name reflects the entry submitted, for example, ABC Ltd. has a few sites located around the island of Ireland but decides to enter based on their work arising from their plant / site in Cork. The name of the award cannot be in the name of ABC Ltd. as this would signify that the whole organisation was successful in winning an Award. The Award name must represent the entry and in the above case would be something like ABC Cork Ltd., ABC Ltd. – Cork, etc. NISO/NISG reserves the right to rename the Award Name where it feels it is not representative of the entry submitted.
What are Reportable Diseases?
For NI entrants, reportable diseases are prescribed here on pages 15 –24
https://www.hseni.gov.uk/publications/riddor-ni-97-booklet
For ROI entrants, see below for what are classified as reportable diseases
Biological Agents
Diseases caused by working with a biological agent * (not just SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of the disease COVID-19) are reportable to the Authority under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Biological Agents) Regulations 2013 and 2020.
Reg. 12 (5) an employer who becomes aware of, or a registered medical practitioner (including a responsible medical practitioner) who diagnoses, a case of disease or death of an employee resulting from occupational exposure to a biological agent, to notify such occurrence to the Authority. A case of COVID-19, resulting from working with the virus, can be notified using the reporting template (form) provided on the HSA’s website at the following link.
https://hsa.ie/publications_and_forms/forms/
* How do I determine if a case of COVID-19 is work-related?
There are two scenarios where occupational exposure to biological agents can occur:
- Occupational exposure to SARs-CoV-2 can result from carrying out work activities that involve a deliberate intention to work with the virus e.g. propagating the virus in a research laboratory.
- Occupational exposure can also occur incidentally from specific work activities involving direct exposure to the virus e.g. working directly with a COVID-19 patient, handling SARs-CoV-2 infected waste, conducting COVID-19 testing or carrying out diagnostic testing for COVID-19 in a laboratory.
Establishing if an employee was infected with COVID-19 due to occupational exposure as a result of their work activities will require the employer to make a reasonable determination of the relevant circumstances.
Employees in work settings such as retail, offices, construction, manufacturing, hospitality, transport (air, rail, bus) etc. are not working directly with the coronavirus (SARs-CoV-2) and therefore the Biological Agents Regulations would not be applicable to those places of work including the reporting requirements.
Carcinogens
Reg. 12 (7) Carcinogen Regulations 2021 requires: an employer who becomes aware of, or of any registered medical practitioner including a responsible medical practitioner who diagnoses a case of cancer resulting from occupational exposure, to notify such case to the Authority.
Asbestos
For diseases due to exposure to asbestos, Regulation 24(2) of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Exposure to Asbestos) Regulations 2006 requires where a registered medical practitioner becomes aware of a case of asbestosis or mesothelioma, they are reportable in writing to the Authority.
Prescribed occupational diseases
Under S.I. No. 102 of 2007 Social Welfare (Consolidated Occupational Injuries) Regulations, there is a list of prescribed occupational diseases (categorised into occupational diseases caused by physical, chemical, biological agents or other causes) which is taken from the European Schedule of Occupational Diseases. The Department of Social Protection, Community and Rural Development and the Islands, manage the Prescribed Diseases system. Included in the list are conditions relating to occupational exposure to noise and vibration etc, as well as extrinsic allergic alveolitis (“including farmer’s lung”), and Mesothelioma / pneumoconiosis caused by asbestos exposure is also included in the list.
The diseases and relevant occupations are listed in S.I. No. 102/2007 – Social Welfare (Consolidated Occupational Injuries) Regulations 2007 and in the Department of Social Protection’s Information Leaflet SW33 or here (Appendix 3 – Pages 96 – 102).
Occupational illness surveillance scheme (THOR)
Finally, there is also an occupational illness surveillance scheme (THOR) operated in Ireland for medical practitioners where occupational physicians, chest physicians, dermatologists and general practitioners anonymously report occupational illness. The data provides valuable information on the types of work-related illnesses, causal agents and the industry sectors they occur in. More detailed information on THOR is available on the HSA website. https://www.hsa.ie/eng/topics/illness_reports/thor_information_sheet_2018.pdf
Information on Biological Agents including avian influenza, blood borne viruses, SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19, legionellosis, leptospirosis, lyme disease, moulds, tuberculosis and zoonoses can be found on the HSA website in the Biological Agents section.
If your organisation is made aware of any of the above diseases, they are reportable.
FAQs – The Application updated 16 September 2026