FAQs – The Submission
How do I make my entry easier for the Adjudicators to mark?
- Read the brochure carefully.
- Your submission should be structured in a manner similar to the sections requested by the organisers e.g. You should have a folder sub-divided into the sections as indicated on the brochure.
- Ensure you provide the evidence – not your aspirations.
- Do not supply documentation that is too large for the adjudicator, e.g. where the documentation falls out of a folder when opened.
- An entry containing only a few pages informing the adjudicators of what the organisation has achieved is unlikely to succeed.
- Put yourself in the shoes of an adjudicator and submit in a format that you would like to receive if you were an adjudicator.
- A good indicator as to the size of the submission is that it fits in a lever arch folder.
- Do not use plastic covers or sleeves and avoid the use of staples and paperclips.
- Each page supplied should be readable.
Can I send my submission in electronically by email, CD, or memory stick/card?
No, not at this point in time. Adjudicators have to peruse through many pages of documents and reading on screen is more tiring than paper. Printing by NISO/NISG may have undesired effects such as printing errors, document sequencing, font issues, page size issues, graphic formats, etc.
How should I commence tackling an entry
We suggest that you peruse this website to get an overview of what the awards is about and why you should enter. It also outlines the award categories. Next you should read the guidelines incorporating the prompt sheet [pdf; 592kb]. This should be read in conjunction with the workshop slides from the workshop which are available in workshop packs and from the downloads page [when the workshops have been completed]. You should familiarise yourself with this website and plan the procedure you will adopt and the necessary resources to complete the task. Decide if you will hand over some of the responsibilities to others on your team or not. Either way, devise your plan and timescales. Consult the FAQ pages, especially this one and FAQs: Application.
In summary:
- Consult this website and decide if you would like your organisation to win a Safety Award
- Read the guidelines [pdf; 592kb] in conjunction with the workshop slides [see downloads page]
- Familiarise yourself and, if relevant, your team with this website.
- Devise your plan for making a submission
- Quality, not quantity. Evidence not aspirations
- Submit by the closing date
We suggest that you first fill in the entry form * [pdf; 1mb] [which also includes section 1 [Accident Statistics]. This is normally straight forward for organisations that maintain records. We then suggest that you tackle Health and Safety Management (Section 2) which is generally submitting evidence that you have a management system and safety policy in place. For all the remaining sections, think and supply EVIDENCE, not aspirations or blank paperwork.
* Interactive fillable entry form which can be filled in using Acrobat Reader [PC/Mac] or Preview [Mac]
Must I submit information only relating to the year in question?
Generally, yes, however, there are circumstances when you may have to submit older information / evidence, for example, if your health and safety policy states that your safety statement will be reviewed every two years in the absence of new work practices, then it is perfectly acceptable to submit a safety statement that is not in the year in question. Also, if training is required every two or three years, training records going back in time are acceptable.
The year in question for this year’s Safety Awards is 2022
You state that any organisation’s objective should be zero accidents. This is unrealistic in my industry.
NISO and NISG state that an organisation’s target must always be zero accidents. NISO or NISG cannot accept that an organisation will have a target of a certain number of accidents. However, zero accidents may not be achieved by an organisation but its achievements can be measured in the downward trend to zero accidents.
What is the difference between audits and inspections?
For the purposes of the Safety Awards, audits tend to be of shorter duration than inspections and tend to work from a pre printed audit sheet which is effectively a checklist [tick box questionnaire]. An inspection tends to be more detailed with more analysis required. Inspections tend to be more thorough and last longer.
Can you give me examples of intent vs evidence?
Intent: Safety Policy may state that the Safety Statement is reviewed annually.
Evidence: The Safety Statement will be signed and dated within this annual review period.
Intent: Statement by Organisation that there will be four safety committee meetings during the year.
Evidence: Sample minutes of committee meeting showing date and attendees together with date of next meeting recorded.
Intent: Blank training record sheet
Evidence: Training record sheet signed by attendees, dated and signed off by competent trainer.
Am I at a disadvantage because some of the items listed in the prompt sheet don’t apply to my organisation?
If items listed in the prompt sheet [pdf; 592kb] or workshop slides are not relevant to your organisation, say so, and state why they are not relevant. The marks allocated for this question will be deducted from the possible marks allocated for that section, ensuring such an organisation is not at any disadvantage as a result. It is therefore possible for all organisations to achieve maximum marks irrespective of whether an item in the prompt list is relevant or not. Remember, if it is not relevant, you must convince the adjudicators, to enable the appropriate adjustment to be made.
I am making a submission based on the whole organisation and the risks are different for each location / site. What do I do?
Sample risk assessments covering all the risks spread out over all the locations / sites must be provided. Your submission should reflect evidence from all parts of the organisation.
