Safety Excellence Awards

2025 Safety Excellence Awards

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Track Nominations

Safety Excellence Awards Overview

Program Overview

Since 1996, the GBRIA Safety Excellence Awards Program has recognized the commendable safety performance of industrial contractor firms and GBRIA member industrial facilities. The awards are intended to convey strong support by GBRIA members of contractor and plant safety performance, recognizing that contractors have the primary responsibility for the execution of on-site safety while working together with plants and construction project owners to ensure a safe workplace.

Entry Requirements

  • Completed Nomination Form by a GBRIA member (plant site)
  • Any nominated contractor who experienced a fatality in 2024 is ineligible to receive an award.
  • Any nominated contractor who received any repeat or willful violation/citation from OSHA or other regulatory agencies in 2024 is ineligible to receive an award.

Program Timeline and Deadlines

  • Nomination Period: December 2, 2024 - January 10, 2025
  • Applications Due: January 31, 2025
  • Category Award Selection Meeting: February 19, 2025
  • Hal G. Ginn, Innovation, and Community Service Awards Selection Meeting: February 26, 2025
  • Banquet and Awards Ceremony: March 20, 2025

Review and Selection

  • All submitted applications are reviewed by GBRIA staff to ensure completion and adherence to the provided instructions and entry qualifications.
  • Each qualifying application is reviewed and scored by three (3) GBRIA member representatives, who use the scoring guidance listed below.
  • The average score between judges will be used to determine award placement.

Application Sections and Questions

Section 1: Commitment

  1. How does management demonstrate its commitment to safety? (Initiatives and Involvement)
  2. How do Front Line Leaders demonstrate their commitment to safety?
  3. How do Front Line Workers demonstrate their commitment to safety?
  4. How does your company recognize safety accomplishments, behaviors, and performance? (requires back-up documentation)
  5. What methods are utilized to allow front-line leaders and workers to provide input on safety programs?

Section 2: Training and Development

  1. Describe how your company develops and sustains leaders (general leadership)?
  2. How are employee’s key safety skills developed to recognize and mitigate hazards (safety leadership)?
  3. How do you ensure that training is relevant and effective?
  4. What programs do you have in place to encourage reporting of incidents and near misses? (requires back-up documentation)

Section 3: Learning Organization

  1. Describe your organization’s incident investigation process.
  2. How do you capture lessons learned from incidents/near misses and how are they implemented?
  3. What kind of auditing (internal and external) processes are implemented within your company to proactively learn and improve? (requires back-up documentation)
  4. How does your company use leading or lagging indicators to improve and sustain performance?

Section 4: Innovation

  1. Please share an instance where your company has implemented or is developing a unique solution to workplace safety.
  2. How does your company share and/or adopt industry safety best practices outside your organizations from regional networks, peers, or other industries?
  3. What unique and innovative training program(s) is your company using to adapt to the current workforce and reach today’s employees?
  4. How does your company continuously improve work processes that are successful?
  5. Provide up to three (3) programs that you consider to be Industry Best Practices that your company has implemented within the past three (3) years. *Indicate which year the practice was implemented. Responses to this question will be considered for the GBRIA Innovation in Safety Award ** 400-word max** (requires back-up documentation)

Section 5: Community Service (Optional section: Only scored for the Community Service Award)

  1. Please share what community service projects your company participated in or led within the Greater Baton Rouge and New Orleans regions in 2024.

Application Section Scoring

Scoring Rubric

0

Program or practice does not meet minimum requirements, or no response is given.

1

Program or practice only meets minimum requirements, or not enough detail is provided.

2

Program or practice is commonly or widely adopted for industry.

3

Program or practice is good to above average for industry.

4

Program or practice is considered exemplary/far exceeds industry.

*Note: Judges can give half points

Overall Application Scoring

Insert description of application scoring

Scoring Rubric

0

The application is incomplete or missing significant sections and/or attachments.

1

The application shows the beginnings of systemic processes/efforts but is below the expectations of industrial contractors or the application lacks completeness.

2

The application shows sound, systemic processes/efforts that correspond with baseline expectations for industrial contractors, i.e., lacking evidence of continuous improvement, leadership across all levels of the program, etc.

3

The application shows sound, systemic processes/efforts, and methods of continuous improvement, indicating practices that are above average for industrial contractors.

4

The application shows exemplary systemic processes/efforts, mature programs with sustained results, and indicates world-class programs/practices.

*Note: Judges can give half points

 

Instructions

  • Complete all information requested in this document to be considered for an award.
  • All applications must be completed in the Open Water portal.

Categories

  • General Construction and Maintenance
  • Civil Construction
  • Commercial Construction
  • Crane and Rigging
  • Specialty Trades – Soft Crafts (insulation, painting, scaffolding)
  • Specialty Trades – Hard Crafts (mechanical, I/E, HVAC)
  • Specialty Trades – Environmental (hydroblasting, chemical cleaning, chemical cleaning/transportation)
  • Technical Support (engineering, safety, inspection)
  • Others as deemed necessary

Divisions

Awards Presented

  • Categorical Awards
    • 1st Place – Award of Excellence
    • 2nd Place – Award of Merit
    • 3rd – Award of Recognition
  • Specialty Awards
    • Innovation in Safety Award
    • Community Service Award
    • Hal G. Ginn Award (best overall)