Northgate Vehicle Hire has been named a winner in the RoSPA Occupational Health and Safety Awards 2015.

The company won a silver award for its commitment to safety in the scheme run by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA).

The accolade was presented to Northgate’s group safety and environment manager, Colin Gilstin, during a ceremony at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole Hotel in the National Exhibition Centre, last month.

Gilstin said: “Health and safety is fundamentally important at Northgate and is something that we actively encourage at every level of the company.  I am delighted that our commitment to safety has been recognised and it is testament to the enthusiasm of all our employees who have bought into and supported the various initiatives we have put in place.”

Northgate has recently implemented several health and safety schemes, including training of colleagues as ‘Health and Safety Champions’ across the company’s network, and the ‘Safe and Sound Campaign’, which identifies 10 key health and safety principles to protect employees and improve the safety culture at all Northgate branches.

As the UK’s family safety charity, RoSPA’s mission to save lives and reduce injuries covers all ages and stages of life. In support of this mission, the RoSPA Awards, which date back 59 years, recognise commitment to continuous improvement in accident and ill health prevention at work. Through the scheme, which is open to businesses and organisations of all types and sizes from across the UK and overseas, judges consider entrants’ overarching occupational health and safety management systems, including practices such as leadership and workforce involvement.

David Rawlins, RoSPA’s awards manager, said: “The RoSPA Awards encourage improvement in occupational health and safety management. Organisations that gain recognition for their health and safety management systems, such as Northgate, contribute to raising standards overall and we congratulate them.”

The majority of RoSPA’s awards are non-competitive, grading achievement at merit, bronze, silver and gold levels. Organisations that maintain high standards in consecutive years can win gold medals, president’s awards and orders of distinction.