PALLETFORCE, one of the UK's leading palletised distribution networks, has become the first in its sector to be honoured with a prestigious Gold Award from RoSPA - the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents.
The network, which has pioneered a series of industry innovations, has been given the award for its dedication to health and safety in the workplace.
"This award is a massive achievement for Palletforce and our network, and reflects the huge importance placed on good practices within our organisation," said Palletforce's health, safety, quality and facilities manager, John Rothery.
Michael Conroy, chief executive of Palletforce, added: "Health and safety is of paramount importance to us - whether within our fantastic new distribution Hub, or while vehicles are on the roads.
"This award underlines our commitment to being the best in all aspects of our operation and I would like to congratulate everyone at Palletforce who has contributed to this outstanding achievement."
To qualify Palletforce had to prove it is committed to excellence in health and safety and that it has a good management system in place.
The award is based on individual occupational health and safety performance and required evidence of good practices which were assessed by NEBOSH judging criteria - The National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health, which is the leading health and safety professional examining body.
The awards are graded at merit, bronze, silver and gold levels to mark achievement.
David Rawlins, RoSPA's awards manager, said: "Palletforce has shown a commitment to protecting the health and well-being of its employees and others. Organisations which do this deserve to have such dedication recognised and that's where the RoSPA Awards come in.
"As well as there being clear ethical reasons and legal requirements for good health and safety management, there is also a strong business case.
RoSPA is delighted to publicly honour organisations which have demonstrated their work to improve performance in this sphere."
The Palletforce award will be presented at a ceremony at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole Hotel, at the National Exhibition Centre, in May.
The ceremony will take place alongside Safety and Health Expo 2010, Europe's leading annual health and safety exhibition.
Over the last year Palletforce has been at the forefront of good practice within the palletised transport sector - including opening a state-of-the-art distribution Hub in Burton-upon-Trent, helping pioneer a new safety trailer and using cutting edge technology to scan and weigh goods.