Awards Criteria

Greater than 1000 employees Award sponsored by

Award 3: Australian WHS Emerging Leader of the Year

The Australian WHS Emerging Leader of the Year Award recognises WHS professionals who strive to demonstrate exceptional WHS competencies and behaviours through their commitment to the profession and achievement of WHS outcomes that are effectively aligned with business needs.
This award recognises that leaders influence others, commit to their own and others’ personal development, have strong ‘people building’ skills and see possibilities through the introduction of innovative practices.

Eligibility 

This award is designed for WHS professionals who have a minimum of 5 years of experience.

Entry Criteria

Achievement

The nominee has been recognised for excellence in a career capacity.

Leadership & Influence 

The nominee has demonstrated strong leadership influence, inspiring others and fostering a culture of safety within their organisation or industry. This includes actively engaging with colleagues to promote WHS initiatives and instilling a sense of responsibility towards safety.

Impact & Results

The nominee has made a tangible impact on WHS outcomes in their organisation or the wider community.

Commitment to Personal & Professional Development

The nominee has displayed a commitment to their personal and professional development.

Innovative Approach

The nominee has demonstrated creativity and innovation in their approach to improving WHS.

Potential for Future Leadership

The nominee has shown potential for continued growth and leadership in the field of WHS.

Award 4: Australian HSR of the Year

The Australian HSR of the Year Award recognises HSRs who have made a positive contribution through consultation and communication and who can demonstrate an ongoing commitment to workplace health & safety.

Eligibility

To be eligible for this award the applicant must be working/volunteering in a HSR role for an organisation/community association and be able to demonstrate how WHS is a part of their role and how they have worked at improving WHS. The applicant must have undertaken a legislative HSR qualification for the jurisdiction.

Entry Criteria

Achievement

The nominee has been recognised for excellence in their capacity as the Health and Safety Representative.

Impact & Commitment

The nominee has made a tangible contribution to the organisation and has demonstrated a passion for WHS.

Employee Engagement

The nominee has actively engaged employees at every level, soliciting their input and feedback on both challenges encountered and potential solutions. They empower all staff members by serving as role models and promoting organisational best practices.

Credibility 

The nominee has demonstrated personal credibility and contribution but also a point of view about the business, as recognised by colleagues and management.

Relationships

The nominee has demonstrated they have built deep trust and cooperative relationships with others.

Award 5: Australian WHS Team of the Year

The Australian WHS Team of the Year award recognises excellence in developing and implementing an innovative WHS Program that has improved/built a strong Health & Safety culture and has resulted in improvements in your organisation.

This award is designed for WHS Teams that demonstrate a collegial and synergistic approach to excellence in initiatives and strategies that facilitate positive change.

Entry Criteria

Challenge Identification 

The applicant must clearly define the health and safety challenge identified.

Program Development 

The applicant must describe the innovative process and approach undertaken by the WHS team in developing a strategy to address the challenge.

Implementation

The applicant must detail the execution and implementation methods of the WHS program within the organisation.

Impact 

The applicant must demonstrate how the WHS program impacted the WHS culture and how they are able to be sustained and replication.

Award sponsored by

Award 6: Best WHS Health & Wellbeing Program

This Award recognises outstanding strategies and initiatives that promote and embed good health and wellbeing of the workforce.

These organisations can demonstrate their commitment to workforce health and wellbeing showing how they make it an organisational priority, and embed health and wellbeing in the organisational plans, policies and processes. They are also able to show the direct impact on the organisation and its business objectives and on the health and wellbeing of its employees.

Entry Criteria

Challenge Identification 
The applicant must clearly define the health and safety challenges identified.

Strategy 
The applicant must outline how health and well-being are strategically integrated into the DNA of the organisation and its plans, policies, and procedures.

Innovation 
The applicant must showcase innovative strategies and initiatives implemented to promote the health and well-being of their workforce.

Employee Engagement 
The applicant should highlight efforts to actively engage with their workforce and the health and wellbeing programs.

Impact 
The applicant must provide evidence of how the initiative has addressed the challenge and had a direct impact on both the organisation, organisational goals, and employees.

Award 7: Best WHS Learning & Professional Development Program

This Award recognises outstanding WHS learning and professional development initiatives, programs and or strategies that have been implemented by the organisation to develop its current and future WHS employees and to effectively equip them to achieve the organisation's WHS objectives.
These organisations can demonstrate how the development of their WHS team effectively builds WHS capability, drives business performance and prepares both the WHS employees and the organisation for the future.

Entry Criteria

Challenge Identification 
The applicant must clearly define the health and safety challenges identified.

Solution 
The applicant must explain the development process of the professional development program and how the initiative represents a new and creative approach to the organisation's challenge.

Strategy 
The applicant must explain how the initiative aligns with the organisation's strategy, is driven by senior management and forms the organisation's framework of development opportunities to support succession planning, performance appraisal and promotion.

Implementation 
The applicant must describe how the initiative was implemented across the organisation to address the identified challenges.

Employee Engagement
The applicant must illustrate how the initiative supports the development of current and future WHS employees in their organisation.

Impact
The applicant must present evidence that the initiative has led to increased engagement, productivity, and the cultural evolution of the workplace.

Award 8A: Best WHS Technology Innovation

The Best WHS Technology Innovation Award recognises the outstanding use of technology solutions to connect and empower employees to address WHS challenges and achieve positive outcomes.
The award focuses on the ways in which organisations use technology to solve WHS problems and connect and empower key stakeholder groups.
This award enables organisations and their WHS technology providers to partner in submitting an application in this category.

Entry Criteria

Challenge Identification 
The applicant must clearly define the health and safety challenges identified.

Solution 
The applicant must provide a detailed explanation of the technology solution, including its design and deployment process to address the challenge.

Innovation 
The applicant must show that the solution demonstrates a high use of innovative technology to address the health and safety challenge.

Implementation 
The applicant must provide evidence of successful deployment and implementation of the technology solution in the workplace.

Impact 
The applicant must show the measurable impact of the technology solution on improving workplace health and safety in their organisation.

Application 
The applicant should illustrate the potential broader impact on the Workplace Health and Safety (WHS) industry as a whole.

Award 8B: Best Technology Deployment & Adoption

The Best Technology Deployment & Adoption Award celebrates organisations that have effectively scaled the deployment of an existing technology solution across their company. It acknowledges the success in transitioning from small-scale pilots to wide-scale adoption, emphasising effective change management and workforce engagement.

Entry Criteria

Challenge Identification 
The applicant must clearly define the health and safety challenges identified.

Solution 
The applicant must describe the selection process, deciding factors and how the chosen technology was able to address the challenge.

Strategy
The applicant must demonstrate the process to develop and scale the technology to meet the needs across the organisation.

Implementation 
The applicant must provide evidence of successful implementation through change management strategies to facilitate a smooth adoption for employees and/or external stakeholders.

Impact 
The applicant must show measurable outcomes and performance indicators that demonstrate the impact of the technology solution in their organisation.

Sustainability 
The applicant must outline their plans for continued optimisation and/or expansion of the technology solution for the future.