The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (Rospa) handed out gold, silver and bronze honours at the annual Alan Butler Awards, which recognise excellence and achievement of organisations within the Safety Groups UK movement.

Safety Groups UK is made up of around 70 local groups, which each consist of health and safety professionals who give up their free time to promote, share information and offer practical help to employers in their communities in a bid to prevent accidents and ill health at work.

Northern Ireland Safety Group was one of five organisations to gain a Gold Award and also clinched the top accolade of overall Alan Butler Award winner. Members were praised for their creative use of the internet, including ebulletins and using social media to communicate messages more widely.

An independent panel of judges was also impressed with the Group's close links with other organisations including the National Irish Safety Organisation (NISO) and the CITB construction training board.

Lord Brougham and Vaux, president of Safety Groups UK, presented the awards during a ceremony at the House of Lords on Monday (January 21).

Roger Bibbings, occupational safety adviser for Rospa and secretary of Safety Groups UK, said: "These awards rightfully recognise the achievements of many hard-working people who give up their time free-of-charge to make a difference to health and safety at companies in their area, particularly small firms.

"Judges were impressed with the tireless efforts of these safety groups, which often goes unrecognised. The Northern Ireland group was particularly impressive for its outstanding newsletter, Safe and Sound, along with focussing on topics like asbestos and developing customised support for smaller businesses."