A HOUSING group which manages thousands of homes, including across Chester and Ellesmere Port, has struck gold for the fourth time.

Plus Dane Housing has had its commitment to health and safety excellence recognised by securing an international gold standard.

The Merseyside and Cheshire-based housing association achieved a gold RoSPA Award, demonstrating its dedication to ensuring its colleagues, customers and contractors get home safely at the end of every working day.

The RoSPA Health and Safety Awards is the largest occupational health and safety awards programme in the UK. Now into its 67th year, the awards have almost 2,000 entries every year, covering nearly 50 countries and a reach of over seven million employees.

The programme recognises organisations’ commitment to continuous improvement in the prevention of accidents and ill health at work, looking at entrants’ overarching health and safety management systems, including practices such as leadership and workforce involvement.

Plus Dane has entered – and won gold – for the last four years in a row.

It has been working to embed a culture of health and safety where all colleagues take responsibility for the safety of themselves and others. The organisation invests in annual mandatory training for all colleagues as well as numerous wellbeing initiatives throughout the calendar year and also provides a range of mental health support.

A Health & Safety Steering Group oversees all of the work undertaken, with a firm endorsement from the chief executive and wider executive director team.

Claire Dixon, deputy chief executive of Plus Dane Housing, said: “We are incredibly proud to have won RoSPA Gold for four years in a row – it is a major achievement for any organisation. It goes without saying that keeping our colleagues and customers safe is really important to us at Plus Dane, and something we take very seriously.”

Julia Small, RoSPA’s achievements director, said: “Accidents at work and work-related ill health don’t just have huge financial implications or cause major disruption – they significantly impact an individual’s quality of life. That’s why good safety performance deserves to be recognised and rewarded.

“We are thrilled that Plus Dane Housing has won a RoSPA Award and would like to congratulate them on showing an unwavering commitment to keeping their employees, clients and customers safe from accidental harm and injury.”

Sponsored by Croner-i, the RoSPA Awards scheme is the longest-running of its kind in the UK, and receives entries from organisations across the globe, making it one of the most sought-after achievement awards for the health and safety industry.