KiwiRail has the country's most impressive culture of safety in the workplace, with judges awarding it the supreme honour at the annual Workplace Health and Safety Award last night.
The company won the Department of Labour/ACC-sponsored best overall contribution to improving health and safety at the awards organised by Safeguard magazine.
Safeguard managing editor and competition judge Peter Bateman said KiwiRail had a commitment to measuring its own safety culture, which included using an outside facilitator to run confidential staff focus groups.
The "brave project" helped to engage staff in health and safety concerns, and also won the company an award for best initiative to encourage engagement in health and safety, Mr Bateman said.
Other award winners included Air New Zealand, Otago District Health Board, the Department of Labour and the Northern Gateway Alliance.
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