The Green Cross Celebration raises critical funds to support the NSC mission to save lives and prevent injuries, from the workplace to anyplace.
ORLANDO, Florida – The National Safety Council honored four organizations working toward and succeeding in preventing injuries and saving lives with its renowned Green Cross for Safety® awards. Given during the 25th annual Green Cross Celebration, presented by U. S. Steel, these accolades recognize the best and brightest in three categories: safety advocacy, safety excellence and safety innovation.
Nine finalists for the three award categories were selected, reviewed and evaluated. The 2024 winners are:
For the first time in the 25-year history of the Green Cross for Safety® awards, there are two winners in this category.
The Safe Play Starts Here van, a joint effort by Boston Children's Hospital Injury Prevention Program and Fundación MAPFRE, focuses on reducing childhood injuries through education, outreach and advocacy. With unintentional injuries being the leading cause of childhood death in the U.S., the program promotes proper car seat use, helmet wearing and home childproofing to address this issue. Traveling across Massachusetts, the van targets under-resourced communities to educate residents on injury prevention. In 2023 alone, it reached 58,000 people, distributed over 1,300 car seats, taught 10,000 students, and fitted 3,600 helmets. The program has contributed to a notable decrease in trauma admissions at Boston Children's and could be replicated in other communities to achieve similar success.
In 2015, IBEW Local 103 faced high rates of alcoholism and addiction amid the emerging opioid crisis. To address this, they established the Local 103 Brothers and Sisters in Recovery Group, which meets weekly and offers flexible support to members and their families. The group combats stigma by allowing member anonymity with consent, raises funds through events, partners with the EAP for treatment and training, and collaborates with other unions to create similar support systems.
Aramco's Northern Area Producing tackled a rising issue of Motor Vehicle Accidents (MVAs), particularly among employees under 35, by implementing a comprehensive traffic safety framework. This included a dedicated task force, mandatory driver training, road surveillance and infrastructure improvements.
Senior leadership played a key role by implementing mandatory counseling for offenders based on the offense's severity, which fostered a zero-tolerance culture for safety deviations. As a result, traffic safety rule violations and MVAs were completely eliminated, and Northern Area Producing now aims to extend these initiatives using technology and data analytics to enhance road safety further.
Nutrien is addressing key risks in underground potash mining—ground falls and interactions with mobile equipment—by implementing tele-remote technology. This innovation uses cameras and advanced sensors to allow operators to control equipment from a safe distance, minimizing exposure to hazards and improving worker health. As a result, workers experience reduced noise exposure, better air quality, and enhanced safety, fundamentally changing the mining process to ensure safety and efficiency.
In addition to recognizing this year’s award recipients, the Green Cross Celebration helped raise over $610,000 to advance safety, including building a diverse safety workforce through the NSC Scholarship program Walt Disney World – EPCOT®, the evening was filled with the magic of Disney, while guests celebrated safety champions and supported the NSC mission to keep people safe from the workplace to anyplace.
“NSC is proud to recognize these organizations for advocating, excelling and innovating to keep workers safe,” said Lorraine Martin, president and CEO of the National Safety Council. “The commitment to safety amongst this year’s group is tremendous, and it is a great honor to celebrate their efforts and accomplishments with them. Thank you and congratulations to this year’s Green Cross for Safety® award finalists and winners.”
Visit greencross.nsc.org for additional information about each winner and finalist.
About the National Safety Council
The National Safety Council is America’s leading nonprofit safety advocate – and has been for 110 years. As a mission-based organization, we work to eliminate the leading causes of preventable death and injury, focusing our efforts on the workplace and roadways. We create a culture of safety to not only keep people safer at work, but also beyond the workplace so they can live their fullest lives.
With a century-long legacy, the National Safety Council is a global center for safety expertise. Let's work together to align resources. We look forward to learning about ways we can join efforts to expand safety everywhere!
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