Puma Energy has been named the best company in Employee Safety and Security Management Practices, and best company in Health and Safety Campaign at the second edition of the Health, Environment, Safety and Security (HESS) awards held at the Kempinski Hotel in Accra.

The event, which sought to create awareness, recognise and reward the highest standards of HESS management and practice by organisations, was under the theme, “Enhancing global standings of local businesses and protecting employees and the environment through HESS initiatives.”

Receiving the Awards for Puma Energy was Selassie Tettey, Marketing and Corporate Affairs Manager for West Africathanked the organisers for the award, stating that the health and safety of their employees are at the core of all their activities.

“It doesn’t end there; we make sure that we extend this to all our customers and stakeholders by educating road users on the safe use of our roads through various road safety campaigns. At Puma Energy, safety is our priority,” she added.

In her opening address, the Award Board Chairperson, Dr. Mrs. Diana Heymann-Adu, congratulated all nominees for their exceptional performance in maintaining the health, safety and security of their businesses, the environment, and their stakeholders.

She noted that although the “COVID-19 pandemic has created dysfunctions across the world and exposed the weakness of the global supply chain and local industries, it has also presented numerous opportunities that can be nurtured to build a stronger, self-reliant and a resilient economy.”

Dr. Diana Adu observed that for indigenous companies to take advantage of the opportunities presented by the COVID-19 pandemic and to meet supply demands in the international market, they need to acquire ISO certification and should therefore take advantage of the prospects presented by the HESS Awards scheme.

Also speaking was Mr. Fred Mensah, Chief Inspector of Factories, a representative of the Minister of Employment, Honourable Ignatius Baffuor Awuah.

He commended the organizers for putting the programme together and used the opportunity to call on advocates and industry players to speak about health and safety laws and the National Occupational Safety and Health Bill that is before cabinet for it to be approved.

The Health Environment Safety & Security (HESS) award is organized and hosted by IanMatSun Global Services Ltd., organizers of the Sustainability and Social Investment Awards and publishers of the Sustainability Report Magazine in partnership with Firmus Advisory.