​Global food company Danone has taken the top prize at the Health and Safety Excellence Awards.

The company was awarded the overall Grand Prix and also won the category for Health and Safety Excellence in Food and Drink Manufacturing.

In Ireland, many Danone brands are household names and can be found in supermarkets and pharmacies.

They range from heritage brands like Cow & Gate to international brands like Actimel, Alpro and evian.

The awards programme has been developed by BusinessRiver which owns and operates a comprehensive collection of business recognition programmes in the Irish market.

BusinessRiver is the team behind the Irish Construction Industry Awards, Pharma Industry Awards, Irish Logistics & Transport Awards, and Aviation Industry Awards.

​An independent judging panel comprised experts drawn from the industry, academia and the broader stakeholder community.

Gas Networks Ireland was named as the winner in the ‘Utilities’ category at the Health and Safety Excellence Awards 2021 and secured second place in the 'Public Sector' category.

The company said that this latest award comes on the back of the gas utility achieving the major health and safety milestone of one million hours worked - the equivalent of 14 months - without a lost-time staff incident for the second time in the last two years.

Gas Networks Ireland’s head of health, safety, quality and environment, Conor Ahern, said: “The way many people work has changed during the Covid-19 pandemic. While that has made some aspects of work safer, it has introduced other challenges and risks.

Kerrygold Butter Packing Ireland was also recognised in the awards category for Health and Safety Excellence in the Food and Drinks Manufacturing, securing third place.