A council has been praised for its health and safety systems enforced in the workplace, thanks to a top award.

For the seventh year in a row, South Derbyshire District Council is a Gold Medal winner at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) Health and Safety Awards.

The award was achieved by the council during a special year for family-safety charity RoSPA, as it celebrates its centenary.

The RoSPA Awards scheme is open to businesses and organisations of all types and sizes from across the UK and overseas. Judges consider entrants’ overarching occupational health and safety management systems, including practices such as leadership and workforce involvement.

Councillor Martyn Ford, deputy leader of the council, said: "Delivering high levels of health and safety in everything we do, for residents and our workforce, is extremely important.

"Achieving the top level again demonstrates our on-going commitment to making South Derbyshire a cleaner, greener and safer place to be. It reflects the hard work done by our staff to maintain high quality services."

Julia Small, RoSPA’s head of awards and events, said: "The RoSPA Awards are the most prestigious in the world of occupational health and safety, and held in high regard around the world, as winning one demonstrates an organisation’s commitment to maintaining an excellent health and safety record. Achieving the standard required is no mean feat.

“This is a special year in the history of RoSPA, and we congratulate all of our winners in this, our centenary year.”

The majority of awards are non-competitive and mark achievement at merit, bronze, silver and gold levels. Gold medals, president’s awards and orders of distinction are presented to organisations sustaining the high standards of the gold level over consecutive years.