Small Paphos company wins EU Safety Award

 Paphos-based family business, Safe.T.First Pool Safety Ltd, has beaten entrants from 31 EU/EEA countries to win a prestigious EU Product Safety Award at a high-level ceremony held in Brussels on September 28.

The Gold Award was made to Managing Director, Lloyd Owens, by Stavros Hatziyiannis, representative of Cyprus to the PSC (political and security committee), in recognition of the company putting safety at the heart of what they do, and going beyond the minimum requirements enshrined in EU law.

Launched in 2019 the Award shines a light on companies which do their utmost to protect customers, setting an example which can inspire others. Safe.T.First supplies and installs safety fences around swimming pools, to prevent drowning accidents in young children.

Competitor submissions from member EU states were evaluated in three phases. Following a first screening by national market surveillance authorities, a high-level panel of five jurors selected the finalists, who were then scrutinised against internationally recognised corporate social responsibility criteria.

“It was a tough process from beginning to end and I spent well over 100 hours on the company’s original entry” said Owens. “I must have drafted and re-drafted our application hundreds of times, but it was worth it, just to win this amazing award.  It’s nice that others recognise the work we put into our child safety business, day in, day out. And how lucky that back in March I responded to a small European Commission ad on social media inviting applications for the competition. At the time, I truly thought we didn’t stand a chance – just how wrong can you be!”

The competition is organised into two categories: one for companies who focus on keeping vulnerable groups safe and another for combining safety and new technologies. There are separate awards for SMEs and bigger companies, so no-one is left out. Gold, Silver and Bronze awards are then awarded in each category. More info on the 2021 Awards: https://eu-product-safety-award-2021.eu