Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has been recognized with five distinguished awards from the British Safety Council in its 2025 award cycle, reinforcing the authority's position as a global benchmark in health, safety, and environmental management for the utilities sector. DEWA claimed the Sword of Honour for the 18th time and the Globe of Honour for the 14th consecutive year — a record of sustained excellence that no other utility company in the Middle East can match. The announcement was made by HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD and CEO of DEWA.
The British Safety Council, founded in 1957 and headquartered in London, is one of the world's most respected organizations for occupational health, safety, and environmental management. Its awards are recognized globally as among the most rigorous and credible benchmarks for organizational safety performance.
Five Awards from the British Safety Council (2025 Cycle)
18th Sword of Honour, 14th consecutive Globe of Honour, 2nd Shield of Honour, and Best Power & Utilities Entity in both Environment and Well-Being categories
The Five Awards in Detail
Sword of Honour (18th time)
The highest health and safety management award from the British Safety Council. Requires a minimum 5-star rating in the occupational health and safety audit, followed by a separate assessment of health and safety culture. DEWA has earned this 18 times — a record unmatched by any utility in the MENA region
Globe of Honour (14th consecutive year)
Awarded for outstanding environmental management practices. DEWA's 14-year consecutive streak demonstrates systemic environmental excellence embedded at every level of the organization, not isolated project-based achievements
Shield of Honour (2nd time)
The newest award category from the British Safety Council, recognizing excellence in employee well-being programs. DEWA is among the first organizations globally to receive this award twice, reflecting its investment in mental health, work-life balance, and holistic employee welfare
Best Power & Utilities Entity (2nd year)
Awards in both Environment and Well-Being categories specifically for the power and utilities sector. DEWA was judged against utility companies worldwide, not just in the Middle East, making this a global benchmark of operational excellence
23 Years of Five-Star Safety Ratings
DEWA has maintained a five-star rating in British Safety Council health and safety audits continuously since 2002 — a 23-year unbroken streak that spans the authority's transformation from a regional utility into one of the world's most advanced energy and water providers. The five-star rating is the highest possible score, requiring demonstration of world-class safety management systems, risk assessment processes, incident response protocols, and safety culture across all operational sites.
Since 2024, DEWA has also maintained a five-star rating in the British Safety Council's well-being audit, which assesses how organizations support the physical, mental, and social well-being of their workforce. This reflects a broadening of DEWA's approach from traditional occupational safety to holistic employee welfare.
What Makes DEWA's Safety Record Exceptional
Operating a utility company in a rapidly growing emirate like Dubai presents unique safety challenges. DEWA manages power generation plants, water desalination facilities, a massive electrical distribution network, water transmission infrastructure, and the largest single-site solar park in the world (the Mohammed bin Rashid Solar Park). The workforce spans thousands of employees and contractors operating across dozens of operational sites, often in extreme heat conditions that would challenge any safety program.
What makes DEWA's record exceptional is not the awards themselves but the sustained consistency — maintaining the highest standards across every site, every team, and every year for over two decades. This requires systemic integration of safety into operations rather than project-by-project compliance.
"These awards reflect DEWA's institutional commitment to providing a safe, healthy, and sustainable work environment for our employees and contractors. Safety excellence is not a destination — it is a continuous journey of improvement that must be embedded in every aspect of our operations."
— HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD and CEO of DEWA
Digital Safety Monitoring and Innovation
DEWA has increasingly leveraged technology to enhance its safety management capabilities. The authority has deployed digital monitoring systems for field activities, using IoT sensors and real-time data analytics to identify potential hazards before they result in incidents. This predictive approach to safety management — powered by the same AI and data infrastructure that DEWA uses for grid management and demand forecasting — represents the cutting edge of occupational safety in the utilities sector.
DEWA's Safety and Environmental Management Portfolio
- Digital field monitoring: IoT sensors and real-time analytics tracking safety conditions across all operational sites
- Contractor safety compliance: Standardized safety requirements for all contractors and subcontractors working on DEWA projects
- Heat stress management: Advanced protocols for outdoor work during summer months, including mandatory rest periods and hydration monitoring
- Environmental management: Comprehensive programs covering emissions reduction, water conservation, waste management, and biodiversity protection
- Employee well-being: Mental health support, fitness programs, work-life balance initiatives, and financial wellness education
- Incident response: Rapid-response protocols and post-incident analysis systems for continuous improvement
- Training and certification: Ongoing safety education for all employees and contractors with mandatory refresher courses
DEWA's Global Standing
DEWA's British Safety Council achievements are part of a broader pattern of international recognition. The authority has received hundreds of awards from organizations worldwide, including the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM), the International Water Association, and various ISO certifications. In 2024, DEWA was rated as the world's best utility for shareholder return following its IPO on the Dubai Financial Market — the largest IPO in the MENA region in over a decade.
The utility serves over 1.1 million customer accounts across Dubai, providing electricity and water to a population that has grown from approximately 1 million in 2000 to over 3.7 million today. Throughout this period of explosive growth, DEWA has maintained some of the lowest electricity loss rates globally (3.3%) and water loss rates (5.1%), alongside its record-breaking safety performance.
What This Means for Dubai's Residents and Businesses
For the millions of people and businesses that rely on DEWA's services daily, the authority's safety and environmental record translates directly into service reliability, sustainability, and institutional trustworthiness. A utility that manages safety and environmental risks at the highest international standards is also a utility that manages operational risks, infrastructure risks, and service continuity risks at the same level.
DEWA's track record is also a competitive advantage for Dubai as a business destination. International companies evaluating where to establish regional headquarters consider infrastructure reliability, sustainability credentials, and the quality of utility services as key factors. DEWA's internationally certified performance provides the assurance these companies seek.
The five British Safety Council awards in a single cycle — capping 18 Swords of Honour and 14 consecutive Globes of Honour — do not just reflect DEWA's internal management quality. They signal to the world that Dubai's critical infrastructure is operated to the highest international standards, by an authority that views safety and sustainability not as compliance obligations but as core institutional values.
