DNV GL receives the very first Dutch Red Cross first-aid award

DNV GL and the Dutch Red Cross yesterday committed to a corporate partnership for the next two years. DNV GL was also the proud recipient of the very first Dutch Red Cross first-aid award.

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The partnership between DNV GL and the Dutch Red Cross has three components. First of all, DNV GL will support projects organized by the Red Cross Princess Margriet Fund. This fund was established to make vulnerable communities around the world more resilient in the face of natural disasters by implementing preventive and innovative projects that reduce the risks and consequences of such disasters. DNV GL also supports the emergency relief activities of the Dutch Red Cross by appealing to its employees to raise funds to help combat the “silent disasters” which normally receive little attention from the general public.

A third important aspect of the collaboration is the first-aid programme: DNV GL will give all of its over 900 employees in the Netherlands the opportunity to take a first-aid training course. A company programme of this magnitude is unique in the Netherlands and reason for the Dutch Red Cross to confer its very first award for first aid on DNV GL. The first-aid award is an incentive for companies and institutions that actively implement policies to boost first-aid skills among their employees. Promoting such skills is a priority for the Dutch Red Cross, as the number of Dutch citizens capable of giving first aid is still very low. In the Netherlands, only three percent of the population has demonstrable knowledge of first aid. It is the ambition of the Red Cross to double this percentage in the coming year.

Jacob Fonteijne, Country Chair of DNV GL in the Benelux and also director of KEMA Laboratories is delighted with the joint initiative: “The collaboration with the Red Cross is a perfect match for the objectives of DNV GL in terms of protecting life, property and the environment and promoting safety and sustainability. We not only support Red Cross projects, but also contribute to a safer environment for our employees by offering them the opportunity to take a first-aid course. I hope other organizations will follow our example and help the Red Cross to achieve its goals.”

Gijs de Vries, director of the Dutch Red Cross: “It’s an honour to present the very first Red Cross award for first aid to DNV GL. By voluntarily providing courses to all its employees, DNV GL subscribes to the objectives of the Red Cross in terms of dramatically increasing knowledge of first aid in the Netherlands. The more people know what to do in emergency situations, the more unnecessary deaths can be prevented. I hope this example will inspire other organizations to work towards this worthwhile objective.”