Diriyah Co. awarded British Safety Council Sword of Honor for health and safety

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The British Safety Council’s Sword of Honor is a globally recognized benchmark for excellence in health and safety management system. (Supplied)
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The British Safety Council’s Sword of Honor is a globally recognized benchmark for excellence in health and safety management system. (Supplied)
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Updated 29 January 2026
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Diriyah Co. awarded British Safety Council Sword of Honor for health and safety

RIYADH: Diriyah Company has been awarded the British Safety Council Sword of Honor for achieving a Five-Star Occupational Health and Safety Audit rating, becoming the first developer in the region to receive this certification.

To date, Diriyah Company has achieved a Total Recordable Incident Rate, or TRIR, of 0.017 for ongoing infrastructure projects.

Jerry Inzerillo, group CEO of Diriyah Company, said in a statement: “At Diriyah Company, safety and well-being are not just priorities; they are the foundation of everything we do.

“This important recognition from the British Safety Council highlights our commitment to world-class systems and processes, as well as setting new benchmarks in health, safety and crisis management.”

Peter McGettrick, chairman of the British Safety Council, added: “On behalf of the board of trustees and staff of British Safety Council I would like to offer my sincere congratulations to Diriyah Company on achieving their Five Star Audit and receiving the Sword of Honor this year.

“I applaud you for attaining the highest standards of health and safety management.

“Achieving recognition of this sort takes absolute dedication and the utmost professionalism.”

The Five Star Audit is a comprehensive, contemporary and quantified process that benchmarks health and safety management performance against the latest best-practice techniques.

Diriyah Company underwent a comprehensive, quantified and robust evaluation of its occupational health and safety policies, processes and practices.

The audit process included documentation review, interviews with senior management, employees and other key stakeholders, together with sampling of operational activities.

The audit measured performance against key health and safety management best-practice indicators and a detailed review of more than 50 component elements.

The British Safety Council’s Sword of Honor and Five-Star Audit rating are globally recognized benchmarks for excellence in health and safety management systems and highlight Diriyah Company’s commitment to fostering a culture of safety and protecting tens of thousands of workers, assets and operations at every level.

Diriyah, the City of Earth, will contribute about $18.6 billion (SR70 billion) directly to the Kingdom’s GDP, create more than 180,000 jobs and will be home to an estimated 100,000 people.

It will also include modern office space for tens of thousands of professionals in technology, media, the arts and education, museums, a university, the Royal Diriyah Opera House, the Diriyah Arena, as well as food and beverage outlets and nearly 40 world-class resorts and hotels across two of its main masterplans.

The company has a workforce of 50,000 and a heavy equipment fleet of more than 2,500 across its development area.


Saudi Arabia to hold Human Capability Initiative conference in Riyadh in May

Updated 12 February 2026
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Saudi Arabia to hold Human Capability Initiative conference in Riyadh in May

  • HCI 2026 set to attract over 15,000 leaders, 250 speakers, including policymakers, industry leaders, experts from various sectors
  • Program to focus on optimizing learning, working environments to maximize human capability in age of AI

LONDON: Saudi Arabia’s Human Capability Development Program has announced the third edition of the Human Capability Initiative conference, featuring the UK as the country of honor.

The HCI will be held under the patronage of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the King Abdulaziz International Conference Center in Riyadh, from May 3-4.

HCI 2026 is set to attract over 15,000 leaders and feature 250 speakers, including policymakers, industry leaders, and experts from various sectors.

Under the theme “The Human Code,” the program will focus on optimizing learning and working environments to maximize human capability in the age of artificial intelligence.

Yousef bin Abdullah Al-Benyan, Saudi Arabia's minister of education and chairman of the Executive Committee of the HCDP, said the conference would showcase the Kingdom’s commitment to investing in people for sustainable economic growth and to enriching a global dialogue.

He added: “Human potential remains the most critical driver of progress in a rapidly changing global landscape, and investing in humans is the most critical pillar in building a competitive economy and a knowledge-based society.”

Majid Al-Kassabi, the Saudi minister of commerce and chairman of the Economic and Social Committee of the Saudi-British Strategic Partnership Council, welcomed the UK as the conference’s country of honor.

He said: “(This) represents a continuation of the strategic cooperation between (Saudi Arabia and the UK), including the launch of the Skills of the Future initiative at the 2025 HCI conference, focused on advancing economic cooperation, educational exchange, and workforce development.”

The last two HCI conferences attracted over 23,000 participants, featured 550 speakers, and announced 156 partnerships, organizers said.

The HCDP aligns with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, focusing on enhancing citizens’ potential and competitiveness, they added.