The National Safety Council (NSC) is now accepting nominations for the 2016 Green Cross for Safety awards through Jan. 15.

Finalists and award winners will be notified no later than March 2016, the organization said. Awards will be presented in three categories: safety excellence, innovation and advocacy. The awards dinner and program is set for May 12 at Swissôtel in Chicago. 

The Green Cross for Safety medal program has celebrated excellence in workplace safety since 2000. But beginning in 2016, the program is expanding to also encompass safety achievements in homes and communities and in transportation, NSC said.

The Safety Excellence Award recognizes an unrelenting pursuit of safety that results in a life-saving and injury-preventing solution. The Safety Innovation Award honors an innovative approach to solving a long-held safety challenge.

Corporations, coalitions and organizations are all eligible for the Safety Excellence Award and the Safety Innovation Award. However, individuals are also eligible for the Safety Innovation Award. The Safety Advocate Award will go to an individual who has made a significant personal impact on a safety issue to raise awareness and prevent further injuries and deaths.

Companies, organizations and individuals outside the U.S. are ineligible.

The nomination data submitted must demonstrate results that have made an impact in the past year, regardless of when the original safety initiative was launched, NSC said. The safety initiative must be relevant and address a safety challenge in society today.

Once submitted, all applications are considered final and ready for review. They will undergo a technical and media review by NSC staff. The top quartile of each award category will be forwarded to the Green Cross Review Committee for consideration. The committee will be composed of people representing all disciplines of safety, NSC said. Committee members will include business leaders, safety advocates, researchers and NSC volunteers such as board members and delegates.

For more information or to submit a nomination, click here.