A company based in Great Yarmouth has been presented with a major award after passing a significant health and safety milestone.

The Acteon company – which operates in hostile and hazardous environments – has now gone six years without a single accident or incident resulting in a so-called Lost Time Incident (LTI).

As a result, for the second consecutive year, CIS received the Gold Award for Occupational Health and Safety 2011 from the UK's Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA).

CIS provides conductor installation services associated with construction projects carried out in the global oil and gas industry.

These services are delivered both onshore and offshore to create foundations for new wells, platforms, bridges and jetties.

The RoSPA Awards criteria includes not only accident records, but the entrant's overall health and safety management systems, recognising important practices such as strong leadership and workforce involvement.

In recognition of this outstanding achievement, Andy Penman, group managing director of CIS, was presented the award by RoSPA trustee Eric Clark at the RoSPA Occupational Health & Safety Awards ceremony in Birmingham.

Mr Penman said: 'Considering that we sometimes work in hostile or hazardous environments around the world, this is a significant achievement.

'I would like to extend my thanks to every employee, without whose continued vigilance, safe working practices, and attention to all safety procedures, this achievement would not have been possible.'

Kevin Burton, executive vice president, risk and HSE for the Acteon Group, said: 'In just six years since the company was formed, CIS has been committed to building a reputation for excellent safety management.

'This second Gold Award in two years is testament to the serious attention that they – and all of our group companies – apply to health and safety both on and offshore.'

The health and safety award comes as the firm revealed it has won the biggest contract in its history to provide a range of installations in Nigeria. CIS will provide a range of conductor installation services – the foundations for oil or gas wells – in Nigeria on behalf of two major operators in the region. The deal is understood to run into millions of dollars.

Mr Penman said the contract would give CIS further stability and help with the continued evolution and growth of the company.

'We have gone from a zero base at the beginning of 2005 to being a global operator working in more than 26 countries.

'This is a relatively long-term contract with extremely good turnover.

'We will need to increase our workforce as a result, though it is not clear what the number will be at this stage,' he added.