“The Price of Safety – The Value of a Life” was the catch theme of a day-long symposium attended by a large number of participants from the private and public sectors at Paradise Cove on Tuesday this week. The event, co-sponsored by Scotia Bank, Safety Alliance, a consulting company in the United States, and the Department of Disaster Management in Anguilla, was specifically in relation to maintaining health and safety standards at the workplace.
The main facilitator of the symposium was Timothy Roberts, Founder, President of Safety Alliance, and an International Speaker, who held a similar event in Trinidad on September 28. A pamphlet prepared by him stated in part: “In light of the current safety statistics, it is more important than ever for government, companies and workers [to] step up and take responsibility. All companies can benefit from success strategies that really work. Safety does pay.”
In his opening remarks, Anguilla’s Deputy Governor, Stanley Reid, who has responsibility for Disaster Management, observed that maintaining health and safety standards in the workplace posed certain difficulties. He believed, however, “that health and safety measures which address physical injury and mental stress, increase the employees’ ability to enjoy better health, job security and the opportunity to attain more in life and demonstrate greater productivity.”
Mr. Reid continued: “The responsibility for ensuring that health and safety measures are in place to protect employees in the workplace is primarily that of the employer. However, the responsibility for adhering to such measures rests with both employers and employees…By addressing health and safety issues in the workplace, employers are also protecting their own interests.”
The Deputy Governor listed three propositions which he said formed the basis for the business case relating to the promotion of health and safety standards. These were that: “Illness and injury which is work related leads to avoidable absence; serious injury and illness can lead to litigation and substantial compensation being paid out to employees by the employing institution; and a poor reputation for safety and welfare makes it difficult for an institution to recruit, retain and motivate its staff.”
Scotia Bank’s Managing Director, Pamela Herbert, said it was encouraging that the theme for the symposium was “The Price of Safety – The Value of a Life”. She pointed out that when a value was put to life, fewer lives would be lost and fewer persons injured due to safety precautions at the workplace.
She stressed that management and workers had an instrumental role to play in making the workplace safe through education. “In some international arenas, it is clear that the focus is on important risk areas such as working heights and crane operations,” Ms Herbert went on. “However, we must also lookat all types of work especially when we promote the message of workplace safety and health. This will allow us to create a community that is keenly aware of its role to keep the workplace safe.” She emphasised that safety played a key role in the drive to higher productivity and reduced loss of productivity from workplace incidents.
“The journey towards achieving world-class workplace health and safety comes with challenges, but I am confident that with the commitment and support of the Department of Disaster Management, the objectives will be achieved,”Ms. Herbert stated.
Director of Disaster Management, Melissa Meade, said that such roles as disaster risk reduction, mitigationand early warning were geared to increasing the safety of the populace at work, within the communities and households.
“Building a culture of safety, a mandate of the Department, is something which we all need to embrace,” Ms Meade told the symposium participants. “In order to do this, we need to beware of the various threats around us, how we are vulnerable to them and, most importantly, how to protect ourselves. Simple safety practices, such as removal of loose debris around the yard during the hurricane season, driving safety, knowing the exits, drop, cover and hold on during an earthquake, and mopping up a spill, can reduce injury and save your life or someone else’s…Our focus today is on the workplace. The objectives are: improving the safety of the work environment to the recognition, evaluation and control of hazardous conditions; reducing the numbers and severity of injuries to employees through training and implementation of safe work practices; and complying with the regulatory requirements.”
Ms Meade gave this advice to all persons: “Having safe practices showed that you care; that you value a life.”
A brief overview of the Safety Alliance symposium was given by Mr. Timothy Roberts who reminded the participants that in the course of doing their jobs they needed to ensure that they were safe. He said his presentation would be lively and interactive. “I am looking forward to a great morning and a great afternoon,” he added.
The first presentation was made by Anguilla’s Director of the Environment, Karim Hodge. His delivery was on hazard mitigation.
The opening ceremony was chaired by Alwyn Richardson, Programme Officer Mitigation, who said in part: “It is vital that we remain committed to sustaining a strong, healthy and safe workplace.”
