Lucky Obukohwo, Reporting
With the determination to curtail incidents of work hazards at workplace especially among the technical workers, the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) Plc has trained its Technical Staff across its four franchise states, Edo, Delta, Ondo and Ekiti.
In his opening remark, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Company, Mr Deolu Ijose said, BEDC was committed to the safety of its personnel and customers alike in the course of carrying out their statutory duty.
According to the Managing Director who was represented by the Head, Human Capital Management of the Company, Dr Obinna Obi, Safety consciousness was reflected in the Company’s mission statement which places, Safety, Teamwork, Integrity, Continuous learning, Resilience in service as its core values.
According to him, the training was a wake up call for the technical staff who are wittingly or unwittingly, sliding into a habitual unsafe conduct.
Ijose said the training was also imperative having observed a huge gap in safety culture amongst the staff particularly the technical operatives.
He affirmed that the training was a continuous one of building staff capacity as well as a regulatory obligation which they are bound to comply with, as a responsible organization.
He added that in order to reduce the risk level amongst staff, training and continuous training of all technical and commercial staff becomes not only a necessity but imperative.
He then implored them to always adhere to safety precautionary measures in line with international safety best practices.
Also speaking, the Head Safety and Environment of the Company, Mr. Gilbert Nweke in his paper titled “Electrical Safety and Safe Work Procedures” said the only way electrical accidents can be reduced among staff was through training and continuous retraining of staff, including the contractors that work for the company.
He added that training is a form of capacity building and also a way of reducing accidents to the barest minimum.
He then urged staff to be safety conscious in accordance with the Company’s HSE Policies and Safety Pledge.
The Head Safety went on to say that, if staff are not well trained, they will engage in unsafe acts, which accounts for the highest frequency of accidents in any organizations.
The Head HSE used the occasion to commend BEDC management for organizing the seminar, describing it as timely, adding that Management and Leadership Commitment in handling health, safety and environmental activities cannot be overemphasized.
He said management is committed to hazard reduction in the workplace, compliance obligation in terms of obeying all national laws and international protocols regarding implementation of HSE activities and enhancing capacity building.
The brain- storming seminar which attracted resource persons within and outside Benin City, ended with a call to the Government to speedily address the menace of erecting structures under power lines as it portends great danger to the society.