From Ighomuaye Lucky, Benin
The BEDC Electricity Plc in collaboration with the Nigerian Red Cross Society, Edo State branch, yesterday, sensitized staff of the company on safety measures to reduce hazard at work place.
Addressing Journalists at the company’s headquarters in Benin, the Head, Health Safety and Environment of the company, Mr. Gilbert Nweke, said as the world all over battles with the issue of climate change, Nigeria as a country is not left out, therefore the country’s workforce must be protected and possibly taught how to take measures to protect themselves at work place and even at home.
He said that the BEDC as a company doesn’t joke with the safety of its workers because the company knows the kind of work it does and that is why it strives to ensure that its staff are taken through the rudiments of safety.
“One of the major hazards when you are talking of climate change and its impact, it goes with a lot of things.
“You also know most of the times, you discovered that there is air pollution especially for people who work outside the offices, you know we have our field workers, we have those in the transportation industry, in the construction industry and those who go outside, they are exposed to air pollution.
“The essence of this is for us to create awareness because we need to protect our workers, we need to ensure that we put certain basic protection in the aspect of training, providing the right Personal Protection Equipment to protect our workers from the effects of work place accident and hazards”, Nweke said.
The BEDC Company Secretary, Barr. Esanye Mayor, said safety is everything in the electricity industry, and the company places much emphasies on it a great deal particularly for workers on the field.
According to him “We always say one thing, if it is not safe, don’t do it. Yesterday was World Safety Day but we are celebrating it today being the first working day of the week.
“The entire world came together to highlight and project safety in everything we do.
“This particular exercise is calling on the collectiveness of employees to come and witness the aspect of safety”, he said.
Mr. Wilson Etinosa Ekhomugiazin, the branch secretary of the Nigerian Red Cross Society, Edo State, said the essence of the day is to create the needed awareness on safety.
He commended the BEDC for inviting them to carry out the training on staff of the company.