By Geraldine Peters
NTUC along with its co-operative LearningHub and the Devan Nair Employment and Employability Institute (e2i) held the inaugural U Safe awards recently at e2i, in partnership with Workplace Safety and Health Council (WSH).
The awards were given to unionised companies and individuals who have all contributed towards a safer and healthier work environment.
Guest-of-Honour NTUC Secretary-General Chan Chun Sing handed out a total of 13 awards; five Star Awards honouring individuals and eight Spark awards honouring companies.
A Commendation award honouring the Oil, Petrochemical, Energy and Chemical (OPEC) cluster was also given away.
Safe-Proofing The Future
The awards aim to encourage organisations to adopt and implement more initiatives that contribute to their overall workplace safety culture. Examples include equipping workers with apt skills and knowledge as well as the creation of procedures to follow before, during and after an emergency.
Speaking at the event, Assistant Secretary-General Yeo Guat Kwang, who also serves as Director of WSH Secretariat, said that every company and individual has a role to play.
“Every stakeholder has to play their part to eliminate risk, nurture a culture that generates new ideas and redefine current practices for a safer and healthier workplace. We also want to recognise unsung heroes who have worked hard to put in place good practices,” he said.
Being Proactive
Star Award recipient Mr Mohd Ismail Meerasah, 53, is a Senior Technician and Acting Supervisor at Panasonic Industrial Devices Materials Singapore for around 25 years now.
Also serving as Chairman at Chemical Industries Employees’ Union (CIEU), he was honoured for his quick action in 2013 to help remedy a health hazard at a Panasonic production site, one that was making his fellow workers ill with coughing and breathing difficulty issues.
Mr Mohd noticed a surge in medical leave taken by workers, most of whom were aged 50 and above. First, he talked to management to lift the cap of the S$1000 given to each worker for medical expenses.
Then, he got management to act on the problem by having an immediate inspection of the area. The culprit at the end was a chocked air filter, one that did not distil the airborne dust in the site and hence, led to the dust levels slightly exceeding Ministry Of Manpower (MOM) guidelines.
A contractor was called down immediately to fix the filter and MOM was asked to check if their dust levels were regulated.
Since then, the company has a quarterly review of the dust levels and encourages employees to voice out safety hazards. Replacement cartridges for the filters are now stocked in the company, so that employees can be proactive in protecting themselves.
“Health must be our top priority and the management and the union must work together so that everyone goes back home healthy and safe,” said Mr Mohd.
Source: NTUC This Week
