Public Servants to be Surveyed on Health & Safety

~~Adz:Left~~ ROADTOWN, Tortola- Public servants will be surveyed about the health and safety of their workplace this month.The Department of Human Resources, as part of its ongoing Health and Safety in the Workplace Programme, is conducting the survey in order to identify potential health and safety concerns at government offices and worksites around the Territory.

Surveys will be distributed through heads of department and human resource managers. They are to be returned by the end of July, said programme coordinator Mrs. Sylvia George. Surveys may also be downloaded from the Department of Human Resources website at www.hr.gov.vg.

Mrs. George said that the survey will complement assessments which began in 2007. “The assessments have been ongoing, but now we need input from the whole public service. We need to know what their comments are and what their concerns and issues are as it pertains to health and safety in the workplace,” she said.

The survey, which was developed in partnership with the Development Planning Unit, addresses issues ranging from the availability of first aid kits and protective clothing to ventilation and temperature. The results will be used to develop future work plans and priorities.

Acting Deputy Financial Secretary Mrs. Lucia Lettsome, who is a member of the Health and Safety in the Workplace Steering Committee, says that employers and employees pay dearly when a worker is injured or sickened at the workplace. “First, there is the loss of earnings and work hours. But we must consider the family, who must take care of persons who have gotten ill on the job. It can have a rippling effect, not only for the employer, but for the employee and families too,” she said.

Cabinet approved the Health and Safety in the Workplace Programme earlier this year. The main objectives of the programme are to protect and promote workers’ safety and health and to enhance the workplace safety culture of the Virgin Islands.