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Gambia: Pura Launches Health Promotion And Safety At Work
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FOROYAA Newspaper (Serrekunda)
26 March 2008
Posted to the web 26 March 2008
Saikou Ceesay
A forum, geared towards ensuring effective Health and Safety practices within regulated utilities, on Tuesday, kicked off at the Paradise Suites Hotel.
In his Presentation, the Director General of the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA), Alagie B. Gaye said that health and safety is integral to the core activities of PURA.
He said that, as part of it regulatory responsibilities, PURA intends to embark on an aggressive campaign to engage and sensitise stakeholders on Health and Safety issues and that the forum is one of several such activities. Mr. Gaye said that we are all aware of the fact that hazards are not only limited to operators, but extend to the general public as users of utility services such as electricity and water.
"We have seen incidents of fire in residential areas which had no doubt raised alarms and public concern. These fires, in some cases, were attributed to poor electricity wiring, cables of poor quality, etc " he said. Mr. Gaye noted that in late 2007, they submitted to the electricity sector PURA's Health and Safety guidelines; that since then they have seen a gradual acknowledgement of the need to improve workplace conditions especially in the electricity sector.
The Permanent Secretary for the Department of State for Health, Mr. Sulayman Samba, said that the timing of this seminar is excellent, particularly, given the rapid growth in almost all sectors of the economy, such as construction, electricity, telecoms. "Thus occupational health standards play key role in the development of a modern economy and need to be constantly revisited, reinforced and articulated," said the Permanent Secretary. He further said that, although The Gambia is not a heavily industralised country, the level of awareness of occupational health issues in The Gambia should be regularly addressed. He also said the seminar is restricted to the sectors PURA regulates; that the occupational health issues are of great concern to his department of state from a wider perspective.
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"As we all know, a the Department of State for Health and Social Welfare welcomes and encourages any preventive and behavioral changes, actions that promote and maintain good health and by implication safety standards too," he noted.
The opening remarks were made by the chairman PURA, Board of Commissioners Mr. Abdoulie Touray.
The effects of electric current on the human body protection methods against electric shock, fire safety rules and personal protective equipment were explained in a presentation given by Mr. Moses Campbell of PURA.
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