The National Water and Sewerage Authority (Nawasa), has taken a significant step towards ensuring the well-being of its employees, by launching its Occupational Safety and Health Management System (OSHMS) on Wednesday, 1 November 2023.
This initiative demonstrates Nawasa’s commitment to providing a safe and healthy work environment.
The OSH Management System aims to identify, assess, and control workplace hazards while promoting employee well-being and minimising the risk of occupational accidents and illnesses. “We have made encouraging progress with regards to occupational safety and health and are now in the process of finalising the establishment of an OSH unit, within our Human Resources Department,” revealed Acting General Manager Terrance Smith. “The aim is to overhaul the workplace safety system, ensuring that we achieve decent working conditions and a strong preventative safety culture, among our employees,” he said. “We certainly are at the forefront of promoting good workplace practices.”
The launch of the OSH Management System signifies a milestone for Nawasa’s continuous improvement in workplace safety and reflects the organisation’s dedication to safeguarding the health and welfare of its employees. With this system in place, Nawasa will adopt a proactive approach to identifying and addressing hazards, implement preventive measures, and establish protocols for emergency response.
Chairman of the Authority’s Board of Directors Phillip Alexander gave the Board’s commitment to the process, noting that “It’s not going to be business as usual.”
The new system will involve regular risk assessments, workplace inspections, and training sessions to ensure that all employees are well-equipped to carry out their tasks safely. It will also facilitate incident reporting and investigation procedures to identify the root causes of accidents or near misses and implement corrective actions to prevent future occurrences.
Nawasa’s commitment to occupational safety and health not only benefits its employees but also contributes to the overall efficiency and productivity of the organisation.
Smith noted that the success of the OSH Management System requires a collaborative approach. “Today, we commit to redoubling our efforts and working harder to maintain a safe and healthy work environment that will improve the welfare of our employees, as a good safety culture will yield benefits on all fronts, and it depends on a tripartite approach — management, the union and employees — in making this a reality.”
This initiative demonstrates Nawasa’s dedication to providing a safe and healthy environment for its employees, fostering a positive and productive work atmosphere. Implementation of Nawasa’s OSHMS was driven in part, by the Climate Resilient Water Sector in Grenada (G-CREWS) project, which is currently being implemented.
The launch was supported by the oversight body for the G-Crews project, GIZ, through its Head of Project Marion Geiss, as well as representatives from the Ministry of Implementation, Mobilisation and Transportation, the Grenada Technical and Allied Workers Union and the Grenada Public Workers Union.
Nawasa
