Praise for SCC workers

I would like to commend the hard work and dedication of the Suva City Council, especially its employees who are responsible for the daily collection of rubbish from our respective homes within the eligible boundaries.

For the past few weeks during my frequent morning walks along Lakeba and Tubou streets in Samabula, Suva, I had always observed with interest how these employees of Suva City Council would expertly pass the rubbish bins among themselves and finally getting the bins emptied in the back of the bright green Hino rubbish truck.

In all my observations, there was not an episode where the rubbish bins or garbage bags would fall on the ground during the passing process among the workers. I would say to myself: “There you go again, practice makes perfect.” It’s almost like watching a 7s rugby match!

It is evident that these industrious workers value “time” as they are glued to their tasks ensuring that all garbage are collected along the streets. However, despite all this, I am concerned over the health and safety of these employees.

These workers are seen to be standing at the back of the moving rubbish truck and clinging to a horizontal bar for support. I find this to be extremely unsafe and horrifying especially when the workers are not wearing any safety helmets and are not even strapped safely onto the moving truck. In addition, the workers do not wear facial masks in spite of the foul smell emanating from the garbage collected.

The health and safety of all employees is of paramount importance. I am not aware if there were incidents (accidents) of workers reportedly falling off the moving truck during rubbish collection. Nevertheless, accidents at work or during working hours do happen. Are we prepared?

The notion of “prevention is better than cure” is crucial in this regard.

It’s only when accidents occur that we are swift to react and address the problem instead of being proactive by implementing preventative measures.

I hope that these concerns are taken into consideration by the Suva City Council to ensure that these workers’ health and safety becomes a priority and that ‘Personal Protective Equipment’ are provided and used at all times.