Let us reduce injuries on the job
THE SATIRICAL statement coined as Murphy’s Law states, ‘Anything that can go wrong will go wrong’. At that moment when an occupational incident or injury is about to occur or the point of inception of an occupational illness is when ‘the anything or the whatever’ has finally realised its eventuality.
As regulators, it is our duty to reduce the number of moments of finality. Under The Mining (Safety and Health) Regulations, 1977, the collection of safety data through the Government’s injury/illness/incident surveillance system is continuously being transformed as technologies and procedures in safety evolve. This, in turn, aids the sector in revamping its safety programmes and policies to Token presentation made to Pastor John-Mark Bartlett of Pentecosal Tabernacle by Peter Allen, JOHSPA honorary secretary, towards the Pentab Nursery & Day Care, as part of JOHSPA’s annual World Safety Day Church Service.
reduce the adverse effects of injuries on individuals and companies alike. As a result, we have seen an improved safety culture in the industry which is now disseminating into other sectors in Jamaica.
The data collected is tabulated, analysed and published on an annual basis, and in the past, an awards function that recognised companies that excelled in OSH and environmental prudence was held. Currently, the Mines and Geology Division collects the specifics of each case reported, that is, the occupation of the injured, classification of the injury, his/her parent company, nature of each injury, the accident source, location and root cause, parts of body injured, and the location and/or department to which the injured was employed or based. All data collected is then verified through an audit of each company’s internal data. One noted deficiency to be rectified in the near future is the omission of demographic information such as the age groups and sex of the injured that is not currently collected.
Using the year 2015 as a sample, the numbers were encouraging. The combined bauxite and alumina industry boasted zero fatalities, eight lost time injuries, five restricted cases, 32 medical treatment cases and 80 minor incidents which were recorded as first-aid treatment. For the year, 9,032,209 man-hours were completed by 4,228 employees. A total of 884.25 days were lost, 691 days due to lost time injuries and 193.25 lost days charged due to restricted and medical cases.
THINK TANK
The Bauxite Safety Council (BSC) was borne from the realisation that there are commonalities in the types of injuries that impact the industry. The BSC serves as a think tank consisting of safety professionals from the industry who periodically meet to share information and analyse the injury trends. This is with the purview to formulate or share as a collective, solutions to the industries safety issues which are deemed to be problematic.
On an annual basis, the BSC hosts a conference where participants from various sectors are invited to learn through a taught process and open discussions on key issues which impact safety islandwide. This is a strategic step towards reducing the possibilities of the above mentioned eventualities.
Just remember, ‘If you don’t measure it, you can’t improve it’.