Get To Know The Act
An officer with the Barbados Fire Service is urging business places to get au fait with all aspects of the Health and Safety at Work Act and not to wait until it officially becomes law to start to get systems in place.
The suggestion is coming from Sub Officer Errol Maynard, who noted that there are a number of business persons who do not know of the Act and what will be required of them once it becomes law. His comments came yesterday morning as he spoke at a Fire Safety Symposium at the Tamarind Cove Hotel, which was hosted by the St. James Central District Emergency Organisation and the Holetown Strategic Emergency Planning Committee. Maynard was at the time going through sections of the new act which speak to fire safety and what requirements businesses have to meet in that respect.
Addressing the gathering, made up primarily of managers, supervisors and health and safety officers within the private sector, the Sub Officer reminded them that it is their responsibility to ensure that they know the law and adhere to it, as under the new act, if it is proven that a business place was negligent in meeting requirements, they could face a fine or worse, a period of time in jail.
“It would be good if businesses start to put things in place progressively so that when the act is proclaimed by the Governor General, they would not be rushing to get up to speed. It would also help to take some of the pressure off of the Fire Service as well, we do not want everyone to wait until the last minute to try to get things done, because it will stretch our resources as we try to issue certificates,” he said.
Maynard added that it is also imperative that places of employment have warning systems in place, both audible and visual, to alert people in the event that there is a fire. Smoke detectors and fire alarm systems, he said, need not only to be installed, but checked every three months to ensure they are working properly. Additionally, he said that exits should be properly identified and clearly visible at all times. Those in the habit, he said, of packing filing cabinets and boxes in corridors and blocking such exits should cease and desist with that practice as soon as possible, as it could present a dangerous situation if there is need for an emergency evacuation of persons.
Meanwhile, he said that while there are a number of businesses that are being proactive and have been putting fire fighting equipment in place, many are not training employees to use that equipment.
“Too often you go into an establishment and persons do not know how to use the equipment, but the act will require that people are trained how to use the equipment,” he said. (JRT)
Source: www.barbadosadvocate.com
The suggestion is coming from Sub Officer Errol Maynard, who noted that there are a number of business persons who do not know of the Act and what will be required of them once it becomes law. His comments came yesterday morning as he spoke at a Fire Safety Symposium at the Tamarind Cove Hotel, which was hosted by the St. James Central District Emergency Organisation and the Holetown Strategic Emergency Planning Committee. Maynard was at the time going through sections of the new act which speak to fire safety and what requirements businesses have to meet in that respect.
Addressing the gathering, made up primarily of managers, supervisors and health and safety officers within the private sector, the Sub Officer reminded them that it is their responsibility to ensure that they know the law and adhere to it, as under the new act, if it is proven that a business place was negligent in meeting requirements, they could face a fine or worse, a period of time in jail.
“It would be good if businesses start to put things in place progressively so that when the act is proclaimed by the Governor General, they would not be rushing to get up to speed. It would also help to take some of the pressure off of the Fire Service as well, we do not want everyone to wait until the last minute to try to get things done, because it will stretch our resources as we try to issue certificates,” he said.
Maynard added that it is also imperative that places of employment have warning systems in place, both audible and visual, to alert people in the event that there is a fire. Smoke detectors and fire alarm systems, he said, need not only to be installed, but checked every three months to ensure they are working properly. Additionally, he said that exits should be properly identified and clearly visible at all times. Those in the habit, he said, of packing filing cabinets and boxes in corridors and blocking such exits should cease and desist with that practice as soon as possible, as it could present a dangerous situation if there is need for an emergency evacuation of persons.
Meanwhile, he said that while there are a number of businesses that are being proactive and have been putting fire fighting equipment in place, many are not training employees to use that equipment.
“Too often you go into an establishment and persons do not know how to use the equipment, but the act will require that people are trained how to use the equipment,” he said. (JRT)
Source: www.barbadosadvocate.com
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