Senior Manager, Administration and Operations, Head of the Health and Safety and Going Green Committees at the Republic Bank, Michelle Pounder, delivering remarks at the Launch of their Going Green Campaign 2017, on Wednesday evening, at their Broad Street location.
Some members of the Health & Safety Committee and Going Green Committee; l-r back row: Christopher Alleyne; Sadrian Maynard; Larry Brathwaite; Ryan Rogers and Simon Isaccs. Front row l-r: Cathalene Jordan; Inga King; Michelle Pounder; Rhonda Walcott- Hackett and Nanette Moe.
Republic Bank working towards Platinum Award
Sat, 01/14/2017 - 12:00am
The Republic Bank is working towards attaining the platinum award for their Safety and Health at Work Self-Management System.
According to the Senior Manager, Administration and Operations and Head of the Health and Safety and Going Green Committees at the Republic Bank, Michelle Pounder, this will be the highest award that they can get and is something which they would love to attain, having already received the Gold and Silver Awards for the efforts that they have made to date.
These efforts included embarking on a course of actions to eliminate the likelihood of accidents occurring in the workplace, plus a gap analysis was also developed that helped to clearly lay out what steps would need to be taken. She said that drafting ‘A Safety and Health at Work Policy Statement’ that states what their programme involves and having health and safety procedures that the Bank employees can take, regarding such things as identifying potential risks and hazards, are just two of them.
“The Bank drafted ‘A Safety and Health at Work Policy Statement’ which outlines the objectives of the health and safety programme of the Bank and the commitment of all levels of staff and management to the programme. The Bank has also prepared robust health and safety procedures which have been promulgated across the entire network. These procedures address the reporting of identified risks and hazards and ensure proper upkeep of things such as stairwells and exits, lighting, furniture etcetera.”
Other measures that have been implemented include having Health and Safety Representatives in each of their locations; placing a drop box for staff to place their suggestions and observations in and evaluation visits by the head of the respective committees, to ensure that any pressing matters regarding health and safety are addressed as soon as possible.
“What has worked well is having Health and Safety Representatives in each Branch and Department, so they are figuratively and literally speaking the eyes and ears of the Health and Safety Committee. There is the alternative in place whereby through the Drop Box system, staff members may anonymously report on observations made with regards to safety and health, structured monthly leadership visits by the Senior Management Team of the Committee, as well as monthly meetings of the full Committee ensure that matters arising are remediated in a timely fashion,” she explained.
Pounder said that after an initial assessment, the Labour Department paid a site visit to their Broad Street and Speightstown locations and they were granted the Silver Award. After further consultations with the Labour Department and the necessary improvements being taken, they were granted the Gold Award three months later.
In addition, there has been visible improvements in the attitudes of their employees towards health and safety in the workplace, said Pounder. (PJT)