BEDC Organises 2023 Safety Seminar For Technical Staff In Four Franchise States
A one-week safety training has been conducted by the Benin Electricity Distribution Company Plc (BEDC) for its technical staff across the four franchise states of the electricity distribution company, namely Edo, Delta, Ondo and Ekiti states.
In his opening remarks while declaring the seminar open, the MD/CEO of BEDC, Mr. Deolu Ijose said “BEDC is committed to the safety of its personnel and customers alike”, adding that the training is to equip its staff adequately with the requisite safety knowledge on a continuous basis so as to ensure that they are safe in the course of carrying out their statutory functions.
According to the BEDC Managing Director who was represented by the Head, Human Capital Management of the electricity company, Dr. Obinna Obi, safety consciousness is reflected in the company’s mission statement which places “Safety, Teamwork, Integrity, Continuous learning and Resilience in Service as its core values.
According to the MD/CEO, “the training is a wake-up call for technical staff who are wittingly or unwittingly slipping into unsafe habits. The MD/CEO went on to say that the training is imperative, having observed some gaps in safety culture amongst staff particularly the technical staff.
He affirmed that the training is a continuous one for the purpose of building staff capacity as well as a regulatory obligation “which we are bound to comply with, as BEDC is a responsible and welfarist organization.”
Ijose therefore added that “in order to sustain a safe working environment, training and continuous training of all technical and commercial staff becomes not only a necessity but very imperative.” He then implored them to always adhere to safety precautionary measures in line with international safety best practices.
Also speaking during the occasion, the Head, Safety and Environment of the company, Mr. Gilbert Nweke, in his paper titled “Electrical Safety and Safe Work Procedures”, said the “only way electrical accidents can be reduced among staff is through training and continuous retraining of staff, including the contractors who work for the company. He added that training is a form of capacity building and also a way of reducing accidents to the barest minimum. He then urged staff to be safety conscious in accordance with the company’s HSE policies and safety pledge.
The Head of Safety went on to say that “if staff are not well trained, they will engage in unsafe acts, which accounts for the highest frequency of accidents in any organization.” The Head of HSE used the occasion to commend BEDC’s management for organizing the seminar, describing it as timely, adding that “management and leadership commitment in handling health, safety and environmental activities cannot be over-emphasized.
He continued by saying that the BEDC management is committed to hazard reduction in the workplace, in compliance with all national laws and international protocols regarding implementation of HSE activities and enhancing capacity building.
The brainstorming seminar which attracted resource persons within and outside Benin City, ended with a call to various governments to speedily address the menace of erecting structures under power lines as it portends great danger to the public.
Highlights of the occasion included the practical demonstration of first aid techniques and emergency evacuation procedures.
Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) safety training of technical staff, at Sapele Region of the company, held last Saturday
