Issue23
The Business Benefits of Occupational Safety and Health
By Eric Kipps
Does safety and health management improve a company's bottom line? This question is most frequently asked by business owners and executives. The answer is a resounding "YES", although benefits may be somewhat hard to quantify. In addition to outright savings on worker's compensation benefit claims, civil liability, and litigation expenses, having a solid safety and health management program with senior management commitment will improve productivity and employee morale. It can also make the difference between winning and losing tenders and even government contracts.
Within recent times in Trinidad and Tobago there have been a number of initiatives by member organisations in the energy and industrial sectors aimed at increasing the levels of safety and health compliance among contractors. This will ultimately enhance their ability to win contracts in the energy sector.
Health Education: Needs and Implications for Trinidad and Tobago
By Dr. Deryck D. Pattron
Public Health Educator and Consultant
Albert Skair
Chair/Head of the Department of Public Health and Safety,
COSTAATT
Health Education is education for health that equips the individual with necessary knowledge that influences behavioural and attitude changes and reduces, prevents or controls the incidence and prevalence of diseases. Health educators use a wide range of methodologies to bring about healthy behavioural changes. Some of these methodologies include theories and principles derived from psychology, sociology and cultural anthropology. The health educator is a specialist as distinct from the generalist and performs a range of functions. The purpose of the paper is to determine the role and functions of health Educators, with particular reference to the required needs and implications for Health educators in Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean Region.
Recycling of Contaminated Land
By Kelli Danglad
Senior Environmental Specialist
Green Engineering
Contaminated land can be defined as land that contains (hazardous) substances in, on or under the land, which has the potential to cause harm to human beings, property, wildlife and surface and/or ground water. Whether or not a site poses a risk to receptors is determined by the presence of a pollutant linkage (source-pathway-receptor). Based on this description it is estimated that there are over 300 contaminated land sites in Trinidad alone.