Ephelia resort puts health and safety first |22 May 2015

Constance Ephelia Seychelles recently set up its new department of health and safety and launched their first health and safety week at the hotel for their employees.

The event took place from  May 11-16 with topics covering areas such as fire safety training, personal protective equipment, emergency contacts, hygiene and screening tests for chronic diseases to name a few.  

The aim of such programme is to sensitise all employees in all departments about health and safety and reduce the rate of accidents in the workplace.

The project coordinator, Natasha Anthony, reported that for each day of the week, a theme of discussion was selected to keep everyone engaged and stimulated.

"For the first day, employees were provided with a safety flow chart, contact details of emergency personnel and types of health and safety equipment in place. Tuesday through to Friday, touched on themes such as health and safety policies, safety at work, personal protective equipment, ensuring correct body posture in the workplace and the handling of chemicals. Employees learned about the material safety data sheet, a formal document for chemicals detailing chemical composition, first aid measures, storage, exposure, toxicity levels and their disposals. Over the last few days, everyone had the chance to learn more about hygiene and food handling,” she explained.

Screening tests for diabetes and hypertension were also performed by the Ministry of Health.

“Staff cannot leave to undergo all those tests and counselling provided at the hospital, so we brought the screening to them,” Miss Anthony said.
 
Finally, a risk management assessment was scheduled for Saturday, whereby departmental risks were assessed by the health and safety managers.

Employees are able to leave anonymous comments and opinions on health and safety. The health and safety department also conducted an audit on staff to find areas of weakness that needed further discussions.

“The aim of such a programme is to promote a safe workplace and by doing so encourage and promote safety at home,” said Miss Anthony.

The accompanying photos show staff involved in some of the activities organised for the week.