Author Reference
Lango, B. (2016): “Activities to
Consider in Commemorating World Day for Safety and Health at Workplace in
Kenya: April 28, 2016”. Intel Fire Group of Companies Blog. Nairobi, Kenya.
Another World day for safety and
health at the workplace is here with us and probably if you leave in Kenya you must
have noted the awareness campaign launched by the authority concerned with
safety and health in the country. The interesting bit about this year’s world
day is the theme “Workplace Stress: A collective Challenge”
which signals that organizations and
companies through the spearhead of their Occupational Safety and Health (OSH)
officers organize activities in relation to this theme to capture safety and
health at the workplace. If you are working for a company where targets are
what matters whether it is a world day or not, then this day is another
opportunity to package a product to sell in support of this year’s world day.
Therefore do not be surprised if one or more of the media houses calls you for
an opportunity to feature your company in a supplement dubbed “supporting workers interest during this
world day for safety and health at workplace”. This is good for publicity
and as earlier mentioned in one of the critiques, most organizations and companies
focus so much of their efforts on publicity at the expense of their employees.
As the officer in charge of safety and health at your organization and in line
with this year’s theme, seek authorization to arrange any one, a few or all of the
activities mentioned below.
Activities to organize during World
Day for Safety and health at Workplace in Kenya are not necessarily rocket
science but should be geared towards the theme and not restricted if it
incorporates other general OSH issues. The major activities in the Kenyan
context are numerous as the causes of stress in Kenyan workplaces are varied
and enormous. With an election approaching, the heightened political activities
only add to the woes of the Kenyan workers. The persons in charge of OSH in
various companies should therefore device innovative ways to celebrate the day
while maintaining the theme so that next time you are commemorating the same
day your employees don’t say but it’s the same activities year in year out. In the
process of exciting your creative self in activities to mark the World Day for
safety and health at workplace and in Kenya, consider the following:
A. Organize OSH Fun Day
It is April, the only month we have fools’
day out, workers day and now the coveted OSH fun day. Convince the company as
the OSH officer in charge to organize a fun day with an OSH theme and the
activities of the day completely geared towards achieving the World Day for
Safety and Health at Workplace with most shaping stress at the workplace at
manageable levels. This fun day should not take a whole day if it is totally
impossible, but it can surely be one afternoon session on the 28th
day of April where the employees come together and have fun activities as
facilitated by the OSH committee. If organizing the activities becomes a
daunting task then your procurement department will be on standby before the
day to procure a facilitator of the day at your recommendation. This will
enable you transfer the stress theme off your chest to the outsourced company
and this, folks, is the epitome of innovative World Day with you (read OSH officer) at the center of being
awarded HCC (read Head of Company Commendation).
B. Joining the World Day Public March
During these kind of events the
Directorate of Occupational Safety and Health Services (DOSHS) under the
ministry of labour in every country usually takes lead. Since the writer is yet
to review the Kenyan synopsis of activities, the neighbouring country Uganda
has made available the cadre of activities leading up to the D-Day. As one of
its activities, the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development Uganda
has marked Kampala Capital City as the venue of the event and will be holding a
day long match around the City with the stakeholders in the OSH industry. Once
you have taken note of Kenya’s synopsis and confirmed that there will be match
around the city or in a stadium within the city, as the safety officer your
participation in solidarity with other workers and in remembrance of those who
died due to occupational accidents and or illness is paramount. Form a select
team from the workers body to represent the organization at the march as this
will give confidence to the overall employees that the company values there
welfare. A part from the fact that the company will be more interested in
marketing itself at the very least it has shown that your interest is of great
concern and value furthermore you being seen in as their brand ambassador is
enough an honour.
C. Print and Send Value Appreciation Cards to
Employees
Researches have in the recent past
indicated that most employees would want their employer to show their
appreciation to the work they are doing by simply saying THANK YOU!! Leaving in a
world where it is a man-eat-man-society and
in Kenya where…., it will be prudent on this D-Day for the OSH officer liaising
with the directors of the company to organize for a thank you card that is
tailored either to the individual members or their departments. We are in a digital
world with digital leaders, why then should an OSH officer not be digital? In supporting
the environment choose to deliver the company compassion and appreciation cards
digitally, unless the target recipient has every indication otherwise. This
card can be accompanied by a small but branded gift for the employee to reflect
on while going through company related stress and take not because this can
also be used to reflect on negatively like this “All these workload and all I get is a branded cup as if one can eat a
cup”. Remember this is an indication that the company cares, you can
imagine the statements if there was no appreciation by the company.
D. Organize Motivation Training on Stress
Management
The greatest gift you can give to an employee is motivation, the same way the greatest gift to human kind is hope. Motivate them to excite
interest in work they are doing and especially if it is the same activities at
the same workstation in the same town in the same environment until one
retires, relieves, or re-engineer an exit. This will not just be a motivational
training but training with the theme biased towards stress management. Since
everyone and anybody seems to claim they are motivational speakers, as the OSH
officer you might want to consider the background of the speaker to be in
tandem with OSH knowledge and skills before the motivational toque comes in
place as you might get a comedian in the name of a motivational speaker and
loose the day’s objective.
E. Organize Employee Mass Prayer
This is mostly suited for companies
with large population and operating in village or remote areas. An example will
be a flower farm with a total workforce population of 1500 or lower or higher
in a remote (read away from town) farm
in Kenya. The OSH team in collaboration with the management can organize an
afternoon MASS (Prayer session) where
all the employees will be in attendance together with their families. Believe
it or not prayers at the workplace do wonders as it raises the moral of the
employee and brings hope closer home at the workplace. With this you will not
only raise the motivational levels of your employees and reduced stress but
also link with their human kind that there is hope for a better tomorrow and
the company is here to partner with them and not stress them out. Kenya being a
nation of believers and more so in the village and remote areas, this gesture
will make even the village yawn to be associated with the company and the
company shall also have achieved its corporate image management strategic
objective.
These activities are suggested after
a survey of the Kenyan workplaces capped with experience in field and how the
World Day for Safety and Health at Workplace easily go unnoticed in Kenya as
non has been enlightened on what role they are supposed to play on this
important day. Now that you have struggled to read and reached these far send more
suggestions on activities to add to database for the benefit of knowledge
management in public safety service. Remember World Day is just one day in a
year that relates to OSH, what you do with your remaining days is your…..company
business.
The writer is a PhD Generalist in
Public Safety Service Delivery
