We should Always look at Safety beyond legal or Regulatory Requirement -
Saleh Gimba.
CCD: Briefly tell us about yourself?
GS: My Name is
Engineer Gimba Saleh. I am a graduate of Petroleum Engineering from Abubakar
Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi. I am Certified and Registered with COREN.
I started my career in Health and Safety in December, 2012 after a
Training with Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) on behalf of the Nigerian
Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB).
CCD: When did you join Kaduna Electric and what
did your job roll entails?
GS: I joined the
service of Kaduna Electric in September, 2015 as Health, Safety and Environment
Officer in the Control & Compliance Department. My job roll include among others; Disseminate HSE policies,
procedures, and Ensure compliance with the Company’s safety Policies and Rules,
ensure compliance with HSE regulatory
requirements and track implementation, coordinate regulatory risk assessment
and management, conduct training of staff on HSE and New employee induction,
review of job hazards analysis, conduct toolbox meeting, accident investigation
and review of incident action plan, enforce safety guidelines, coordinate
emergency evacuation and drills, etc.
CCD: As a safety Officer, what are the challenges
you face in discharging your duties?
GS: None adherence to Positive Safety Culture and not
making safety a top priority are our major challenges; Having the Company’s HSE
policy is important but the policy has to be implemented fully and this require
commitment from both the Management and employees, it is imperative for both
the Management and employees to understand the importance of safety to the
business. Therefore, HSE should be allow to take its proper place in priority
list of the Company.
CCD: How are you coping with these challenges?
GS: We are able
to manage these challenges through communication with staff inform of training,
toolbox talk/safety briefing and other safety meetings, these had help in
broadening their understanding of safety and therefore, change their
perceptions, involvement and commitment towards safety.
CCD: Can you share with us safety related issues
as the harmattan season is around the Corner?
GS: To this effect, there is urgent need to
undertake the following precaution:
1: Improve on your
housekeeping culture. It is imperative to ensure that the sanitary conditions
of our houses and surroundings are devoid of rubbish/weeds.
2: Check
indiscriminate refuse and bush burning.
3: Avoid improper
storage of petroleum products.
4: Ensure proper
use of electrical appliances, Switch off all appliances not in use and
unplugged from the sockets.
5: Never spray
insecticides near cooking stove or gas cooker or any open flame.
6: Keep your gas
cylinder outside the kitchen.
7: Fire-fighting
equipment/extinguishers should be kept in functional conditions.
8: Drink plenty of
water to avoid dehydration.
9: Cover your nose
and mouth with a mask or towel when it is dusty.
10: Wear clothes
that keep your body warm.
CCD: The HSE target of Kaduna Electric is zero
accident, what are your plans and strategies to achieving this?
GS: One way to achieve the goal of Zero Accident is to
change the way safety is being measured. We have a strategy of measuring both
the bottom-line result as well as the accident preventive measures i.e. the
combination of both lagging and leading indicators. To each of these safety
metrics, target is set and performance is measured on monthly basis and this approach
if maintained will enable us see and measure what people are doing versus
failing to do and we hope it will drive a continuous improvement in safety
performance of the company.
CCD: Any appeal or suggestion to staff or
Management
GS: My appeal to the Management is to demonstrate genuine
and sincere leadership commitment by providing the motivating forces, resources
and time to safety. While they are passionate about results, they should
equally have concern about how safe the results are achieved.
While to the
employees, I encourage them to take ownership of their own safety by developing
positive behaviours and challenge unsafe behaviours through reporting of unsafe
practices and stopping any unsafe job they witness. We should look at safety
beyond the legal compliance.
