Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution (PHED) Plc. has reiterated its commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of staff in the course of service to the organisation.
Consequently, the company flagged off its 2024 Goal Zero Campaign, alongside the presentation and handing over of Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) to different regions to ensure the safety of workers.
Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Benson Uwheru, who spoke at the event, described employees as PHED’s greatest asset, stressing that their safety and well-being remain paramount to the organisation.
He said the Goal Zero Campaign was about “behaviour”, which, he said, is one of the biggest drivers of transformation.
“It’s part of our commitment to create a better working environment for our people. When we say our people are the greatest asset, what we do is to match words with action. Indeed, we want our people to feel safe, and not just to feel safe, but have the consciousness of safety and health. And this year, our goal zero target is dedicated to promoting positive behaviours that promote safety, health, and welfare of our people,” he said.
Uwheru also disclosed that “in terms of the state of well-being, we are in the process of closing out a Group Life Assurance Policy. It means that your life is assured in the case of death. We are also implementing an Accident Cover, for accidents in the course of business, so that beyond the Health Maintenance Organisation that you have, you have additional offers that give reasonable assurance that you are not being used as a tool of trade”.
He noted: “We want to give them that sense of belonging that they are not alone; that when they are climbing either the High Tension (HT) or the Low Tension (LT), they are not alone. They know that this thing they are doing is part of their contribution to the company, and they do it with so much joy because they have a backup.”
He urged the workers to shun recklessness and embrace the “consciousness that inspires you, energises you, and motivates you to want to do more”.
Uwheru further commended regional heads, chiefs, and heads of departments for their contributions towards achieving the goal.
Receiving the PPEs, on behalf of the regional managers, the regional manager, Beta 2, Fred Harry, lauded the management of PHED for its concern and commitment to the welfare of staff.
He said: “It is important that we remain kitted in service. We will ensure that the PPEs are used judiciously to reduce accidents, incidences, and near misses while at work.”
