| Achong Tanjong |
PROGRESIF Cellular Sdn Bhd opened its Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) Week yesterday at its Kiarong headquarters.
Themed ‘HSE for Life’, HSE Week will feature activities revolving around promoting a healthier lifestyle, building awareness of safety preparations to take in case of emergencies, and raising environmental awareness.
Examples include a blood donation drive, an environmental roadshow, a showcase on different HSE products and services offered by several vendors, as well as a Pop-Up Market held in conjunction with Breast Cancer Awareness month.
The guest of honour was Progresif Board member Hajah Rena Azlina binti Dato Paduka Haji Abdul Aziz.
In his welcoming speech, Progresif CEO Paul Taylor said the primary objective of HSE Week is to build greater awareness on HSE matters and to encourage the general public to observe these HSE procedures continuously in their everyday lives.
“We hope that the Progresif HSE Week can give inspiration to members of the public on the different ways to embrace the elements of HSE in their daily lives,” he said.
The CEO added that HSE Week is an example of how Progresif has extended its HSE messaging from internal to external stakeholders.
Last month, Progresif launched its HSE Manual Handbook and Emergency Evacuation Video, solidifying its commitment to occupational health and safety workplace standards.
“Progresif gives high priority to health, safety and environment issues, not just because it’s our legal obligation as a company to minimise accidents in the workplace. We give it that priority because we recognise that HSE cannot simply just be acknowledged as useful, but that it’s something that must be part of our culture, part of who we are, and part of everything that we do, be it at home, while we are on the move, or in the workplace,” Taylor said.
The CEO continued, “Last week’s speedboat accident on Sungai Limpaku is a tragic reminder of the importance of adhering to proper HSE procedures. When any incident occurs, the impact is far-reaching, so let us not forget that the central element of any HSE is people. Keeping that in mind causes us to focus and plan for a safer and better tomorrow.
“This is why at Progresif, we want to inculcate a culture of health, safety and care for the environment; build safety awareness through activities such as the programme we are running this week; and constantly remind ourselves that we can make a big difference and impact our lives and the lives of those around us.”
Taylor added that the kicking off of HSE Week is the second phase of Progresif’s HSE strategy. The first phase was launched earlier in August this year, where Progresif showcased a safety video detailing the emergency evacuation plan of its headquarters building and distributed an HSE manual to be used as a guideline for safe practices in the workplace.
In addition to the safety activities, Progresif will this week be commencing an internal effort to protect the environment by initiating their own recycling programme.
“We have, starting today, distributed recycling bins on every floor of our headquarters building to encourage our staff to recycle unwanted paper, plastic and cans. This is the first of a number of planned activities for our company,” Taylor said.