St. Lucia Electricity Services Limited (LUCELEC) has one hundred and seventy-three (173) male team members. They are the overwhelming majority at the electric utility. It was to them Fr Ignatius Cetoute spoke, urging care of their emotional health. The Catholic priest was the featured speaker at the launch of the annual LUCELEC Health and Safety Month in March.
“Some of us men sometimes believe we can handle things and it is only the ladies who cry because they are soft and we must be macho and tough. Let me talk to you as a man. I have come to realize that crying and being vulnerable is OK. It does not make you less of a man. So I say to you, take care of your emotional health. Take care of your spiritual health. Take care of your social health. I’m sure you celebrate birthdays in the company. You’ll have Christmas parties or whatever. Engage in that, have some fun, have some laughter.”
This is the 23rd year LUCELEC will train staff in best health and safety practices. What began as a weeklong commitment is now one month long. The focus has also broadened from sessions on health and safety to emotional, mental and even spiritual wellness. The full gamut is summed up as, “Health, Safety, Environment and Fire Awareness” month.
LUCELEC broadened its scope as CARILEC, the regional utility organization the company is a founding member of – synonymously urged renewed safety commitment among its members. It is just one reason LUCELEC Managing Director Trevor Louisy challenged team members to constantly keep safety at the forefront of all work.
“I can clearly remember that when I addressed staff at our first quarterly meeting in April of last year 2018 we had already recorded 2 such incidents, and I encouraged you to take your safety and those around you more seriously because at that rate we were likely to drop our guard further and have a more serious incident occurring. I am happy that we took these concerns seriously as at the end of the second, third and fourth quarters the number remained at 2. That is there were no further incidents reported.”
Sessions for Health and Safety Month continue at all company locations throughout the month of March. The theme for this year’s observance is “Health + Safety + Wellness = Wealth. Is your Equation Balanced?”
