BIMAP to launch hands-on workplace safety training

Workers across Barbados are expected to receive specialised hazardous waste and industrial safety training from September as the Barbados Institute of Management and Productivity (BIMAP) moves to strengthen workplace safety through a new hands-on programme.

The initiative was announced following the signing of a partnership agreement between the National Transformation Initiative (NTI), BIMAP and American for-profit online learning platform Coursera on Thursday.

The September programme will focus on health and safety and will feature specialised facilitators and equipment from Canada, said BIMAP executive trustee Andrea Burgess. 

“This health and safety aspect is one that we are trying to focus in on on a session that we are developing for later in the year in September where we have some facilitators coming in from Canada and bringing specialized equipment which is really safety equipment, equipment that helps in the treatment of hazardous waste, dealing with difficult situations that can occur on site at workplaces so that we are more preventative, we are more proactive, and we truly train and equip persons for what can happen so that we carve out an environment for the best possible outcomes.”

According to Burgess, the programme builds on earlier training offered by the organisation but will stress practical learning.

“We did have a similar programme but it was all online in 2021 around there but now it’s going to be very hands on it’s going to be in person it’s going to leverage the Coursera courses that align with this training but BIMAP will come in with the practical in-person component.” 

Responding to a question about workplace fatalities and safety in the construction industry, NTI Director Dr Allyson Leacock said:

NTI’s Director Dr Allyson Leacock and BIMAP Executive Trustee respond to questions about upcoming training. (Photo Credit: Lourianne Graham/Barbados TODAY)

“Our partnership is trying to be aligned with the reality of the working force and therefore, whatever initiatives BIMAP may have in the industrial sector, we are trying to ensure that we can align our courses to equip all staff, whether at the executive level or at the supervisory level or the workforce on site, to be far more aware of what they can engage in and how they can indeed enjoy their day at work safely and effectively.”

The programme forms part of a wider initiative being developed by BIMAP for later this year, she added.

Burgess said BIMAP recognised the growing need for practical workforce training, particularly in areas related to workplace safety: “It might be training on equipment. It might be training in advanced tools and technology. It might be training in terms of health and safety.”

(LG)