Safety was
selected as a corporate responsibility platform, due to its alignment
with the Company’s involvement in risk management. This area
of activity has recorded many success stories through ambitious
and far-reaching awareness programmes.
Eagle’s safety programme is structured to identify and address
issues relating to personal safety in everyday life and corporate
safety practices.
Safety Awareness
for Individuals/Families:
•
Pioneering a National Pre-School Teachers’
Seminar on Safety - Involving the active participation of
the “Ambassadors of Safety” at the grass root
level - i.e. pre-school teachers.
•
The careful use of fire crackers
and fireworks during festive seasons to avoid accidents, especially
among children, is promoted through mass media. This has resulted
in a drastic reduction in the accident rate among children.
•
Road safety - This continues to be Eagle's
most visible and familiar public endeavor. The Eagle outdoor
hoardings promoting the "Don’t drink and drive"
strap line was a familiar sight throughout the country.
•
The prevention of death due to drowning - During
the annual Poson season, approximately one million people
embark on a pilgrimage to the sacred city of Anuradhapura.
The Company stepped in to conduct a unique campaign in this
area. Initially dangerous bathing-spots are demarcated. These
are then patrolled by sponsored life-saving crews on site,
from the National Life Saving Association, the Sri Lanka Police
and the Sri Lanka Navy. The result of these efforts is that
consecutive Poson seasons have recorded a total absence of
deaths during this campaign. This achievement also won a special
commendation from the International Life Saving Association.
•
Creating awareness of other common accidents
among children at home - addressed through effective media
communications.
•
Erection of safety signs at popular picnicking
and bathing spots
•
Sponsoring two instructive booklets on safety
by the internationally renowned, award winning children’s
illustrator/author, Ms Sybil Wettasinghe, for distribution
among children.
•
Conducting poster competitions on safety -
This programme drew country-wide participation and was followed
by a series of exhibitions of the winning entries throughout
the country. This annual programme draws over 40,000 entries
a year from all parts of the island.
Safety at the Workplace
•
The National Safety Awards for
the Safest Workplace - An awards ceremony introduced by Eagle
in collaboration with the Labour Department and the Employees’
Trust Fund (ETF). This has become a prestigious event in the
corporate calendar, supporting and promoting increased safety
standards and worker morale. It is supported by the National
Industrial Safety Promotion Trust set up by the Company to
ensure continuity of the scheme.
•
Distribution of educational material such as
posters, booklets, safety newsletters to corporate clients.
Employees and companies are encouraged to recognise that “accidents
are avoidable” through seminars based on the 4Ps Safety
Plan - Pre-empt, Prevent, Prepare and Practice.
The promotion of safety awareness and accident prevention has
yielded results and rewards that are better measured not in rupees
and cents or statistics, but in the immeasurable enrichment of
innumerable lives.
