LABOURER AWARDED FOR INITIATIVE

Senior Labour Officer Gene Hydes ‘walks the talk’ when it comes to his career in occupational safety, while staying true to his personal mantra: “Safety is a full-time job – don’t make it a part-time practice!”

For his consistent performance and interest in his career, Mr. Hydes was recently chosen as the Department of Labour and Pensions (DLP) first internal “Employee of the Month” award recipient – largely based on nominations from his peers.

Since joining the DLP in 2000, Mr. Hydes has engaged in activities which enhance its services – especially in reducing liabilities for persons who manage, or work in, local business establishments.

DLP Director Mario Ebanks said that, with the concepts of commercial safety standards now widely-accepted in these Islands, the DLP office’s staff of 12 officers and administrative staff remain committed to ensuring that workers – as well as customers and clients – enjoy safe, comfortable and productive experiences in local businesses and workplaces in every industry.

He noted that Mr. Hydes achieved the Accident Investigation Technician certification in June.  This complements his other professional designations from the Occupational Health & Safety Administration; Associate of the Institute of Safety Professionals. He is also an International Organization for Safety & Health associate/authorized trainer.

As an added achievement, he recently passed Certified Safety Auditor examinations.

Mr. Ebanks commended him on ever-seeking to improve his qualifications, and for his interest in training others in this dynamic area of work: “Mr. Hydes is a very competent and valued employee – especially in the areas of occupational safety and health, investigations, and training.”

Holding a management certificate, the Senior Labour Officer is certified in a range of specialised areas, from scaffold assembly and trenching to accident investigation, as well as safety and health management.

An authorized occupational safety and health instructor for both the construction industry and general workplaces, Mr. Hydes strives to keep colleagues and clients updated on best-practices in agriculture, pesticides and insecticides, HIV/AIDS in the workplace and mould remediation.

The officer’s skills are on-call (both pro-actively and on enforcement inspections), and his colleagues especially value his collaborative approach.

Mr. Ebanks added that, in the continued emphasis on workplace safety, the DLP ensures that inspectors have access to the appropriate technology and strategies – from light-meters and sound-detectors, personal protective equipment, and even to cameras to document infractions.

Even so, the most valuable resource is a team which is concerned for, and prepared to assure, the rights to safe, comfortable and productive working environments.

Photos:  Credit – Information Officer Lennon Christian

Senior Labour Officer Gene Hydes uses specialised equipment to record conditions in local workplaces.

 

MENTORS WANTED DISCLOSED IN DEP GOV & CO’S MEETING MINUTES

 

Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) and the At-Risk Coordinator from the Ministry of Education provided Chief Officers with an overview of the BBBS organization and various Ministry initiatives which target “at risk” students, including the Extended After School Programme (EASP) and the BEST (Behavior and Educational Support Teams). They would like to partner with the Cayman Islands Government, to have civil servants act as mentors within the EASP.

This was one of the items minuted in the August 12^th Deputy Governor and Chief Officers’ Meeting.

The whole of the Minutes from the meeting follow:

Minutes Deputy Governor and Chief Officers’ Meeting 12th August 2013

Attendees: Acting Deputy Governor – Mrs. Mary Rodrigues; Dr. Dax Basdeo; Mr. Christen Suckoo; Mr. Eric Bush; Ms. Dorine Whittaker; Mr. Alan Jones; Mrs. Jennifer Ahearn; Mr. Ian Fenton; Mr. Jonathan Jackson; Ms. Jacqueline Wilson

Apologies: Mr. Kenneth Jefferson; Ms. Cheryl Richards; Mrs. Gloria McField-Nixon; Mr. Kevin McCormac; Mr. Stran Bodden; Mr. Samuel Rose; Mrs. Sonia McLaughlin

1.   Welcome

The Acting Deputy Governor welcomed everyone and prayer was offered.

2.   Formal Approval of Minutes

The August 5 meeting minutes were approved by all attendees for circulation.

3.   Matters Arising from the Minutes

There were no matters arising.

4.   Presentation by Big Brothers Big Sisters

The New Chairperson for Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) and the At-Risk Coordinator from the Ministry of Education provided Chief Officers with an overview of the BBBS organization and various Ministry initiatives which target “at risk” students, including the Extended After School Programme (EASP) and the BEST (Behavior and Educational Support Teams).

BBBS would like to partner with the Cayman Islands Government, to have civil servants act as mentors within the EASP. This will be a new initiative to introduce civil servants to mentorship roles within clearly defined parameters and with a limited weekly commitment. The presenters shared that mentoring of young people is a key strategic objective within our National Crime Reduction Strategy.  This initiative is in line with the Deputy Governor’s desire for Civil Servants to play a greater role in community activities, and Chief Officers are asked to endorse the programme and support participation by staff.

5.   Policy on Employing Ex-Offenders

The policy was discussed and a few minor changes were recommended. The revised policy will be circulated to all Chief Officers.

6.   Draft Staff Survey

The Deputy Governor and Chief Officers have identified an employee attitude survey as a priority, to gather key information that can be used to motivate high performance, as part of the ongoing reform agenda for the Civil Service. Chief Officers discussed some preliminary work that has already been undertaken.

A Chief Officers sub-committee will meet next week to collate feedback from the meeting, consider other information requested from POCS and make recommendations to the Deputy Governor on the way forward.

7.   Any Other Business

CO Ahearn, on behalf of the Local Organizing Committee of the CONCACAF Under 15

Championship, extended thanks to the many Cayman Islands Government agencies for their assistance.

The next round of the “Proud of Them” campaign will begin at the end of August.

Additional information will be circulated.

Chief Officers were asked to support an online Caribbean-wide petition pledging an end to cervical cancer. The petition can be found at www.endcervicalcancernow.org.

Meeting adjourned at 4:00pm

 

CARIBBEAN T-20 CRICKET

From KNEWS

The inaugural season of the Limacol Caribbean Premier League has just been completed and it might be appropriate at this time to reflect on what it means for the region. That the event was successful beyond the wildest expectations of even the most diehard local cricket groupie, is beyond dispute. But while the success might have been most visible in the massive crowds that thronged the venues at every one of the twenty-four games that comprised the tournament, it went beyond that particular boundary.

There was never any doubt as to the exciting nature of Caribbean cricket. Ever since we tore up the international scene from the 1960s, West Indian cricketers were loved throughout the world for their dashing “calypso” cricket. While some might have scoffed at their unorthodox methods, their exuberance captivated everyone. The shorter formats of the game, first the 50-over One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and then the Twenty/20 (T-20), were even more suited to their buccaneering style. Consequently, while their fortunes might have waned in the Test arena from the nineties, they were perfect for ODIs and T-20 fixtures.

It was ironic that the T-20 format reached its zenith in India, which had always played cricket in the staidest manner possible. The success of the Indian Premier League (IPL) was as much a marketing success as a cricketing one. Lalit Modi, first Commissioner of the IPL, combined the presence of the most exciting foreign players with Indian domestic ones with a plethora of hype – including dancing girls, Bollywood stars, fireworks and any number of on-field innovations to promote excitement.

Some insiders felt that the burgeoning Indian middle class that was willing to pay to see the “tamasha” or spectacle was the reason for the IPL’s success and doubted that it could be replicated elsewhere. It is now clear that the Limacol CPL has equalled the oomph of the IPL. What is a bit disappointing from a nationalistic standpoint is that it took a foreigner, Ajmal Khan, Chairman of Verus International, to found the CPL. But in this day of mobility of capital, maybe we can look at his involvement as a “Foreign Direct Investment”.

While the games were broadcast throughout the cricketing world, because of doubts about the organisational ability of West Indians to pull off a venture of this magnitude and logistical complexity, it did not command the same mega-financing that the IPL was able to demand from those broadcasters. In the second season, the broadcasting bids will be much higher.

But even with the initial investment, everything was done in style and with panache: the games started on time, the fans were provided with all sorts of trappings to get involved with the action on the field, the music was pulsating and most important of all, the cricket was scintillating, even when the games were low scoring. The six teams – tAntigua Hawksbills, Barbados Tridents, Guyana Amazon Warriors, Jamaica Tallawahs, St. Lucia Zouks and Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel – were successful in introducing the concept of “franchise cricket” in which players were playing for teams and not nation.

But now that the people have shown that they will support the new format, the owners and organisers have to ensure that cricket will be nurtured in the region. Our cricketing problems were always due to our lack of funds to finance the institutions necessary to sustain the local game. We hope that each franchise will work with local cricket boards to sponsor club cricket that will become nurseries for national and franchise players. The exciting new players such as Krishmar Santokie, who had slipped below the radar of regional selectors, are only the tip of the iceberg of talent that resides in our region.

Finally, we appreciate the move to involve the older players from our glory days in the 70s and 80s. With their guidance and the marketing savvy displayed, happy days may be here again with our cricket.

PHOTOS: Jamie Stewart T-20 CEO

T-20 open dancer

For more on this story go to:

http://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2013/08/30/caribbean-t-20-cricket/

 

Caribbean Premier League names “Team of the Tournament”

From Caribbean Journal

The Limacol Caribbean Premier League has named its “Team of the Tournament,” a group of the best 12 cricketers who competed in this year’s inaugural season, according to a panel of experts.

The team includes:

1.         Andre Fletcher (St. Lucia Zouks)

2.         Chris Gayle (Jamaica Tallawahs, captain)

3.         Lendl Simmons (Guyana Amazon Warriors)

4.         Shoaib Malik (Barbados Tridents)

5.         James Franklin (Guyana Amazon Warriors)

6.         Andre Russell (Jamaica Tallawahs)

7.         Marlon Samuels (Antigua Hawksbills)

8.         Shakib Al Hasan (Barbados Tridents)

9.         Rayad Emrit (Barbados Tridents)

10.       Krishmar Santokie (Guyana Amazon Warriors)

11.       Muttiah Muralitharan (Jamaica Tallawahs)

12.       12th man: Ashley Nurse (Barbados Tridents)

Six of the players were members of the Jamaica Tallawahs and the Guyana Amazon Warriors, who faced off for the CPL championship.

The CPL said the team was chosen based only on performance in the tournament, and that “past records and reputations were not taken into consideration.”

In order to qualify, a cricketer had to have competed in a minimum of four matches.

The selection panel was made up of Mike Procter, the former South Africa all-rounder and a match referee in the tournament; ex-West Indies and Jamaica wicketkeeper-batsman Jeffrey Dujon, a member of the television commentary team; Mike Haysman, the former South Australia batsman and part of the television commentary team; Craig Cozier, a journalist with extensive regional and international experience, and also a producer for the television coverage of the tournament; and Billy Bowden, Nigel Duguid, Joel Wilson and Danesh Ramdhanie – all umpires who have officiated in Limacol CPL.

PHOTO: Chris Gayle

For more on this story go to:

http://www.caribjournal.com/2013/08/30/caribbean-premier-league-names-team-of-the-tournament/