New magazine spreads the word on safety

Realising that there was not only a need but a demand for these services Janice Smith and Eric Kipps launched their company, Jaric Environment, Safety and Health (ESH) Services Limited, in 2001 to provide safety management and training services.

Jaric is a training and consultancy firm that offers ‘unique environment, safety and health consulting services built on an unparalleled base of knowledge, experience and global resources. A flexible, customised approach to training and implementation of management systems is offered, one which will support existing staff, and enhance the employer and employee capabilities.

“I remember seeing people go to work in rubber slippers, with no helmet, no gloves . . . They were practising unsafe acts daily. It was just by chance they went home safely at the end of the day,” recalled Smith.

Spreading quickly by word of mouth, Jaric has expanded by leaps and bounds from just one client to three offices (two in Trinidad and one in Tobago). Even their services have evolved from safety training and management and defensive driving to providing safety policing and management for construction companies. Additionally, they provide environmental safety, risk assessment, fleet management services as well as working along with companies in developing environmental and safety management systems. They even tailor systems to the needs of individual companies. Public and corporate training is also a big part of the company’s ESH strategy.

Jaric’s newest strategy however, is the HSE Quarterly magazine.

“We want to ensure that we keep impacting on the public and stressing the need for safety; getting everyone to fully understand environmental and safety issues in TT and the Caribbean,” said Smith who is also Editor-in-Chief of the magazine.

“Writers share their information and research,” explained the HSE Quarterly Editor Denise Anderson. “In order to fully develop and to compete with developed countries we need to be able to get access to their resources and adapt it to our environment and so we have articles from as far as South Africa and England as well.”

The magazine has received submissions from and has been positively received in Dominica, St Lucia, Jamaica, Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, Guyana and even Suriname.

“We grow together as a region, learn from each other and get some medium in which we can get empowerment and for now, we believe the magazine is the best way,” stated Smith.

HSE Quarterly started off as a publication for persons interested in and who wanted information on the field of Health, Safety and Environment. At the time, many of Jaric’s staff were students and it was very difficult to access information relevant to the Caribbean. As a company, research was carried out but it was not readily available to the general public. However, Jaric’s executive believed that the research was valuable and that the wider community should know about it.

However, HSE Quarterly is not just a journal to which researchers and relevant authorities such as Environment Management Authority, Occupational Safety and Health Authority, Institute of Marine Affairs, etc submit articles. It is now a tool for anyone who wants to increase their knowledge in the field. In fact, ever-so-often, the editors veer from HSE which gives the issue a nice mix of information to keep it interesting. These include feature articles, a kids corner, Spot the Hazzard, crossword, HSE quotations, and every issue features an aspect of a different Caribbean country.

“The magazine is an avenue to get pertinent information that can benefit the country and the region. In every issue we have an article that is of interest to everyone,” stated Smith. “However, our greatest challenge is to get the magazine out there. Jaric has been bearing most of the cost of the magazine so we need more corporate buy-in from companies that talk safety. Even so, the magazine is new and I have no doubt that we will get there.”

A new issue is released in January, April, July, October and this month Issue 5 will be released. This issue will focus on occupational diseases, Sick Building Control, asbestos and more. Dr Reginald Griffith, Senior Entomologist at Insect Vector Control will also take a look at managing Dengue and Yellow Fever.

HSE Quarterly is available at Charran’s Book Stores, RIK, Mohammed’s and Ishmael Khan for only $34.50 per issue.