“Value Optical creatively integrated the Transitions brand within all of their marketing strategies – from radio and brochures to direct marketing and a Carnival promotion – and truly impressed us with their depth of thought and effort,” said Drew Smith, associate director, North America Channels, Transitions Optical. “We applaud Value Optical on their well-deserved win and thank them for their support.”

Chris Lewis, CEO of Value Optical, accepted the award on behalf of the retailer at Transitions Academy.

Lewis said, “We attempted to diversify the ways we promote the availability of Transitions lenses in our stores by using various marketing tactics throughout the entire year, and I think that was a large contributing factor to our success. We’ve worked very hard to increase awareness of Transitions lenses in the communities we serve, and we are ecstatic to accept this award.”

During Transitions Academy, Best in Marketing finalists Wilson Eye Center and Heather Padgett, National Marketing Manager at HOYA Vision Care, were also recognized for their exceptional marketing efforts to promote the health benefits of Transitions lenses.

Over 100 Health and Safety professionals and BIGWU representatives throughout the country attended the session.

In his opening remarks, CARIRI’s chief executive officer, Liaquat Ali Shah said, “We all need air to breathe, therefore we are all affected by poor indoor air quality.” Shah stated that though indoor air quality in buildings was highly publicised in the media, individuals do not fully understand the effects air pollution can have on their health, work life and mental performance which in turn affects productivity.

He also touched on another new service offered by CARIRI known as Slip Resistance Testing. The occurrence of slips, trips and falls in commercial spaces within recent times has grown rapidly and in speaking with persons in the construction sector, a common point of contention has always been the coefficient of friction, which is the measure of slip resistance of a tile.

Shah urged everyone to treat health and safety as a joint commitment between management and employees to proactively find solutions. He ended his speech with this profound statement on ascertaining the root cause of IEQ, “Better is not always about doing more, but identifying the risk.”

Wesley Francis, Health and Safety officer for BIGWU, in his address, reported alarming statistics of how poor indoor environmental quality can affect employee’s health and comfort. He also discussed a “Sick building syndrome” which the audience agreed is a big deterrent to productivity. He urged employees to increase the circulation of information within the workplace and to encourage more meaningful discussions on pertinent issues.

Participants also gained insights from CARIRI’s expert team of environmental consultants, who are accredited by the American Council of Accredited Certification (ACAC) and the Council of Engineering and Scientific Specialty Boards (CESB), the most prestigious certification specific to Indoor Air Quality.

Tisha John, environmental specialist and head of CARIRI’s Indoor Air Quality Department presented on some of the effects and causes of poor IAQ, which she attributed to common indoor contaminants such as dust, fibreglass, indoor allergens like dust mites from carpet and fabric furniture and even ozone from photocopiers. John advised the HSE officers to keep an eye out for prevalent cases of skin rashes, dryness and irritation of eyes, nose, throat and skin, headaches, fatigue, dizziness and nausea and sinus congestion, as these are common symptoms of poor IAQ. She summarised some of the common causes of issues associated with poor IAQ, which include improperly maintained HVAC’s, contamination by construction materials, continuous re-circulation of air inside buildings and increases in the number of building occupants.

Tricia Singh, laboratory manager of CARIRI gave a presentation on, “Mould Management: A proactive approach.” She described mould as the most misunderstood and controversial topic of all indoor air quality parameters, which includes mould spores, bacteria, yeast and viruses. Singh identified the three main factors influencing growth of mould indoors – the availability of food sources, temperature and moisture.

Singh said air contamination is not the only cause for feelings of discomfort and illness and may be related to issues in the total indoor environment such as noise levels, thermal comfort (temperature, humidity and air movement), lighting and ergonomics, which CARIRI can test.

CARIRI’s capabilities were explained by Rishi Shaffie, environmental technologist of CARIRI, who described the Air Quality Management Unit as a multi-disciplinary team with extensive experience and a wide range of skills to meet the needs of the client. The department can monitor for any occupational hygiene exposure (noise, heat stress, gases, particulates, vibration, lighting, and ergonomics) and compare results to international and local standards and guidelines.

Lisa Ramoutar closed off the session with a presentation on slips, trips and falls. She said the Slip Resistance Testing service is one that is needed in Trinidad and Tobago, and by extension the region, as it will provide users of commercial spaces with a measure of comfort over the safety of walkways and floors. To assess a floor’s slip resistance, CARIRI now has a reliable, thoroughly researched floor friction test method and the equipment necessary to conduct the assessment. “One of the biggest aspects of walkway safety is the slips, trips and falls. We want to minimise these,” Ramoutar stated.

CARIRI is not only about general research, rather it is about applied research.

For more information on Indoor Environmental Quality you can contact Cariri.

MVRTA Section 3. (2) states: “The [Trinidad Transport] Board shall act in an advisory capacity and shall advise the President on all matters appertaining to road traffic and in particular as to the following matters: (a) licence duties in respect of motor and other vehicles; (b) Customs and Excise duties in respect of transport vehicles and fuel therefor; (c) the needs of areas as a whole in relation to traffic (including the provision of adequate suitable and efficient services and the elimination of unnecessary or unremunerative services) and the co-ordination of all forms of passenger and goods transport, including transport by rail and sea; (d) the regulation and control of traffic; (e) the construction and maintenance of roads and the cost thereof; and (f) any other matter affecting traffic or transport that the President may refer to the Board.”

From this two questions: is the President being advised with respect to the operation and control of the traffic situation in TT; and what has been his response to the Transport Board?

MVRTA 62. (8). “In this section and section 62A— Second Schedule. “built-up area” means the City of Port-of-Spain, the City of San Fernando, the Borough of Arima, and any other area or road or portion thereof declared by Order of the Board to be a built-up area for the purposes of this section… Maximum Speed kilometres per hour:

• Motor vehicle constructed to carry more than ten; goods vehicle; private motor car with trailer: Outside a Built-up Area – 65; Within a Built-up Area – 50

• Tractor: Outside a Built-up Area – 35; Within a Built-up Area – 20

• Any other motor vehicle: Outside a Built-up Area – 80; Within a Built-up Area – 50: Long Circular Road; Saddle Road; Diego Martin Main Road; Beetham Highway from its intersection with Wrightson Road to the flyover in the vicinity of the Central Market (also commonly known as the “NP Flyover”); Eastern Main Road—from its intersection with the boundary of the City of Port-of-Spain to the 30-kilometre post on the Eastern Main Road; North Coast Road; Morne Coco Road; The Eastern Main Road from Guaico to Sangre Grande (i.e., from the 45-kilometre mark to the 50-kilometre mark); Caroni South Bank Road, Kelly Village, County of Caroni between the two-kilometre mark and St. Helena Junction; Caroni Savannah Road from Chaguanas to its junction with the South Trunk Road, Charlieville; All roads lying within the radius of two kilometres of the Magistrate’s Court, Chaguanas; Southern Main Road, County of Caroni, between the nine-kilometre mark and the 15-kilometre mark; Chaguanas Main Road in the County of Caroni; Cacandee Road, Chaguanas in the County of Caroni; Southern Main Road— (a) from its junction with the Churchill-Roosevelt Highway to the ten-kilometre post or mark; (b) from its junction with the Princess Margaret Highway to the 25-kilometre post or mark; (c) from the 45-kilometre post or mark to the boundary of the Borough of San Fernando.”

These are not all the roads considered to be in “built-up areas”, and thus with lower speed restrictions from the well-known 80 kmph, but these are some of the key roads well-used by motorists who often travel at speeds much above 80 kmph. Therefore, consideration should be given to enforcing the speed limits for built-up areas on these roads.

For example, the College of Science, Technology and Applied Arts of Trinidad and Tobago (COSTAATT), Chaguanas campus was recently opened on Pierre Road Connector in Chaguanas, and this road falls within the category of “lying within the radius of two kilometres of the Magistrate’s Court, Chaguanas”, and so the speed limit is 50 kmph; but speeds, especially on mornings, are higher than 100 kmph. Also, what about the speeds on the Southern Main Road or the Eastern Main Road in areas described above? To me, the need for speed enforcement on roads in “built-up areas” are more critical, as the consequences of crashes are likely to be more serious.

What about Beetham Highway between Wrightson Road and NP Flyover; does any motorist travel at 50 kmph or less during off peak periods? Is it practical to so do?

The MVRTA is this section also states: “Bridges Special Speed Limit (kilometres per hour): B1/2 Saddle Road – 15; B1/5 Maracas Royal Road – 15; B1/14 over Honda River, Southern Main Road – 15”. Can the authorities visualise a speed limit of 15 kmph on these roads? The police can send a lot of money to the State coffers by simply setting up their speed devices at these bridges.

MVRTA Section 105 states “Wherever dual carriageways are provided along a public road all vehicles shall proceed along or keep to the left hand carriageway and shall keep to the left side of the left hand carriageway except when overtaking. Any vehicle entering such road from a side road or intersecting road will bear to the left and if desiring to cross the road or to pass on to the further carriageway it will keep to the left of the traffic island situated opposite to the junction from which it has emerged and forming part of the central strip dividing the dual carriageway.”

More details are needed, since when this was written, there were only four-lane divided carriageways. For nearly 20 years or so, we have had six-lane divided carriageways, such as on Churchill Roosevelt Highway and Uriah Butler Highway, with three lanes in each direction. It is not uncommon to see a driver motoring along at 80 kmph on the extreme right lane, oblivious to everyone else, except when the police vehicle sounds the horn to move out of the way, after which the driver returns to his lane.

MVRTA Section “18. The driver of a vehicle shall not park, stop his vehicle, or overtake another vehicle within a “Zebra” controlled area. 19. (1) A pedestrian shall not cross the carriageway within the vicinity of a “Zebra” crossing except within the limit of the give-way line. (2) Every pedestrian on a “Zebra” crossing has precedence over any vehicle and the driver of the vehicle shall accord such precedence to the pedestrian where the pedestrian came onto the “Zebra” crossing prior to the vehicle.” Neither of these is observed nor enforced.

In summary, before we focus exclusively on the 80 kmph, there are several issues to be carefully studied.

According to reports, Bipram’s body was found at about 8.30 am by fire officers of the Mayaro Fire Station after they responded to reports of a house fire along the Guayaguayare Road.

After the blaze was extinguished, Bipram’s remains were found among the ruins. Investigators said that a week ago, Bipram was involved in an altercation with a man over a bag of dasheen.

Police said the man threatened to kill the father of two. Relatives told Newsday that the man had confronted Bipram over the bag of dasheen and also hit him to the face during a heated argument.

Bipram had also reported the threats made on his life to the Rio Claro Police Station. Bipram lived alone in a wooden oneroom house. Speaking with Newsday yesterday Bipram’s mother Guridai, 72, said her son’s murder was an act of pure evil.

“This person shot my son, then set him on fire…he is just pure evil,” she cried. Bipram said she hopes justice will be served and her son’s killer arrested and charged. “The man who did this to my son does not deserve to live. What type of person would kill another human being in this cruel manner,” she asked.

Bipram will be cremated at the Mafeking Cremation Site today following a funeral service at the family’s Navet Village, Rio Claro home. Up to late yesterday no arrest was made.

Peter Sheldon Roger Julien, also known as Garnet, went before Chief Magistrate Marcia Ayers-Caesar in the Port-of- Spain Eighth Court, charged with the death of David Tittle.

Julien was denied bail and will return to court on March 6.

Tittle, a homeless man, was beaten during an incident at Harold Street, Boissiere No 1, on January 31.

He died the following day at Port-of- Spain General Hospital.

Julien, 39, was charged by Sgt Roger Reyes of the Homicide Bureau of Investigations (Region I).

Acting ASP Suzette Martin spearheaded the enquiry which eventually resulted in the charge of manslaughter.

The security officer was detained after Verne ‘Pomba’ Sambury died at San Fernando General Hospital, after he was shot three times.

Yesterday, Southern Division Homicide detectives confirmed that a file was sent to DPP Gaspard for his consideration.

Sambury’s relatives insisted he was unarmed and only went to purchase two loaves of bread from the supermarket. But police were told that the guard thought Sambury had come to rob the establishment and a scuffle ensued.

Sambury, 38, of Naparima/Mayaro Road, New Grant was shot in the stomach, arm and foot by the guard who was on duty at the supermarket.

He underwent emergency surgery at hospital but died hours later.

According to police, Sambury was shot outside the New Grant supermarket at 8 am. Sambury’s brother Hayden Hamilton told Newsday that Sambury who lived a stone’s throw away from the supermarket, went to purchase the bread for a villager when he was shot.

Video footage of the shooting has been circulating on social media.

Relatives yesterday said while they cannot bring Sambury back, they hope that at the very least, justice will be served.

“He was an innocent man who just went to buy bread and instead was shot and killed,” a relative cried.

A police report stated that at 11.15 am, PC Ramadhin together with other officers of the Moruga Police station intercepted a car in which a 24-year-old man was an occupant along the Moruga Main Road at Bois Jean Jean.

Upon searching the man of Gran Chemin Village, they found a quantity of marijuana and arrested him.

Two hours later, the said officers arrested the detained man’s brother in a similar manner, intercepting him in a car which contained marijuana.

The second man is 23 and lives at Penal Rock Road.

Once charged, the brothers will appear in the Princes Town Magistrates’ Court.

PC Ramadhin is continuing investigations.

Appearing on Tuesday before a Joint Select Committee on State Enterprises at the J. Hamilton Maurice Room of the Parliament building, Wrightson Road, Port-of-Spain, executives of VMCOTT also acknowledged that the company is insolvent and has been so for some time.

However, they said the company’s problem is that its major clients, the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service and the Public Transport Service Corporation (PTSC) – are not paying their debt to the company.

They said the two bodies together owe VMCOTT $28 million.

The Chairman of VMCOTT, Retired Lt.

Col. Neil Bennet said the PTSC and Police Service had stopped servicing vehicles at the company for reasons which were beyond its control.

Suggesting that the PTSC’s reasons were political, Bennet said the State-managed bus company decided to take its maintenance work back to its own facility while around the same time, the Police Service got new vehicles and was having its maintenance done under warranty by the supplier of said vehicles.

He said this was still going on as the Police fleet has expanded substantially and the Police is benefitting from servicing by the dealers of the new vehicles it has acquired.

He added that this meant it was mainly older vehicles which VMCOTT is servicing for the Police Service.

VMCOTT Chief Executive Officer Ramesh Lackhan, said that although the company’s business has been reduced it has been able to significantly improve its efficiency and reduce net losses by fifty percent.

He said the company can be profitable if it is able to collect the outstanding money owed to it and ensure enforcement of the mandate that State entities must patronise the facility.

However, Bennet said the company has been working closely with its debtors but they too are constrained by their budgets and are unable to pay.

He said company officials met recently with the Head of Finance in the Police Service and was given an undertaking that they will see how quickly they can reduce that balance.

Questioned about the backlog of audited financial reports, Lackhan said the company had completed audited financial reports for 2013 and is in the process of working on those for the year 2014.

He said the company’s objective is to become fully up to date with its audited financial reports by 2018.

In response to further questioning, he said the company receives a monthly subvention of $800,000 which is mostly used to pay salaries.

Her elevation, 22 years after her appointment to the magistracy, became effective on January 13, a statement from the Judiciary said yesterday.

Busby-Earle-Caddle began her legal career at Trintopec (now Petrotrin) and later served a number of years at the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. She was admitted to the Bar in 1989.

She was appointed magistrate on January, 10, 1995 and was subsequently promoted to the post of Senior Magistrate in September 2006.

Deputy Chief Magistrate Busby-Earle-Caddle will sit in chambers in the district of St George West at the Port-of-Spain Magistrates’ court, St Vincent Street, Port-of-Spain.

In its statement, the Judiciary extended congratulations to Busby-Earle-Caddle on her elevation and wished her success in her new appointment

He called on teachers not only to teach students to sing but also to teach them the history of the country. “Could you imagine that they are university graduates and they did not know who Pat Castagne or Carlyle Chang were? They (Castagne and Chang) were the persons who composed the National Anthem and our National Motto and they (graduates) didn’t know anything about them.” Castagne composed the National Anthem and Chang designed the Coat of Arms. Expressing concern that only two teachers were present to hear his message, Regrello went on to say: “I think you (teachers) have a responsibility to educate these young people from a historical perspective.” He also told the students that they were blessed with talent that should use it wisely.

“Machel Montano at your age, was competing with senior calypsonians in national (calypso) finals. He is probably the best known calypsonian and I think he is a multi-millionaire. He is successful and he started just like you. You could be another Machel Montano. Take the gift God has given you and turn it into something special,” Regrello advised. The competitors delivered strong and positive messages in song.