Congratulations are in order for PowerGen, the awardee of the Marubeni Corporation’s “Safety Award of Excellence 2020”, after topping 45 other power companies in the world.
According to Hiroshi Tachigami, the General Manager of the Marubeni Corporation, “The safety management standards of PowerGen are clearly among the best in the world.”
The following is an official press release from PowerGen on winning the award.
POWERGEN WINS MARUBENI GLOBAL SAFETY AWARD
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, PowerGen was not only able to cop the Marubeni Corporation’s Safety Award of Excellence, 2020, topping 45 other companies around the world, but also continue providing a reliable supply of electricity to Trinidad and Tobago while mitigating any spread of the virus within the company’s plants.
The Safety Award of Excellence, 2020, was presented in a virtual ceremony on July 7th, held simultaneously in Trinidad and Japan.
The handover was done in a videotaped presentation by Mr Hiroshi Tachigami, the General Manager of Marubeni Power business in the Americas, Europe, and Australia.
The Marubeni Corporation, which has a 39 percent stake in PowerGen, jointly owns over 45 power companies.
Senator the Honourable Dr Amery Browne, Minister of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs, commended Marubeni for conferring this award during the pandemic challenge.
“It is a testament to the strong cooperation and partnership between Japan and Trinidad and Tobago that we continue to have strong links involving the private sector and also the public sector across many thousands of miles,” Minister Browne said.
In presenting the award, Hiroshi Tachigami noted:
“The safety management standards of PowerGen are clearly among the best in the world. I must commend the entire team, from management to field workers, for implementing and meeting such demanding safety benchmarks.”
He added: “What we have learned is that, while protocols are needed to stay safe, much of the success comes down to culture and values – particularly discipline and concern for others. The Safety Award of Excellence 2020 shows that these values and this attitude are very much part of the culture of PowerGen.”
Romney Thomas, Chairman of the PowerGen Board of Directors, stated:
“Upon my appointment as Chairman of PowerGen in January of this year, in the midst of a raging pandemic, the focus on safety is an intrinsic part of PowerGen’s core operations.”
Between 2016 and 2019, the company averaged 2,000 hours of safety training hours, increasing this to over 7,000 hours in 2020 when pandemic protocols had to be put in place. In 2016, when PowerGen’s safety programme was formally launched, eight HSE field inspections were done. By 2020, 184 such inspections were carried out.
PowerGen recognised that enhancement of safety had to be based on an ongoing safety partnership between management and employees PowerGen’s model of safety focused on employee collaboration and input via the Near Miss reporting framework and the tracking of leading and lagging indicators.
This allowed for the reporting of potential and actual hazards identified by employees, exemplifying full enrolment and engagement in PowerGen’s safety culture
Mo Majeed, Chief Operating Officer MPII and Managing Director Caribbean, revealed: “Having worked closely with PowerGen for over 20 years, I have personally witnessed the significant improvement in all aspects of the Health and Safety programmes.”
Majeed also noted that Health, Safety and Environmental (HSE) protection were not a matter of profits.
“In fact, it is a cost to the organisation,” he said to the guests attending the virtual ceremony.
He added: “Generating electricity is an extremely dangerous business, where personnel could be exposed high temperatures, pressures, as well as high voltages. Marubeni believes that protection of personnel, equipment and environment is a fundamental requirement of how we conduct our power businesses around the globe. The same is true for PowerGen. As an industrial company, PowerGen has always put the safety of employees first and foremost. This award confirms its success in this regard.”
Close and amicable cooperation between management and workers led to significant increases in the safety walk-downs, reporting of near misses, and completed training hours.
“Our safety motto is ‘Safety begins with you and it is everyone’s responsibility’,” explained Daren Jadoo, Head of Health, Safety, Security and Environment at PowerGen. “That has worked for us in PowerGen and, in these pandemic times, it is also a principle that can help us beat the COVID-19 virus.”
The Marubeni Corporation, founded in 1858 and incorporated in 1949 in Japan, has 137 branches and offices in 67 countries.
Marubeni Caribbean Power Holdings Inc. has partnered with PowerGen since 2007.
The Marubeni Corporation, encompasses a diverse range of business activities, including lifestyle, ICT & real estate business, forest products, food, agri-business, chemicals, power business, energy, metals & mineral resources, plant, aerospace & ship, finance & leasing business, construction, auto & industrial machinery, and next generation business development.
