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CIWC&E plans 50 training courses this year

ZAHID A. BAIG

LAHORE: Centre for the Improvement of Working Conditions and Environment (CIWC&E), Lahore, has planned to arrange 50 training courses in different industrial enterprises during 2000.

The courses are designed for workers, supervisors, managers, trade union representatives and safety and health professionals to combat safety, health and working environment hazards in the industries in Punjab and to create awareness and change the attitudes of the employers/workers regarding these issues.

The CIWC&E was established in Lahore by the Directorate of Labour Welfare, Punjab, with the assistance of International Labour Organisation (ILO) and UNDP, at a total cost of Rs 33.38 million, including a foreign exchange component of Rs 11.5 million (in the form of equipment, expert services and training of professional staff of the Centre). It became operational in 1988.

The Centre, besides providing training and education facilities, also carries out research activities and provides information on request to industrial enterprises on safety, health and environmental problems.

Director Environment CIWC&E Lahore, Saeed Awan, told Business Recorder here on Thursday that during the year 1999 (February to December), the Centre held 51 workshops in which 1,002 people, including workers, supervisors and managers, were provided training on the above mentioned subjects.

During mobile training workshops, oral lectures, coupled with audio-visual demonstrations, were given on problems related to safety, health and environment. These workshops also provided practical hands on training on first-aid measures to selected workers/supervisors in each industrial enterprise.

Saeed Awan said that the important topics which were covered during these workshops include accident prevention, accident investigation, fire safety in industry, basic emergency first-aid, health hazards of chemicals, noise control in industry, occupational lung diseases, industrial hygiene, selection and use of personal protective equipment, industrial ventilation, handling of hazardous materials, accident prevention, environmental hazards and their control, machine guarding and occupational hearing loss, skin diseases and asthma.

He further disclosed that the Centre also arranged specialized training workshops for high level managers, engineers, health and safety professionals and government officers from the concerned agencies. During the current calendar year, the Centre plans to hold 10 such workshops while the number of workshops last year was 12.