- mirrorobituaries
QUALITY STANDARDS
SLBS rolls out public awareness campaign
A leading standardization agency here says that Quality Standards is imperative to sustain a reputable business image in global trade.
On the eve of World Standards Day (WSD) observed annually on October, 14 the St Lucia Bureau of Standards (SLBS) is rolling out a heightened public outreach awareness campaign to sensitize the public on the benefits inherent in the provision of quality service and products.
Activities for this year’s World Standards Day is being observed under the theme: “Video standards create a global stage.” This reference depicts how standards have been critical to developments in video technology that have expanded opportunities for advances in medicine, entertainment, and social interactions between people wherever they are in the world.
In Saint Lucia the observance will focus on awareness activities which highlight the importance of standards in various sectors of the economy, to include beauty and wellness, construction, agriculture and environment.
“World Standards Day is meant to pay tribute to the many experts who help develop standardization,” SLBS Head of Information Services, Vernet Fontenelle told the MIRROR. “At home here, our experts are made up of our many technical committees who volunteer their time and come to meetings for the development of standards, which typically takes a period of two (2) years for its development.”
Fontenelle explained that the SLBS interacts with these persons from the various sectors, like agriculture, food safety, mechanical, chemical and other technical committees whereby, “these people are volunteering their time. These people are academia and they come from the private and public sector.”
She said the agency acknowledges the support from its technical committee personnel “for the effort that these people are making to develop the standards.”
Four workshops and a series of media events, to include an address to the nation by the Minister with responsibility for the SLBS Bradley Felix and the annual Sir Arthur Lewis Community College engagement will take place to commemorate the observance.
In the wider context, World Standards Day pays tribute to the collaborative efforts of thousands of experts worldwide that develop the voluntary technical agreements that are published as International Standards.
The SLBS official notes that standards help to protect consumer rights and provides the mechanism to also help develop a viable economic platform for manufacturers and other service providers.
On the latest innovations into the field of science and technology, she said, “technology has developed to allow people to make work and communications easier.”
Amongst its many priorities, the SLBS says its primary role is also to help improve product delivery and to ensure consumer safety.
Fontenelle says that the SLBS has a vested interest in the Beauty and Wellness Consultancy services and will be incorporating a special programme to address and impart knowledge to this growing sector, and “to raise awareness within the service sector.”
The agency has laid out several interactive sessions to involve the public and students from the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College [SALCC] will next week get an opportunity to get hands-on practical working experience when they visit the compound.
Fontenelle asserts that the SLBS wants to engender greater awareness generally, while “promoting advocacy and a culture for the provision of quality service…in an effort to reduce technical barriers to trade.”
[R.A].