Basseterre, St. Kitts u2014 The St. Kitts Electricity Company Ltd (SKELEC) successfully conducted three comprehensive emergency response drills as part of its Health and Safety Week 2026 activities, reinforcing the Companyu2019s continued commitment to workplace safety, operational preparedness, and employee wellbeing, through the HSSE Department.
The drills were executed under this yearu2019s theme: u201cFostering a Supportive Psychosocial Work Culture for Every SKELEC Worker,u201d and were intentionally designed to simulate realistic workplace emergencies in order to assess staff response, emergency coordination, leadership action, and welfare support systems, all of which are operational mandates of the HSSE Department.
The first exercise involved an unauthorised control room entry drill at the Generation Compound, where a simulated intruder gained access to the control room, a designated sterile area, to test internal security response, access control vulnerabilities, and the psychological impact of direct security breaches on operational staff.
The second exercise focused on a rooftop crisis-intervention scenario at the Administration Building, simulating an employee in acute emotional distress requiring urgent intervention. This drill assessed SKELECu2019s ability to respond to a psychosocial emergency with urgency, compassion, dignity, and coordination, while engaging external emergency responders and mental health support systems.
The third exercise involved a vehicle theft drill, where a SKELEC-owned vehicle was intentionally left unsecured to simulate opportunistic theft. This scenario evaluated staff response protocols, reporting procedures, and leadership accountability in addressing unsafe workplace behaviours and reinforcing organisational responsibility.
Mrs. Claricia Langley-Stevens, Health, Safety and Security Manager at SKELEC, noted that the drills were carefully curated to test not only physical safety protocols, but also how the organisation responds to psychosocial risks and workplace culture challenges. u201cThese exercises are not simply about emergency responseu2014they are about people. They allow us to assess how we protect our employees physically, mentally, and operationally. A supportive psychosocial work culture requires preparedness, compassion, accountability, and strong leadership at every level.u201d
Mr. Clement Williams, General Manager of SKELEC, also reaffirmed the importance of proactive safety planning across the organisation. u201cAt SKELEC, safety remains our number one priority. Conducting drills of this nature allows us to identify vulnerabilities, strengthen our systems, and ensure that our teams are prepared to respond effectively to both operational and human-centred emergencies. This is essential not only for our staff, but for the communities we serve.u201d
SKELEC extends sincere appreciation to all participating employees, management teams, and external emergency response partners, including the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force, St. Kitts and Nevis Fire and Rescue Services, mental health support professionals, and all supporting agencies who contributed to the successful execution of the exercises.
Through continued training, preparedness, and collaboration, SKELEC remains committed to maintaining a safe, resilient, and supportive working environment for every employee and stakeholder.