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PLEASE NOTE: PHOTO AVAILABLE Panjim, Goa. April 1, 2003 /PTI/ - A love for sports, an appreciation for good food, a need for excitement: Goans are known for their discriminate taste for the exciting things in life...... But a passion for danger? Who knew? To celebrate National Work Safety Week this April, the Goa Workmens Compensation Board launched a full review of all safety laws in the workplace. "In our search for the best safety laws, we are discovering that Goans are not only angry about safety laws, they're wildly creative about circumnavigating them!" says Helmut Rodricks, Director, Northern Region, Safety Board of Goa. "Considering this collective disregard for safety laws, why not celebrate National Safety Month by reducing the laws that are ignored anyway?" In January, The Goan Safety Board called for ideas to reduce safety laws in the work place. Goan manufactures have long complained that they are at a disadvantage when they have to complete with manufactures in other parts of India. "We have to spend money on goggles, gloves, safety boots, etc. Expenses that our competitors in Bihar and Punjab do not have. It makes more sense to do away with these safety regulations as cost of production would decrease and other opportunities would open up." said Adv. H. Saddiqui of the Workers Tribunal, High Court of Bombay. Goans were encouraged to enter their suggestions with a chance to win one of three honorable titles - Ultimate, Gooiest and Most Original and to win some great prizes courtesy of Pinto Spares, Hill Top Pharmacy, and Banana Republic. With 69 submissions, the judges had their work cut out for them. Gilbert Lawrence, Rose Fern's Jr and Hari Helkar chose the winning entries. And the envelope goes to....... The Gooiest Selection. Congratulations to Vivian D'Souza of Moira. Vivian suggested that toddy tapers be removed from the workers list as toddy tapers do not pay taxes and are thus not a legitimate industry. Reported deaths of toddy tapers account for 96% of all the work related deaths in Goa. Removing this category from the records would make Goa one of the safest places in the world to work. "And anyway, all that toddy tapers do to protect themselves is to wrap a piece of cloth over their heads. The tapers fall because they get stung in their unmentionables, by stray bees." The Original Selection. Bunny Coelho of Benaulim was awarded the Original title for her observation that most of the workers injured are migrants, foreign spouses and returnee's. "These people learn all their sissy habits in Toronto and Dubai and try to impose them on the true Goans. Yet, amazingly, it's the relatives of these very people that are the ones getting hurt. This is because they dress differently." The Ultimate Selection. Goans from Goa and from all over the world may appreciate this delicate suggestion from FNNetwork of Candolim. "It's warm and comforting, delightful and perfect for the Goan setting. Originally a spin-off of the Elvis sandwich and a great way to reduce tempers before reminding some that, yes indeed, I wish I had a camera to record your expression as I lead you to the possibility that you may have been caught, once again, in an April Fools joke. Mervyn Lobo ______________________________________________________________________ Post your free ad now! http://personals.yahoo.ca _______________________________________________ Goanet mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.goanet.org/mailman/listinfo/goanet
