INDEPENDENT NEWS

Cablegate: Bahrain Nominates Gulf Closures for Secretary's

Published: Mon 30 May 2005 01:32 PM
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MANAMA 000762
SIPDIS
STATE FOR EB/CBA NSMITH AND NISSLEY
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: BEXP EINV ELAB ETRD SENV BA
SUBJECT: BAHRAIN NOMINATES GULF CLOSURES FOR SECRETARY'S
AWARD FOR CORPORATE EXCELLENCE
REF: STATE 66434
1. Summary: Embassy Manama nominates small-to-medium size
enterprise (SME) Gulf Closures W.L.L. for the Secretary's
Award for Corporate Excellence for its exemplary work in good
corporate citizenship and provision of a safe and healthy
workplace. Its efforts have resulted in 100 First Aid
volunteers trained in the period prior to the 2003 war in
Iraq, over eight years of no lost work days due to accidents
or injuries, and greater environmental awareness. End
Summary.
Company Profile
---------------
2. Gulf Closures W.L.L. is a joint venture between U.S.
company Alcoa Inc. and Al Zayani Investments W.L.L. It is an
SME that manufactures plastic closures for the beverage and
bottled water industry. It employs 87 individuals and has
fixed assets of $13.97 million.
Good Corporate Citizenship
--------------------------
3. To promote good corporate citizenship Gulf Closures:
A.) trained 100 employees and family members as First Aid
volunteers prior to the 2003 war in Iraq. In the event of an
emergency, Gulf Closures wanted to ensure that its employees
were able to assist casualties.
B.) organized "Exercising for Health," an annual marathon
walk to promote healthy living in Bahrain.
C.) planted 132 trees as part of Alcoa's worldwide program
to plant 10 million trees by 2020.
D.) organizes an annual desert clean-up. The last event in
December 2004 drew 37 employees and resulted in 115 bags of
trash being removed from a popular camping area. Employees
said they wanted to send a strong message to campers to
preserve the desert and protect the environment.
E.) sponsored a local writer to publish a book for children
on recycling ideas for bottles and caps. The book was
distributed free of charge to local schools to promote
environmental awareness and encourage recycling.
Safe and Healthy Workplace
--------------------------
4. Gulf Closures takes great pride in the environmental,
health, and safety policies it developed to regulate the
workplace: "It is our policy to operate worldwide in a safe,
responsible manner, which respects the environment and the
health of our employees, our customers and the communities
where we operate. We will not compromise environmental,
health or safety values for profit or production. All
employees are expected to understand, promote and assist in
the implementation of this policy." By enforcing this
policy, Gulf Closures completed 3042 days (over 8 years) with
"No Lost Work Days" due to accidents or injuries and made
great strides in the areas of fatality prevention, ergonomic
risk, and noise reduction.
5. Gulf Closures also stresses the health and well-being of
its employees through various programs, including:
A.) blood donation campaigns;
B.) lectures on diabetes (Note. There is a high-rate of
diabetes in Bahrain. End Note.);
C.) smoking cessation programs;
D.) personal hygiene and dental hygiene lectures;
E.) free flu vaccinations.
Comment
-------
6. GOB officials in the environmental directorate often
complain that the environment suffers at the cost of economic
growth in Bahrain. Gulf Closures is a perfect example of an
SME that not only takes pride in its people and its product,
but also in what it can contribute to the community. Despite
its small size, Gulf Closures makes a vital contribution to
its community and sets the standard for a safe and healthy
workplace. Embassy Manama strongly recommends Gulf Closures
as a recipient of the Secretary's Award for Corporate
Excellence.
MONROE
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