News of a possible chemical fire at water production company Seven Seas in Cay Bay last week caused a stir. It turned out to be a drum with hazardous substances.
Firefighters managed to extinguish the blaze and limit the release of toxic fumes. Only one employee reportedly complained of eye and nasal irritation and was tended to by ambulance personnel.
All’s well that ends well, but there was no word regarding any possible effects on quality or service. While this probably means there were none, that would have been nice to hear from those responsible, as it concerns the country’s drinking water supply.
Especially businesses with essential functions and de-facto monopoly positions must be proactive when it comes to keeping the public properly informed. They should keep in mind that theirs are not clients by choice but rather necessity.
The same can be said about the cyberattack at utilities provider GEBE. Both of the government-owned company’s offices have been closed for more than a month and other than a few progress reports about work being done to mitigate the consequences, there have been no updates on even a target date for reopening them.
Clients were advised to pay their bills online, but no possible solution for those used to doing so in person except going to the bank has been offered, also considering the elimination of cheques. Perhaps more important, there is yet to be any official confirmation that – under the circumstances – power won’t be cut due to arrears as would normally be the case.
The latter is the kind of reassuring message people may expect, not being kept in the dark.
