Minister of Labour Manzoor Nadir said that in both the public and private sectors adherence to good occupational safety and health practices are often the exception rather than the rule.
In a message to launch Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Month today, the minister disclosed that in Guyana for the first quarter of this year non-fatal work-related accidents totalled 121, while there were three fatal accidents.
The theme for this year’s World Day activity is “Managing Risk in the Work Environment – My Life, My Work, My Safe Work”, and this has been adopted for the local month of activities.
Nadir also disclosed that work-related accidents reported in 2006 were 1,183 non-fatal and seven fatalities, while in 2007 non-fatal accidents were 2,031 and fatalities were five. He observed that this was an increase of almost 100% in injuries and accidents.
In that light, Nadir issued a call to employers “to take seriously the provisions contained in the OSH Act, No. 32 of 1997.” Moreover, he said that not only was he calling for the reporting of accidents and injuries, but he also was urging employers to ensure that all provisions were made to ensure workers’ safety and health.
Officers of the Inspectorate Unit have been tasked with the responsibility of intensifying the enforcement of these laws for the protection of the workers, considering that many workplaces continue to fall short of OSH standards required under the law even though the Act is now more than a decade old, Nadir noted.
He also pointed out that investigations and inspections at the level of the ministry have indicated that adherence by both the private and public sectors to good workplace safety and health practices are “often the exception rather than the rule.”
And according to statistics from the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the number of work-related accidents has increased and more people are dying from workplace injuries and illnesses. The ILO has chided employers for neglecting health and safety.
In 2005, the statistics released to the 17th World Congress on Safety and Health at work showed that 2.2 million workers are fatally injured as a result of work-related accidents, which was an increase of 10% from the three previous years.
The figure now equates to around 6,000 cases per day. ILO Director-General Juan Somavia said, a “safety culture must be nurtured through partnership and dialogue – government, employers, and workers creating safe and healthy practices.”
Meanwhile, the Department of Labour will be more effective in policing and prosecuting but this year the emphasis is on the worker. So “you have your safety in your own hands,” Nadir said, and urged the use of safety gear where necessary, embracing the fight against HIV in the workplace, insisting that employers provide a safe work environment and not taking risks that could lead to injury or loss of life.
He said both public and private sector employers need to demonstrate their commitment to OSH by putting in place for workers and their representatives, documented programmes that address the principles of prevention, hazard identification, risk assessment and control, information and training, so that workers can appropriately apply and follow instructions designed for their protection.
The Department of Labour also urged that workers not let up in the fight against HIV in the workplace.
April is designated Occupational Safety and Health Month by the Department of Labour, Ministry of Labour, Human Services and Social Security, and the observances for 2008 are to be launched today.
In April 2001 the ILO, Global Occupational Safety and Health Programme identified April 28 as the worldwide commemoration day for workers and designated it “World Day for Safety and Health at Work”.
