With an increased number of workplace-related accidents and deaths within the last three years, Minister of Labour Joseph Hamilton has committed to establishing regional Occupational Health and Safety and Labour offices across Guyana.
Hamilton while speaking at his first press conference on Monday last said that he would like to see Occupational Health and Safety and Labour offices established in very region to not only respond to workplace- related incidents, but to engage in supervision and inspections of operations.
“Every region must have an Occupation Health and Safety Officer that can be housed there to ensure that they see the things before it happens. This would mean that they regularly engage workers and employees,” Hamilton said.
He noted that with such a system in place, the officers during their inspections can identify issues and hazards and inform employers and employees of measures that can be taken to limit the chances of accidents. At the same time, he said labour officers will also have to conduct visits and engage workers on their working conditions.
The minister noted that this measure will not only aid in the investigation process following an accident or death but reduce the possibility of such from occurring.
Further, Hamilton said that labour officers should not only focus on private sector businesses and employees but also direct their interest to the public sector.
Referencing the 2018 mercury poisoning at the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission as an example, Hamilton said if labour officers were inspecting public sector agencies the situation could have been avoided.
He said that labour officers are employed to protect the interest of all employees from both sectors.
“We have situations where officers think that their roles are to engage and supervise private entities and do not pay attention to the government entities. That has to change. You are supervising, all agencies, all ministries, the laws are not for private sector only,” the minister underscored.
He added that his ministry will have to take a new approach to reorient this message to inform officers that their responsibility is to the people of Guyana and that they supervise and ensure labour standards in every entity whether ministries or other government entities.
“They cannot pay attention to the private sector alone… that is not how it works or will work from now,” the minister disclosed.
Between 2018 and 2019, Stabroek News reported that at least eighteen persons had lost their lives as a result of workplace accidents across the country.
Based on reports carried in this newspaper, of the 18 work-related deaths, nine were from the mining sector, which recorded the highest number.
Deaths and injuries to workers providing services to the utilities sector followed.
Between 2018 and 2019 several workers who were employed by contractors to execute jobs for government agencies and utility companies perished in worksite-related accidents.
In the aviation sector at least four accidents occurred during the last two years. One of the four accidents was fatal and claimed the life of Captain Randy Liverpool.
In the marine sector, a 30-year-old Philippines national was crushed to death during an incident at a city wharf.
There were at least five construction-related accidents reported over the last two years.
