— says Minister Scott as Occupational Health and Safety Month concludes

DESPITE the reported considerable decrease in workplace accidents last year, Minister within the Ministry of Social Protection, Keith Scott said employers and employees will continue to be sensitised about good health and safety practices.

Hundreds of workers braved the inclement weather to spread the word about good Occupation and Health and Safety (OHS) practices during a march from Church Street and Avenue of the Republic to D’Urban Park, to culminate OHS month on Saturday morning.

Scott, who was leading the march, said his ministry spent the entire OHS month sensitising employers and employees about the importance of safety in the workplace.

“We visited lots of employers and had one and one talks with them and even had occasions where we encouraged them to have their own programmes,” said the minister, adding that some places indeed conducted their own programmes.

Although OHS month has concluded, he said the ministry and its partners intend to continue the education and sensitisation programmes, so that young people in particular would be more conscious about the need to obey OHS laws.

Social Protection and OHS specialist of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), Ariel Pino, who was also a part of the march, said the ILO decided to devote OHS month to youths because they are more vulnerable.

“We have to place maximum attention on OHS because it implies a huge human and economic cost; that is why we are helping Guyanese people to improve the working conditions and make the workplace safe,” he said.

The ILO had started working with the government to help Guyana adopt a strategic framework which is promoted through ILO international standards.
He said some of the sectors that they have paid keen attention to are construction, agriculture and some services.

Last year, Scott had announced that the Occupational Safety and Health Unit within the Department of Labour has seen a 100 per cent decrease in workplace deaths.
He had noted that the improvement would have not been possible without the support of the employers.

“We must thank the employers who have become conscious that it is in their interest not to have down time in terms of machinery breaking down, in terms of workers having accidents and so,” explained Minister Scott.