THE Ministry of Labour has been ensuring that the labour laws are in effect countrywide and proper Occupational Safety and Health (OS&H) practices are adhered to.

In this regard, the Ministry has placed the policing of work places high on its 2009 agenda.

Minister of Labour Manzoor Nadir, during an interview with the Government Information Agency (GINA), said the Ministry has projected 4000 inspections for 2009. Of this number, 3000 inspections have been completed.     

Minister Nadir noted that the Labour Inspectors are finding a high degree of non-compliance with the OS&H laws and there have been many accidents for 2009.

Many businesses do not have an OS&H committee, which is mandatory if a business employs over 20 persons.

These committees are expected to meet monthly to evaluate their OS&H guidelines and ensure they are in accordance with the laws.

Another area of contention is the poor compliance with fire and protective gear, with workers and management taking too many avoidable risks, such as a high dust environment that could easily be ignited by sparks.

Minister Nadir said the data collected will be used to put every inspection in a data base in an effort to document which industries have the highest risk and violations.

He noted that while inspectors are going to work places there are some areas on which focus has to be placed, primarily in the rice industry and petrol dealers in Region Two. This will be done with certain sectors and geographic areas; the next one being targeted is the mining sector.

Minister Nadir pointed out that while the Officers were in Region Two employers were invited to take part in a ‘labour laws and HIV awareness’ workshop.

There have been 11 recorded deaths for 2009, with 10 for the entire 2008 and only six recorded for 2007. This has raised concerns about the risks being taken and Minister Nadir is adamant that this number be reduced.

Work sites in violation of the OS&H laws are being issued with citations to rectify the situation and are given a grace period of one week to do so.

These are followed by a further inspection and warning, after which violators are taken to the courts. The Ministry has also been using a system of education and moral persuasion to deal with the situation.

Every Wednesday, training seminars are held in Georgetown to brief employers on labour laws and HIV sensitisation.