The Guyana Environmental, Health and Safety Foundation is lifting the barrier on safety by providing affordable training locally.
In keeping with the aim of Reducing Workplace Health and Safety Hazards, the Foundation hosted a series of training seminars during the month of June.
The last tutorial in this series, aimed at promoting awareness regarding aspects of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA), will be held on July 2 at Duke Lodge, Kingston.
OSHA was enforced to replace the Factories Act of 1947 in Guyana, in answer to the necessity to have all work environments addressed with regard to safety. This ranged from nursing to mining. As a result, in 1993, the Factories Act was revised and later taken to Parliament in 1997.It was passed into law in December of the same year.
President of the Foundation, Mr. Darwin Bourne, expressed gratitude to members of the private sector who have supported the programme.
He indicated that that there are plans to implement additional training programmes in the areas of fire prevention and environmental protection.
Bourne said, “The Foundation will be targeting pressing safety issues and providing training at a reasonable cost,  and persons will not have to seek training outside of the country.”
He also pointed out that one of the goals of the fire prevention programme is to equip individuals with the survival skills necessary to handle a fire emergency at sea.
Alluding to the explosion on board the ‘Captain Lloyd 97’ , Bourne said “We are seeking to prevent such tragedies by ensuring that persons follow the proper procedures during a fire.”
According to the President of the Foundation, the main objective behind the environmental aspect of the training is to enable individuals to better appreciate the environment.
He said, “ Areas to be targeted include waste disposal and sustainable mining practices, since it was observed that neither of these activities is being conducted in an environmentally friendly manner.”
The Guyana Environmental, Health and Safety Foundation , formed two years ago, operates under the theme, ‘Safety Evolves’, and  seeks to enhance safety and security in Guyana.