THE Guyanese people are in collective mourning over the tragic loss of lives in the recent mining accident. We pray that God grant the surviving family the resolve to continue their lives after this great loss. We also ask that our new Government seize upon this unfortunate opportunity to craft better safety policies within the mining industry.

Safety regulations need to be brought into the 21st century to anticipate similar tragedies and provide financial remedies to survivors. No reinventing of the wheel is required here – just mirroring of tried and proven best practices from existing responsible companies. Here are a few first step recommendations:

*Better industry regulation and tracking
*Reinforce fines and penalties when regulations are violated
*Implement mandatory and adequate Life Insurance for all workers within the industry so as to ensure seamless financial continuity for survivors.

BERKELEY VAN BOWEN