THE Ministry of Labour has reported that deaths in underground mining and deaths in other work sites have been reduced by 16 per cent and Minister of Labour Joseph Hamilton, has attributed this to the increased awareness being placed on occupational safety and health, and the efforts made to offer improved technical training to safety officers at the ministry.

Minister Hamilton made the disclosure while delivering remarks during a graduation ceremony held on Thursday last for 14 persons from various agencies who completed an International Certificate in Mine Safety Operations course done by the ministry in collaboration with the Global People Services and Management Consultant Incorporated (GPSM).

Of the 14 participants, eight were from the ministry’s Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Department, two from gold-mining company Aurora Gold Mines (AGM) Incorporated, and one each from the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) and the Ministry of Education (MoE).

The participants completed more than 16 modules in mine safety, and areas covered included hazard control, safety, firefighting, electrical safety, and accident investigation, among others

In his address, Minister Hamilton applauded the efforts made to offer the highest level of technical training to OSH officers, pointing out that even more training is in store as the ministry continues to strengthen its ability to monitor OSH at work places in Guyana, particularly those in the oil-and-gas industry.

“Very soon, two officers from Labour and two from the OSH Department of the ministry will be leaving for Trinidad to be trained in the TBOSIET programme, enabling them to visit and conduct inspections on the Floating Production Storage and Offloading [vessels] (FPSO) at sea,” Hamilton noted.

There are presently eight senior OSH officers qualified to train persons in the mines.