–Ministry developing programme to target agriculture sector

FROM January 2022 to June 2022, the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Department of the Ministry of Labour reported seven on-the-job deaths.

Speaking with the Guyana chronicle via telephone on Monday, Subject Minister Joseph Hamilton said that the while the numbers have indicated a decrease in on-the-job fatalities, the ministry is currently working on adapting several strategies and programmes to ensure that losing one’s life on the job in Guyana will be a thing of the past.

“I am having conversations with three public relations companies to help us develop a health-and-safety strategy for public relations and communication. One will deal with the training of officers to articulate policy and law,” Minister Hamilton said, adding that the ministry is also developing a programme to target workplace fatalities in the agriculture sector.

He explained that over the years, much emphasis has been placed on the mining and construction sectors, since workplace deaths were more prevalent in those areas. However, he believes that more attention must be placed on the agriculture sector, as it is likely that the sector has seen unreported cases of workplace fatalities. He explained that constant and long-term exposure to agrochemicals could result in workplace fatalities and diseases.

“We have included in the strategy to develop a specific programme for the agriculture sector; over the years, we have been focusing on mining and construction where the deaths were happening. I believe that we might be having more workplace deaths in the agriculture sector.”

He added, “The issue of workplace death is not always about a man falling off a scaffold; it has do with long-term exposure that create diseases.”

In 2021, the OSH Department recorded a 16 per cent reduction in the number of workplace fatalities when compared to 2020.

In a report last year, the Labor Ministry also stated that 32 workplace fatalities were recorded in the year 2020 across all sectors, with mining being the number one contributor.

The decrease was credited to a rigorous campaign with local businesses that was spearheaded by the OSH Department and supporting agencies.

Outreaches and public awareness activities were conducted in mining communities in Regions One (Barima-Waini), Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), Eight (Potaro-Siparuni), and Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo). Further, health-and-safety messages were aired on the radio and television channels, and there was a widespread distribution of brochures, flyers, and posters. Those efforts will be boosted in 2022, as part of the upcoming public relations campaign.

The minister said that the positive change is as a result of the government’s new and improved approach to the issue of workers’ rights and safety, along with the establishment of the resuscitation of several health and safety committees in agencies across the country.

“We have had much engagement with employers, both in the private sector and public sector,” the minister said, adding: “We have been able to have several government agencies, ministries, and private agencies resuscitate workplace health and safety committees and, in many instances, help people establish [committees] they never had.”

Over the past two years, the ministry has been strengthening the capacity of its OSH and labour departments. Officers were also recruited and placed in the 10 administrative regions.

Minister Hamilton said that the officers within those departments were not only able to sensitise workers and employers within the private and public sectors, but they were also able to provide relevant training.