THIRTEEN Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) employees on the Joint Workplace Safety and Health Committee, on Wednesday received certificates for successfully completing a three-day Joint Workplace Safety and National Insurance Scheme (NIS) training programme.

The programme is a collaborative effort between the Ministry of Labour- Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Department and the NIS. It aimed to train members of the Joint Workplace Safety and Health Committee, and to prepare them to carry out their mandate in the workplace as required by Chapter 99:06 of the OSH Act.

Additionally, it sought to equip them with the knowledge and skills needed to design and maintain safe work systems and techniques, which minimise/eliminate workplace accidents, further allowing them to demonstrate an understanding of their roles and responsibilities as Joint Workplace Safety Committee representatives.

The participants are now able to conduct workplace inspections, accident investigations, and adopt methods to control and/or eliminate hazards in their own workplaces. Both participants and their workplaces received certification that would be valid for one year.

Minister of Labour Joseph Hamilton spoke briefly on the accomplishments of the OSH Department since his appointment in 2020. This includes a reduction in workplace fatalities from 32 in 2020, 27 in 2021, and 21 in 2022 to 20 in 2023.

Minister Hamilton noted that this decline demonstrates the ministry’s commitment to creating a safe and healthy workplace.

The minister thanked employees for their participation in the workshop as their involvement seeks to bring the ministry closer to its mission of educating the public on safe and healthy practices at work, eliminating work-related hazards countrywide.

With this in mind, he urged them to become ambassadors of safety by sharing their knowledge with persons in and out of their work spaces. This will contribute to the ministry’s objective of creating a safe and healthy workplace.

It will also play a crucial role in the expansion of the OSH holistic programme, which will be launched soon and intends to target household safety and health.

This effort will be possible through partnership between the Ministry of Labour and its stakeholders such as the Guyana Fire Service, which is responsible for ensuring that buildings are built in accordance with the local building code.

Meanwhile, Director-General of the GCAA, Lieutenant-Colonel (retired) Egbert Field, noted that safety in the aviation industry is critical and therefore, his commitment to promoting safe and healthy workplace practices is vital to protecting employees’ lives.

The Director-General commended the minister on educating his employees on the National Human Immuno Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immuno-Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) Workplace Policy, which aims to eliminate stigma and discrimination in the workplace.