Exhibition held to mark occupational health, safety day

GINA, GUYANA, Wednesday, 19 April 2017

The Ministry of Social Protection’s Department of Labour, in collaboration with Giftland Office Max and a few other organisations held an Occupational Safety and Health Exhibition today, at Giftland Mall, Turkeyen.

This exhibition is in recognition of Occupational Safety and Health Day 2017. April is Occupational Safety and Health month.

Karen Van Sluytman-Corbin, Assistant Chief Labour Occupational Safety and Health Officer said the exhibition is one of the many activities planned for Occupational Safety and Health month 2017.

Karen Van Sluytman-Corbin, Assistant Chief Labour Occupational Safety and Health Officer

Van Sluytman-Corbin noted that the Ministry has designated the entire month of April to coordinating activities in recognition of Occupational Safety and Health.

The Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo), the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission, Industrial Safety Supplies, Ministry of Agriculture-Chemical and Toxic Control Unit, National AIDS Programme Secretariat and the Guyana Fire Service were a few of the organisations that were present at today’s event.

“The exhibition is one of the activities to heighten the awareness of safety and health in the work place and they are also displaying personal protective equipment, the importance of using them, where it is necessary, the different types, the quality and so forth,”  Van Sluytman-Corbin explained.

Van Sluytman-Corbin noted that since the signing of the safety MOU in 2016, it has been very encouraging for the Ministry and the agencies have indicated interest in partnering with them.  She explained that they are working well with them and the ministry is putting plans in place to partner with them in terms of having joint training and inspection at the work place.

“We are working with them to train employees to set up joint work place safety and health committees, where they may not be existing, just in keeping with the occupational safety and health act,” Van Sluytman-Corbin added.

She further explained that the department is awaiting a few regulations that are currently being finalised at the Ministry of Legal Affairs.

A section of the Exhibition

She explained that the Attorney General (AG) Chamber is putting the final touches to those regulations so they can have them passed in the National Assembly. “We have the manufacturing regulation, the noise regulation, the joint safety and health committee regulation with the AG Chamber,” Van Sluytman-Corbin said.

The regulations are expected to be completed by July and the Assistant Chief Labour Occupational Safety and Health Officer is encouraging other companies to come on board since having a safe and healthy work force not only reflects well on the company, but also increases production.

 

By: Delon Sancho

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