Social Protection Min. mulling review of OSH Act

DPI, Guyana, Wednesday, January 15, 2020

Guyana’s human resource is key to moving the country forward, therefore the Ministry of Social Protection is mulling the review and drafting of an effective Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act.

Gwen King an OSH consultant attached to the Ministry told DPI that strict measures will be enforced to protect workers.

Ministry of Social Protection, Occupational Safety and Health Consultant, Gwen King

“We are looking at reviewing the OSH Act and we are also looking at developing legislation for the oil and gas sector. We will be getting assistance from the International Labour Organization in this regard. It began last year but there were some hiccups but we are hoping to get things finalised this year,” the OSH Consultant said.

According to King, every officer within the OSH Department is trained and qualified to conduct workplace inspections and pinpoint defaulting employers. In cases where there are deficiencies, the employers will be advised accordingly on the steps they need to take to correct the situation. If they do not comply, the department has the option of taking them to court.

The Occupational Safety and Health Act is the primary legislation that governs workplace hazards and applies to every industrial establishment, such as, a sactory, shop or office. The act, which is also based on a joint responsibility system or an internal responsibility system, offers workplace parties, such as, workers, employers and trade unions’ representatives to work together to identify or develop solutions to workplace hazards.