Dear Editor,
The Guyanese people are in collective mourning over the tragic loss of lives in the recent mining accident. We pray that God grant the surviving families the resolve to continue their lives after this great loss. We also ask that our new government seize this opportunity to craft better safety policies within the mining industry.
Safety regulations need to be brought into the 21st century to anticipate similar tragedies and provide financial remedies for survivors. No reinventing of the wheel is required here – just the mirroring of tried and proven best practices from existing responsible companies. Here are a few first step recommendations:
Better industry regulation and tracking
Reinforcement of fines and penalties when regulations are violated
Implementation of mandatory and adequate life insurance for all workers within the industry so as to ensure financial continuity for survivors.
Yours faithfully,
Berkeley Van Bowen
