Four percent of workplace accidents (22) recorded last year resulted in death and Minister in the Ministry of Social Protection, Keith Scott, has declared that the statistic is too high, and urged employers to prioritise the safety of their workers.
The minister made the announcement at the ministry’s Occupational Safety and Health (OS&H) Department’s Symposium, which opened yesterday at Herdmanston Lodge. The symposium was held under the theme, “Safety and Health and the Future of Work: Building on the knowledge and achievements accumulated over the years.”
Panelists included representatives from Government, the University of Guyana, the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG) and the National Advisory Council on Occupational Safety and Health (NACOSH), among others.
A release from the ministry reported that of a total of 560 reported workplace accidents, 22 or four per cent resulted in the loss of lives in 2018. Minister Scott, in his address, assured that the number of fatalities recorded are 100% accurate.
“We have not yet computed the cost of compensation paid by the National Insurance Scheme and other costs through civil proceedings. However, we have a policy in this ministry that any fatal accident must be immediately investigated. And I can say without fear of contradiction that we have attained and maintained 100 per cent reporting and investigations of all fatal accidents that are work related in this country since 2016 to now,” he told the gathering.
The minister noted that a forensic investigation of all accidents, particularly those that resulted in death, showed that they could have been avoided had the necessary Standard Operating Procedures, including risk analysis, been carried out.
As a result, he urged stakeholders to improve their work ethics and prioritise the safety of workers so that workplace accidents can be avoided. Further, he registered his ministry’s intention to ensure that all employers understand that employees’ health come first and that the Laws of Guyana must be upheld at every stage.
Alluding to the challenges stakeholders recently had to confront in OS&H, with reference to the mercury leakage at the Guyana Gold Board, leakage or escape of ammonia at a fishing enterprise on the East Bank of Demerara and the contamination and death of Chinese nationals at the Manganese Company in North West District, Scott said that those occurrences have tested the ministry’s preparedness to deal with major issues such as oil spills.
DPI also reported that Principal Assistant Secretary of the Guyana Trades Union Congress, Eslyn Harris, while saying that OS&H is at the forefront of standards within the workplace, also acknowledged that there is room for improvement. This, she said, includes improvements of existing services for members and the development of skills through training.
“Most people spend a third of their adult life at work contributing to their own wellbeing and the society, thus the working environment can – if remained unchecked – negatively impact millions of lives around the world,” she noted.
“Harris stressed that work related deaths, injuries and illnesses occur every day and many people lose their lives every year. Therefore, the need for advancements in OS&H in the workplace is clear and urgent. She called on stakeholders to work together to ensure that workplace accidents are completely eliminated, since the task cannot be achieved alone,” DPI reported.
