The Ministry of Labour’s Region Nine officers, on February 28, 2024, conducted an outreach in the Marudi Mountain Mines, in the South Rupununi.
Mark Burnett, Labour Officer and Karen Singh, Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Officer, led the outreach with the goal of conducting workplace inspections, sensitizing workers, and investigating two non-fatal workplace accidents.
A release from the ministry said that during the visit, both officers interacted with all miners to observe current operations, particularly working conditions for the numerous stages each operation goes through on a daily basis, such as determining the level of compliances a company must maintain, as well as the roles and responsibilities of employers and employees in maintaining a safe and healthy
relationship and working environment.
This includes inspecting work sites and educating employees on the safety precautions that must be taken when doing various duties.
The team also probed and resolved two non-fatal workplace accidents.
In addition, the team met with members of the Rupununi Miners Association to promote awareness about the safety standards essential to maintain a safe and healthy work environment. They also shared brochures on topics such as the National Minimum Wage, Annual Leave Calculation, Severance and Termination Conditions, Over Time, Child Labour, the Use of Personal Protective Equipment, Safe Working Conditions in Small Scale Surface Mining, and OSH legal requirements, among others.
