OSH Month 2023: Labour Ministry to focus on sectors with high death tolls

With April being designated as Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) month, the Ministry of Labour will be focusing on the sectors that have a record of a high death toll among workers.
This is according to Labour Minister Joseph Hamilton, on Sunday following the Occupational Safety and Health Walk hosted to kick-off a series of activities planned for OSH Month 2023.

Hamilton explained that these initiatives are “…to highlight importantly, issues in mining, construction and we want to pay some attention to agriculture – and among all the other [sectors]. But we’re focusing on where most of the deaths have happened.”
The Labour Minister, nevertheless, stated that his Ministry will continue to educate employees and employers about safe workplace practices to reduce the number of workplace incidents and fatalities.
This year’s OSH Month is being observed under the theme, “A Safe and Healthy Working Environment is a Fundamental Principal and Right at Work.”
Sunday’s walk was aimed at highlighting the importance of OSH practices in the workplace. The Labour Minister pointed out that all workplaces, including office spaces, must be health and safety conscious, and should do everything possible to protect workers to ensure that they do not face injury or death on the job.
“All we are attempting to do is ensure that when someone leaves to go to work, they return to their families the way they left and that is what this is all about,” he stated.
Minister Hamilton went on to note that there are several other activities slated for this month including more walks in other regions across Guyana, radio interviews, and engagements with employees and employers in the mining, agriculture, and other sectors.
To this end, he urged persons to come out and participate in those events. Nevertheless, the Minister was pleased with the turnout at Sunday’s walk.
“I’m delighted at the massive turnout this morning – the amount of companies, Government agencies and people who came out to give us the necessary support. We look forward to the support right through the month from persons in the regions where we would be doing this walk and we’d be doing other activities.”
“As I’ve said continually, there isn’t a request that I’ve ever made to any company or anyone regarding supporting anything that got to do with OSH and they didn’t deliver. And so, I want to urge people to continue to give us that support,” Hamilton implored.
Over eight hundred participants took to the streets of Georgetown on Sunday to support the activity that seeks to raise awareness among workers and employees in implementing safety at workplaces.
In addition to senior officials from the Labour Ministry, led by Minister Hamilton, representatives from several public and private companies as well as British High Commissioner to Guyana, Jane Caroline Miller, and National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health (NACOSH) Chairman, Earl Morris, were at the fore of the walk.
Other participants included representatives from the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport; Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA); Guyana Power and Light (GPL); Exxon Mobil Guyana; National Insurance Scheme (NIS); University of Guyana; New GPC Inc; Centre for Local Business Development (CLBD); Professional Guard Services (PGS); Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI); Farfan & Mendes; Eureka Medical Service; Pritipaul Singh Investment Inc; Expro; Bureau of Statistics; SBM Offshore; Pacific Leopard International Trading Inc; SEACOR Marine; International SOS-Guyana Inc; Banks DIH; Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC); Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI); TechnipFMC; Demerara Harbour Bridge Corporation (DHBC); Massy Distribution Guyana Inc, and Guyana National Shipping Corporation (GNSC). (G8)