“Putting Safety First” campaign: Labour Ministry urges construction sector to step up safety compliance

The Labour and Manpower Planning Ministry is urging employers across Guyana’s construction sector to work more closely with occupational safety officials as it intensifies efforts to reduce workplace accidents, particularly on construction sites.
During an interview with Guyana Times, Senior Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Officer Darwin Borne, who has served at the Labour and Manpower Planning Ministry for nearly a decade, said the Ministry’s core mandate is to create a safer future for Guyana, a mission being advanced through its ongoing “Putting Safety First” workplace safety campaign.
The campaign is aimed at increasing awareness and sensitising employers and workers in the construction sector about their responsibilities under the OSH Act.
Borne said the Ministry is doing its part through inspections, training and public awareness initiatives but stressed that employers and workers also have a responsibility to comply with established safety regulations.

“This initiative addresses our current infrastructure boom and the hazards associated with it by putting controls in place so that persons can return home with all their limbs intact, come back alive to their families, reduce accidents and create a safer culture in Guyana that promotes accident prevention.” He added, “We have surpassed our construction targets for this period. However, I would not say that is sufficient. The campaign is aimed at achieving total compliance. We will achieve total compliance by conducting several approaches and strategies, such as inspections and awareness programmes. We are also inviting organisations to come to us. If you have construction in mind, are going into construction or are already in the construction industry, come to us and we will provide guidance. The information is completely free.”
Borne said the Ministry’s safety awareness campaign comprises a range of initiatives aimed at improving workplace safety across the country.
“This campaign has already started, but we are shifting into a new gear by using several methods. We began by conducting inspections. Building on those inspections, we will conduct extensive training throughout the length and breadth of Guyana. Tomorrow, in Region Three, we will be conducting another Occupational Safety and Health Construction Seminar at the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) boardroom. Next, we will move to Region Five. Throughout all 10 administrative regions, we will be conducting training programmes as well as inspections to meet the demand.” On April 16, a construction worker was killed and several others were injured after a three-storey building under construction collapsed at Atlantic Gardens, East Coast Demerara (ECD).
Referring to incidents such as these, Borne stressed the importance of strict adherence to occupational safety and health protocols, saying greater compliance is critical to preventing workplace accidents and protecting the lives of workers.
“If individuals wish to participate, even if they are not part of an organisation, and they see a workplace carrying out construction where someone is working at a dangerous height without proper safety equipment, they can send us a video or make a report. We have staff monitoring those activities. We respond to reports like that and to emerging trends. We are mandated to respond to any complaint relating to construction where persons are engaged in employment. Once persons are employed, we are mandated to visit the workplace.”