Workplace deaths/accidents: Labour Ministry engages companies on labour laws

The Labour Ministry has organised a one-day seminar aimed at improving awareness and compliance with labour legislation following the recent workplace deaths of Domindra Narayan, Lennox McPherson, Trevor Jones and Rusbel Azocar.

Some 115 individuals, representing over 40 entities from the public and private sectors, have attended the event, hosted at the Regency Suites Hotel on Hadfield Street, Georgetown.
The seminar focused on laws governing the national minimum wage, probationary periods and paid leave, workplace safety and health, overtime payments, severance pay, termination of employment, inspections, record-keeping, and reporting incidents of child labour.
These pertinent topics were discussed by Chief Labour Officer Dhaneshwar Deonarine; Chair of the Consultative Association of Guyanese Industries Limited (CAGI), Jairam Petam; and President of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG), Carvil Duncan.
During brief remarks, Labour Minister Joseph Hamilton disclosed that the activity is part of the ministry’s mandate to build capacity by training and retraining workers; and capitalizing on “human development”, which includes workers’ welfare and “the protection of workers’ rights.” In this regard, he urged participating companies to continue collaborating with the ministry to achieve compliance with labour regulations, linked not only to working conditions, but also to occupational safety and health throughout the country.
“If you were questioning the importance of our activity today, and why you’re here, it is basically to press and implore both employees and employers (on) the importance of paying attention to the labour laws and getting from the ministry only what the labour laws are… Secondly, we want to ensure that we have less grave houses and funerals to attend for persons who lost their lives whilst working to earn their daily bread and to feed their families,” the minister emphasised.
Further, he praised the participants for recognising the necessity of re-educating themselves on the country’s labour laws, and underscored the importance of Occupational Safety and Health by noting that eradicating occupational deaths is paramount to the family system.
“I am saying this to you because I don’t want to continue to be the death announcement bureau. I don’t need any more the CLO (Chief Labour Officer) and OSH head (Occupational Safety and Health) to write the press statement for me. I can read them out to you, all they do is change names… We have been able to deal with stubborn people by recouping $160 million dollars of employees’ monies from companies in the last three years, last year $69 million. And for those who are more stubborn than ever, we carry them to court. So, there are remedies, and we will prosecute the remedies to ensure that people are protected,” Hamilton has said.
Companies engaged in the seminar included Amalgamated Security Services, Aruwai Enterprise Incorporated, BPI Guyana Incorporated, Caricom Secretariat, Citizens Bank Guyana Incorporated, Demerara Bank Limited, E Networks Incorporated, Guyana Power and Light Incorporated, Guysons Oil and Gas, Massy Distribution Guyana Incorporated and NSB Omega Guyana Incorporated.
For the first week of February, four workplace deaths were recorded. On February 4, 66-year-old Lennox McPherson died after he was pinned by an excavator bucket against the track of another excavator just outside the Guiana Shield Resources sandpit at Dora on the East Bank of Demerara.
Then on February 6, 64-year-old Trevor Jones died after he was crushed by a super reach stacker at the John Fernandes Wharf at Water Street, Georgetown. It was reported that the man was struck by the counterweight at the rear of the vehicle, at which point he fell and was fatally injured by the rear right wheel of the machine.
On February 9, 27-year-old Domindra Narayan succumbed to injuries he had received one month prior, after falling from a 10ft scaffold while pressure washing the complex of Imam Bacchus & Sons Limited at Affiance, Essequibo Coast, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam).
Then on February 10, a Venezuelan health and safety worker, 37-year-old Rusbel Azocar, was killed at the Vreed-en-Hoop Shore Base, the artificial island that has been constructed in the Demerara River. Police have said that the worker was placing safety cones and danger tape around a hole, as a signal to warn others of the hazard, when he unfortunately fell into the same hole. It was reported that, at the time, he was not wearing a lifejacket, as was necessitated by protocols.

Workplace accidents
In 2023, the Labour Ministry recorded a total of 20 occupational deaths due to accidents in the mining, construction, agriculture and manufacturing sectors. Of the 20 deaths recorded, nine occurred in the mining sector in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) while six were recorded in the construction sector.
Outside of the fatalities, the ministry recorded 175 non-fatal accidents that were investigated out of the 577 reports received. Most of these reports emanated from the agriculture and manufacturing sectors.
Moreover, 950 inspections were conducted at workplaces across the 10 administrative regions, where over 8000 workers were affected.
In instances where breaches of the Occupational Safety and Health Act were identified, the Labour Ministry has offered written and verbal advice.
These figures were provided by Minister Hamilton at the Labour Ministry’s 2023 End of Year press conference. (G1)