From a total of 560 reported workplace accidents, 22 of the incidents have resulted in the loss of lives last year, says Minister with responsibility for labour, Keith Scott.
He made the disclosure during the Ministry’s Occupational Safety and Health (OS&H) Department’s Symposium, which opened on Wednesday, April 17, 2019 at Herdmanston Lodge under the theme “Safety and Health and the Future of Work: Building on the knowledge and achievements accumulated over the years.”
Minister Scott said this number is too high and his Ministry intends to ensure that all employers understand that in this country, the employees and their health come first and that the laws of Guyana at all stages must be enforced.
“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,” the Minister related.
Minister Scott encouraged stakeholders to improve their work ethics and to prioritise the safety of workers so that workplace accidents can be avoided. He said a forensic investigation of all accidents, particularly those with fatal consequences, shows that they were avoidable if the necessary standard operating procedures including risk analysis were carried out. [Extracted and Modified from DPI]
