Guyana: Labour Ministry praises Occupational Safety and Health Department

Guyana: Joseph Hamilton, Minister of Labour, commended members of the NACOSH – National Advisory Council on Occupational Safety and Health for reducing workplace fatalities by over 20 per cent in 2022.

According to the post by Board of Industrial Training and the Labour Ministry of Guyana, the minister was speaking to NACOSH members, on Friday, January 20, 2023, during their inaugural statutory meeting in the ministry’s boardroom. Bishram Kuppen, Permanent Secretary, and Gwendolyn King, OSH Consultant, were also in attendance.

Minister Hamilton stated that this progress is due to the many policies and programs put in place to ensure worker safety in accordance with the PPP/C Government’s election commitment. As a result, the ministry’s Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) section will continue to endeavour to make workplaces safer through a holistic approach in 2023.

To that purpose, the department intends to concentrate a greater emphasis on the mining, construction, forestry, and agriculture industries as well as private and public sectors. This includes creating a Public Relations and communication plan to address the issue of safe work, as well as forming alliances with government organizations and ministries such as the Ministry of Education.

Earlier, the Board of Industrial Training, in collaboration with HerVenture, will host an “Up-Skill Workshop” webinar on January 19 aimed at providing women with information about each entity’s training opportunities.

The workshop is accessible to those interested in training programs for self-development or expanding their existing skillset to become employable. As such, participants are invited to participate in this informative webinar. The Board of Industrial Training, formed in 1910 under the Industrial Act, Chapter 39:04 of the Laws of Guyana, is tasked with developing a highly skilled and competent workforce for Guyana.

Meanwhile, the HerVenture programme is a mobile learning platform under the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women in the United Kingdom that aims to provide women with business knowledge and skills. ExxonMobil Foundation, ActionInvest Caribbean Inc., GTT, and MMG collaborated on this project.