-by David Clarke
The Ministry of Labour and Manpower Planning is ramping up efforts to improve safety standards on construction sites through training.
The objective is to equip contractors with the knowledge needed to comply with the Occupational Safety and Health Act and help prevent workplace accidents.
Assistant Chief Occupational Safety and Health Officer Maxean Bess says the focus is on ensuring contractors understand their legal responsibilities while building a stronger culture of workplace safety.
“This campaign is putting safety first. And what we want is contractors out there to have a basic knowledge. We want compliance when it comes to Occupational Safety and Health. We want them to adhere with what the Occupational Safety and Health Act is talking about,” she said.
Bess says the campaign has already reached several regions and will continue nationwide, before inspectors follow up to assess compliance.
“So this is a national campaign, and we are going in all 10 of the regions. So far, we have completed construction training in Region 3, Triumph Region 4, Region 5, West Coast Berbice, Region 6. And we are going to the other regions. So we have Essequibo Region 2. We have Mahdia, and we have Bartica and Linden,” she added.
The training is provided free of charge and forms part of the ministry’s efforts to reduce workplace accidents by promoting compliance with occupational safety and health laws.