Occupational Health and Safety

In 2006, because of limited resources, the Ministry of Labor of Guyana decided to merge the functions of the Labor Officer and the Occupational Safety and Health Officer. This operation resulted in the loss of experts in occupational safety and health in the institution and created the need to train officers without expertise on this matter. On this premise, the Government of Guyana sought the assistance of the RIAL Cooperation Fund to receive training and assistance from the Ministries of Labor of Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados. The cooperation with Trinidad and Tobago took place on 2008, and it was complemented by this on-site visit to Barbados.
 
According to the five officers from Guyana that traveled to Barbados, some of the lessons learned that can be replicated are: the use of scientific equipment to identify hazards in the workplace, the usage of information pertaining to asbestos and guidelines for its removal, and determining the root cause to obtain a detailed analysis of each accident. The information received will be used by the Ministry of Labor of Guyana to improve the methods and systems of work, and to further develop more efficiency in the performance of its Department of Labor and Occupational Safety and Health.