Driving near rollers and excavators? Hamilton says ‘safer’ construction needed

The amount of new, large-scale infrastructural works across Guyana have been increasing but Labour Minister Joseph Hamilton says that construction areas should be much safer for employees and citizens.

Hamilton, at a private sector forum, talked up the need for greater Health, Safety, Security & Environment (HSSE) standards, particularly now that Guyana is undergoing rapid development.

He, however, lamented that there continue to be scores of workplace deaths and many more workplace accidents yearly.

As such, Hamilton contended, “… if we don’t arrest the matter, you will have more deaths because the more work you do, the more exposure of people you will have.”

Beyond ensuring that workplaces are safe for workers though, Hamilton said that the ongoing construction boom, in particular, evidences the great need for safety standards.

“The Sheriff/Mandela road project, we as citizens, have to navigate between rollers and excavators and that’s a factual thing.

“I hope that the next time we are doing that kinda development, citizens do not have to navigate between rollers and excavators,” he said.

Because driving along the heavy machinery and equipment may be unsafe and potentially disastrous if there is any mishap, the Labour Minister emphasised that “better methodologies” are needed to guarantee good HSSE practices.

Based on the statistics provided, there were five workplace deaths in the construction sector recorded in 2021; in 2020 there were six deaths and in 2019, there was one death.

As part of his ministry’s focus on improving HSSE, he said that there are now more enforcement officers across the country who are all working to ensure that companies are in compliance with safety standards.

He also emphasised that the ministry is also working alongside the Ministry of Legal Affairs to update existing labour and safety laws.