Labour ministry to launch programme focused on household safety and health

With keen emphasis already placed on the health and safety of employees at their workplace, the Ministry of Labour will this year roll out a programme geared at promoting safety and health in households.

“We are to launch a programme this year targeting residents because as much as we deal with health and safety in work place we want to expand it to residents safety and health in your own homes,” Minister of Labour, Joseph Hamilton said recently.

He was at the time speaking at the ministry’s end-of-year press conference which was held on Tuesday.

Already, heavy emphasis is being placed on the health and safety of employees at their workplace to avoid incidents which result in injury or death.

Through the programme, Hamilton said the ministry will be collaborating with stakeholders, including the Guyana Fire Service (GFS), which is responsible for ensuring that buildings are constructed in keeping with the country’s building code.

“We hope to work and plan to work along with the fire service in this regard to engage stakeholders.

“Construction being done at houses, how they can perhaps do it better and differently so that it don’t become a hazard to injury or to have people killed,” Hamilton said.

Hamilton is currently in the process of reviewing a proposal of the programme.

Once approved, it will be “put into action”, he said.

The National Advisory Council will be the lead team to promote the residential Occupational Safety and Health activity.