Occupational Safety and Health and the working Environment

1. Occupational Safety and Health and the working Environment Gweneth King Occupational Safety and Health Consultant Ministry of Social Protection

2. Outline of the Presentation • What is a safe and healthy working environment • Why is Safe and Healthy Work important • OSH and Decent Work • How do we create a safe and healthy working environment • Responsibilities for OSH • Legal Requirements

3. What is a Safe and Healthy Working Environment & Examples of Workplace Hazards • It is a workplace that is free from recognized hazards that cause or are likely to cause serious physical injury, sickness or even death. Examples of workplace hazards: Oil on shop floor , Trailing electrical wires, Blocked passageways, Unguarded machinery, Broken rung of ladder, Locked and blocked fire exits. • Exposure to high noise levels • Exposure to toxic chemicals • Exposure to extremes in temperature.

4. Why is Safe and Healthy Work Important A safe and healthy workplace: • Protects workers from injury and illness, • It can also lower injury/illness costs, • Reduce absenteeism and staff turnover, • Increase productivity and quality, • Raise employee morale. • In other words, “safety is good for business”. • It is good business and protecting workers is the right thing to do.

5. Occupational Safety and Health and Decent Work Decent work is Employment that respects: • The fundamental rights of the human person as well as : The rights of workers in terms of conditions of work, safety and remuneration and, • The physical and mental integrity of the worker in the exercise of his/her employment. • OSH is a core element of Decent work. • It is an integral part of Decent work. • Decent work must be safe and healthy work • Decent work applies to both the formal and informal sectors.

6. How do employers create a Safe and Healthy work environment • Make a commitment: Workplace OSH Policy. • Involvement of workers: Joint OSH Committee. • Identify and Control hazards: Safety Inspections, Job hazard analysis. • Compliance with OSH Laws and Regulations. • Training of Employees: Safety orientation, specific training. • Support a culture of safety in the workplace: Safety as a value, mutual respect, respond to the needs and concerns of workers. • Continually improve your system: Annual review for strengths and weaknesses, evaluate injury and illness statistics.

7. Who is responsible for OSH • Who is responsible for safety and health at work? We are all responsible. Hence the need for a collaborative and co-operative approach. • Employers, • Workers/Trade Unions • Government • A safe and healthy environment is in the interest of both employers and workers and they are in the best position to identify safety and health problems and develop solutions quickly.

8. Employers and Workers: Responsibilities The prime responsibility for safety and health at work rests with the employer and it is their duty to maintain working conditions that are safe and healthy for their employees. • Have a written policy on safety and health at work. • Establish Joint Safety and Health Committees/Representatives in the workplaces • Implement safety and health recommendations • Workers • Workers have rights and they also have obligations. They have: • The right to know , The right to participate , The right to refuse work and The right to be free from reprisals. They also have an obligation to comply with all safety and health instructions in the workplace.

9. Government’s responsibilities • The Government provides Information & Advisory Supervisory & Regulatory services to assist employers, workers and trade unions in improving working conditions and environment. • This is done through the Occupational Safety and Health Department whose Powers are derived from the Occupational Safety and Health Act Chapter 99:06 Laws of Guyana. • The Department has the authority to enforce the Act through its inspectors who have powers to inspect, investigate and order compliance with the Act & Regulations made thereunder. There are penalties for non-compliance/ breaches with the legislation. They range from $10,000 to $50,000. In some instances, to imprisonment for a term of no more than 12 months. -

10. Key components of the Act • Registration of an Industrial Establishment • Duties of employers, workers and other persons • The Joint Responsibility System: The workplace Policy, Programme, Joint Safety and Health Committee / Representatives. • The specification of workers’ rights: The right to know , The right to participate , The right to refuse work and The right to be free from reprisals • Notification of Accidents and Occupational Diseases. Fatal and non-fatal accidents.

11. Final Comments • The Discipline of OSH can be very challenging. • Apart from the traditional areas such as machine guarding , PPEs etc. other areas have gained momentum. Ergonomics , mental health and there is Workplace Violence/ bullying and diversity. Diversity is a fact of life for us and it cannot be turned back. This can be due to economics and political instability. There are different cultures and languages to address in the workplace. • We are living in a world that is changing and the business we do is changing. The way we do business is changing therefore the way we do safety and health must change. We need to adapt and be prepared for the changes or we will surely be left behind. The International companies will not do business with companies that have poor safety and health practices.