Govt addressing OSH legislation

GOVERNMENT is committed to strengthening occupational safety and health legislation. Permanent Secretary in the Labour Ministry Natalie Willis made this statement at the American Chamber of Commerce’s 2018 Health, Safety, Security and Environment (HSSE) conference and exhibition at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Port of Spain last Thursday.

Willis said it is instructive that the OSH Act, which was established in 2004, has only been amended once in 2006. She said it was imperative that this legislation evolve to meet emerging HSSE challenges.

To this end, Willis explained the ministry has been involved in a series of consultations with stakeholders on improving the legislation. She said the discussions have focused on areas such as increased penalties and fines for OSH offences, giving the OSH Agency autonomy along the lines of a regional health authority and jurisdiction over residential purposes.

Willis said the consultations are ongoing and are the best way to achieve consensus on the way forward. Observing that recent studies estimate there are 2.3 million deaths annually as a result of workplace accidents, Willis said losing one life in such circumstances “is one too many.”

BHP Billiton engineering manager Ricardo Panchorie said safety is central to the way the company does business and this was the first item in BHP Billiton’s charter.

Saying companies should step up to the HSSE challenge, Panchorie said there is an inextricable connection between safety excellence and business excellence.