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November 21, 2025
The Ministry of Labour and Manpower Planning on Wednesday, November 19, 2025, convened a high-level Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) seminar aimed at strengthening safety standards across Guyana’s rapidly expanding construction sector.
The session, held at Cara Lodge in Georgetown, brought together 54 participants, including contractors, supervisors, and technical officers.
Senior officials in attendance included Minister of Labour and Manpower Planning, Hon. Keoma Griffith; Permanent Secretary (Ag.) Indrani Ramnarine; OSH Consultant Gweneth King; Assistant Chief OSH Officers Roydon Croal and Maxean Bess; and other representatives from key agencies.
In his feature address, Minister Griffith warned that the surge in construction activity amid national development has been accompanied by troubling safety lapses.
He reported that the construction sector has recorded the second-highest number of workplace fatalities nationally.
“The truth before us is difficult but undeniable,” he told the gathering.
“The construction sector has recorded the second-highest number of workplace fatalities in Guyana. In the past five years, thirty-seven persons lost their lives in this sector, including eight in 2025. Regrettably, those eight workers left their homes and never returned. This cannot continue; the time is now, because no level of national progress is worth the life of even one worker.”
The minister stressed that the administration led by President Dr. Irfaan Ali remains committed to strengthening protections for workers and will not tolerate non-compliance with safety legislation.
He urged contractors and supervisors to improve training, monitoring, and safety culture at every job site.
Permanent Secretary Ramnarine also underscored the dangers of choosing convenience over compliance.
“In life, there are many shortcuts, but those very shortcuts could cut lives short, this is why safety is needed. Let this sink in. We are the ones who have to propel safety and ensure that it happens so that we all benefit,” she said.
She reminded attendees that safety “should be a mantra for all of us” and emphasised that individual responsibility is essential to preventing workplace tragedies.
During her presentation, OSH Consultant Gweneth King reiterated that the department’s mandate, grounded in Chapter 95:02 (Part V), is to ensure safe working conditions.
She noted that construction continues to rival mining for the highest number of workplace deaths, with eight fatalities recorded in 2025 alone.
Assistant Chief OSH Officer Maxean Bess delivered a detailed session on the proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE).
She pointed out that many construction workers wear inappropriate footwear, such as yachting boots instead of safety boots, leaving them unprotected from serious injuries.
She reminded participants that PPE must be provided by employers at no cost and must be used, stored, and maintained correctly.
“It is personal equipment, not to be shared or lent out,” she said.
The seminar featured several technical presentations, including GPL safety requirements around electrical infrastructure, assessments of honeybees as a construction-site hazard, network safety practices, risk assessment protocols, OSH legislation applicable to building projects, correct use of equipment and work materials, and NIS benefits related to industrial accidents, disability, and death.
Representatives from the Ministry of Public Works, Guyana Power and Light (Demerara Zone), the National Insurance Scheme, and the Guyana Livestock Development Authority joined Senior OSH Officer Darwin Bourne, Legal Officer Alyea Williams, and Senior Labour Officer Candaiscee West in an interactive panel discussion.
The session concluded with practical exercises, including a breakdown of how NIS compensation applies to eligible workers, who may receive up to 70 percent of their earnings for as long as 26 weeks in cases of workplace injury.
The Ministry’s Public Relations Department noted that the seminar forms part of ongoing efforts to reduce accidents and strengthen compliance within one of Guyana’s most high-risk sectors.
