OSH training to promote safe working environments opens by Labour Ministry

15 persons are receiving training in Occupational Safety and Health (OSH), geared at promoting
safe working environments for citizens.
Labour Minister, Joseph Hamilton who was at the opening session on Monday at the Pegasus
hotel, said OSH plays a significant role in the labour force. “We have two choices in this matter,
either we continue our merry way and we prepare to go wake houses and play dominoes and
cards and to attend funerals or we change…All of us in this room and beyond we have a role to
play in this matter and we cannot see this narrowly, it has to be objectively; it has to be
expansively and recognise that what you are doing it is for the national good,” Hamilton said.
The labour minister said that the two-day programme will train members of the Joint Workplace
Safety and Health Committee established with Exxon to execute their mandate in the workplace,
as required by the provisions of the Occupational Safety and Health Act, Chapter 99:10. He
stressed that it will also equip participants with basic knowledge and skills to enable them to
develop and maintain safe systems and safe methods to minimise workplace accidents.  Hamilton
said that for the very first time in Guyana, an OSH officer will be assigned on a floating
production storage and offloading (FPSO) unit.

The Minister said the government will continue to make the necessary investments in its people
to improve their lives. “We will continue to do our very best. We will continue to work diligently
through the length and breadth of Guyana. We will continue to expend money to train our offices
at all levels and we’ve already started that, this is only one of those trainings. All the senior
officers, we’re exposing them to international training,” Hamilton assured.
Exxon Mobil’s Safety Security Health and Environment Manager, Brad Edlington pointed out
the importance of health and safety in the work environment. “For Exxon Mobil, there is nothing
more important than the health and safety of our work force, the people that visit us, and the
community around us…We embrace this opportunity to be able to spend some time with the
leadership in the ministry in order to ensure that we understand the expectations of the OSH act
and the best practices that you are able to share with us,” Edlington declared.