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Labour Minister reminds businesses of legal requirements on safety

by Anesta Henry
3 min read
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Businesses that employ more than 25 people but have no Safety and Health Committee in place are being warned that they are breaking the law.

The reminder of the legal requirement under the Safety and Health at Work Act came from Minister of Labour and Social Partnership Relations Colin Jordan on Wednesday, as he delivered the feature address at the launch of the Pharma Wellness in the Community programme being spearheaded by pharmacist Lennox Prescod, at the Christ Church Parish Church.

“….Just like we look at those who shoplift as breaking the law, if you do not have a Safety and Health Committee at your workplace you are breaking the law,” Jordan said.

“Those with under 25 workers are mandated with legislation to have safety delegates, and those safety delegates are to be selected by the workers; the selection of safety delegates is not in the purview of the employer. Safety is a matter that impacts workers and the Safety and Health at Work Act is intended to ensure that workers feel comfortable from a safety and health perspective.”

The Labour Minister noted that the Safety and Health at Work Act, 2005 was implemented with no regulations to provide details for the effective administration and implementation of the rules outlined in the legislation.

However, he said, the Ministry, through the Labour Department, is in the final stages of working with the Chief Parliamentary Counsel’s office to prepare regulations that will speak to employers providing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), sanitary facilities, drinking water and limit exposure to loud noises on the job, among other requirements.

He said the regulations should be taken before Parliament sometime in August.

Jordan also pointed out that in 2018, his Ministry, which recognized the need to focus on wellness, partnered with the Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU) to complete and implement a National Workplace Wellness Policy. He said that policy recognizes with the World Health Organization (WHO) that wellness is a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.

“This policy also recognizes that workers are not machines, they are not just providers of labour, but that they are human beings with many aspects and many facets,” Jordan added.

The Minister also said that while the COVID-19 public health crisis has brought issues of safety, health and wellness to the fore, fighting the pandemic required people to focus on preserving life. In that respect, he encouraged all Barbadians and residents to get vaccinated against the potentially deadly virus.

“Vaccinations have traditionally been our buffer against infections of all types and the COVID-19 vaccine is also intended to protect those who are inoculated from the worst effects of the virus,” Minister Jordan said. (AH)

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