Safe and healthy working conditions fundamental principles to rights at work-GTUC

GTUC’s Message on Occupational Safety and Health Month. Occupational Safety and Health is everybody’s business; get involved now!

The Guyana Trades Union Congress is pleased to be a part of Occupational Safety and Health Month 2023 activities. We believe that the safety and health of workers are non-negotiable and there should be no second guessing about what should or should not be, as it relates to the safety and health of workers.

Occupational safety and health should be aimed at the promotion and maintenance of the highest degree of physical, mental, and social well-being of workers in all occupations. The protection of workers in their employment from risks, resulting from factors averse to safety and health; the placing and maintenance of the worker in an occupational environment adapted to his/her physiological and psychological capabilities, must prevail.

The focus on a safe and healthy working environment is paramount to all of us. It encapsulates, (i) the maintenance and promotion of workers’ health and working capacity; (ii) the improvement of the working environment and for work to become conducive to safety and health; and (iii) it encapsulates the development of work cultures in a direction which supports health and safety at work, and in so doing, it also promotes positive social climates and smooth operations which can enhance the productivity of the undertakings.

Occupational safety and health activities cover the whole spectrum of activities undertaken by employers, workers and their organisations. The main goal is to minimise workplace injuries, illnesses, and death, as well as suffering and financial hardship these events can cause workers, their families and employers.

The inclusion of safe and healthy working conditions are fundamental principles to the rights at work. It is an expression of commitment by governments, employers’ and workers’ organizations to uphold basic human values – values that are vital to our social and economic lives.

A healthy workplace is one where workers and managers collaborate to continually improve the safety, health, and wellbeing of all workers and by so doing, sustain the productivity of the business.

Workers that feel valued, safe and healthy are more likely to be more productive and committed to their work. Healthy workplaces can reduce insurance costs and absenteeism. Healthy workplaces can increase worker productivity, satisfaction and retention. Healthy workplaces can lead to the overall good of the nation, and it can also increase organizational resilience. Therefore, employers must inculcate a safe and healthy culture. They must ensure that  a safe and healthy working environment is the active implementation of an efficient and effective occupational safety and health management system 

Health and safety, and work activities are interdependent. Although it is generally agreed that work helps to keep an individual in good health, as long as it does not overtax his/her physical and mental capacities; various factors inherent in work can have harmful effects on workers’ health, such as, the type of work done, the physical and mental effort involved, the materials and products used, the nature of the working environment, the conditions in which the work is performed and how the work is organised. Thus, the protection of the worker against sickness, disease, and injury arising out of employment should be the main objective of employers.

Work should take place in a safe and healthy working environment; conditions of work should be consistent with workers’ well-being and human dignity; work should offer real possibilities for personal achievement, self-fulfilment, and service to society.

It is with this focus that the Guyana Trades Union Congress, congratulates the Ministry of Labour for marking Occupational, Safety and Health month, with the attention it deserves. By publicly advocating and ensuring that employers comply and be sanctioned where and when necessary. The Guyana Trades Union Congress reiterates that the working environment must be made safe for all. Sanctions must be meted out in accordance with legislation across sectors.

On behalf of the Guyana Trades Union Congress and myself, kudos to the Ministry of Labour for advancing the cause, at ensuring that the tenets of Occupational Safety Health, becomes our mantra. To all of us, have a safe and healthy Occupational, Safety and Health Month and beyond.

Occupational Safety and Health is everybody’s business; get involved now.