The Ministry of Labour and Manpower Planning, on Wednesday, November 19, 2025, through its Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Department, hosted a seminar on โSafety & Health in the Construction Sectorโ at Cara Lodge, Quamina Street, Georgetown.
A total of 54 individuals participated in the session that focused on strengthening safe work practices within the construction sector.
Minister of Labour and Manpower Planning, The Honourable Keoma Griffith; Permanent Secretary (Ag), Indrani Ramnarine; OSH Consultant, Gweneth King; Assistant Chief OSH Officers, Roydon Croal and Maxean Bess; and other officials were present at the seminar.
Minister Griffith, during his feature remarks, noted that under the leadership of President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, the ministry is committed to protecting workers, even as Guyana undergoes rapid development.
He noted that non-compliance with safety regulations will not be tolerated. The contractors, supervisors, and workers present were urged to strengthen training, supervision, and safe practices across job sites.
The minister underscored the urgency of sustained action in the sector.
โThe truth before us is difficult but undeniable. 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,โ Minister Griffith said.
During her brief remarks, Permanent Secretary, Indrani Ramnarine, reminded participants that shortcuts may seem convenient but ultimately cost lives. This workshop is very timely and one that is needed; it focuses on something that should be a mantra for all of us. Safety, for ourselves first and those around us.
โIn 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,โ she mentioned.
OSH Consultant, Gweneth King stressed that OSHโs mandate is to improve working conditions in accordance with Chapter 95:02 (Part V) of the constitution, and noted that the construction and mining sectors both display a slowly increasing amount of fatalities in the workplace, with eight recorded in 2025.
Assistant Chief Occupational Safety and Health Officer, Maxeen Bess, gave a presentation on the importance of proper use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in preventing workplace accidents. She noted that employees often wear the wrong gear, like yachting boots instead of safety boots, which cannot protect them from injuries.
She reminded those present that PPE must be provided by employers at no additional cost to employees, and must be properly used, stored, and maintained; further reminding that it is personal equipment, not to be shared or lent out.
During the technical sessions, presentations were done on Guyana Power and Light (GPL) safety protocols around electrical infrastructures, honeybees as a construction-site hazard, network safety, and risk assessment.
The seminar sessions also placed emphasis on OSH laws relevant to the construction sector, conditions of work within the construction sector, and NIS benefits relating to workplace, industrial accidents, industrial injury, industrial disability, and industrial death benefits.
Also present were Senior OSH Officer Darwin Bourne, Legal Officer, Alyea Williams, Senior Labour Officer, Candaiscee West.
Various organisations also made representation; hailing from the Ministry of Public Works, Guyana Power and Light (GPL), Demerara Zone, National Insurance Scheme (NIS) and the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA), who all participated in the panel discussion.
