Mining, forestry are ‘deadliest jobs’ in Guyana

Apr 28, 2010 News

Government is cracking down on logging and mining camps to ensure that workers’ safety regulations are being adhered to.

…agriculture records highest number of accidents

By Leonard Gildarie

The number of industrial deaths continues to rise sharply with Guyana’s deadliest jobs now being in the mining and forestry sectors. And it is a clear indication that workplace safety regulations are not working as they should and caution is being thrown to the wind.
Government has now declared a major war on errant employers.
Almost 50% of the deaths over the last four years occurred in the two sectors, said a concerned Minister of Labour, Manzoor Nadir on Monday.
In 2007, two of the five-workplace deaths were in the forestry sector while in 2008, this figure doubled. Of those ten persons, three died from logging related incidents and two from mining.
Last year, the deaths went up even further with 14 persons dying – four from logging incidents and one from mining.
The trend this year indicates that danger continues to lurk in the mining and forestry workplaces with eight persons killed already for the first quarter. Of this, five died from pit collapses and other mining-related events. And the year is far from over.
But the Labour Ministry is highly confident that the increased number of workplace inspections and interior visits coupled with an education drive will serve to lessen the incidents.
In the forestry sector, the felling of trees has seen several persons killed over the years, Nadir disclosed. A clear indication that proper procedures were not followed. Packing of the logs and transportation out of the timber concessions has also seen several accidents with deaths also being recorded.
“Yes, I would say that the deadliest jobs in Guyana are in forestry and mining.”
Reduction
The Ministry of Labour has adopted a three-prong approach working directly with the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) and the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC).
“We are setting and stressing good safety standards. While these entities all have their own standards, we are mandated to also set standards and police them as well.”
The second approach is to reduce the number of accidents and deaths in the workplace.
While the Ministry has seven full-time Labour Inspectors constantly checking on workplaces across the country, the Minister disclosed that some 20-odd labour staffers are on standby to embark on campaigns.
Additionally, government is “not averse” to prosecuting employers for flouting safety regulations.
The Workers Compensation Act, the Minister noted, places a heavy economic burden on employers who fail to ensure standards are maintained and would have been the cause of accidents and deaths.
In the case of where a workplace is recorded, an employer could end up paying damages equal to lifetime earnings that the worker would have lost.
“This economic burden can shut down operations,” Nadir warned.
Under the regulations, in addition to claims from the National Insurance Scheme, an employee has the right to also file for compensation from the workplace.
Recently, a worker was awarded $400,000 for losing a piece of a finger after an industrial accident, after the Ministry became involved.
“Some people may argue that the figure is small, but the award is significant in itself.”
While the interior locations are the most challenging for the Ministry, there have been stepped up campaigns and GGMC and GFC are working closely to bring more awareness, Nadir disclosed.
Accidents
However, while the deadliest jobs are in the mining and forestry sectors, industrial accidents were the most prevalent in the agricultural sector with over 900 occurring last year. Almost 700 of these accidents, involving workers from GuySuCo and from the rice industry, were blamed on persons stepping on or being hit by objects.
Regions Five and Six were the most dangerous regions to work in, according to figures shown to Kaieteur News.
Over exertion (strain) and falling objects were also major causes of injuries with almost 120 persons being hurt.
After agriculture, the manufacturing industry was also determined to be a risky place to be in with more than 100 persons suffering injuries mainly to the upper body.
“What is most significant here is that while forestry and mining have the highest number of deaths as compared by sectors, accidents only account for about 5% there, with the majority of incidents being in the agri sector,” Minister Nadir pointed out.
This month, in a continuing stance to reduce the incidence, the Ministry will be visiting several mining camps and logging areas to ensure compliance with safety practices.
A team of labour officials has already gone into Mahdia, Region Seven, and will be using that area as a base for a campaign into several of the mining and logging camps, the Minister revealed.
“You have to understand that for every injury and death, there is a direct impact on the labour industry…it is our duty to ensure that these incidents, which we are concerned about, are reduced drastically.”