7 News Belize

Health Safety In The Workplace
posted (November 10, 2010)
Are you one of those employees who refuses to wear a hard hat at work, or doesn't read equipment instructions before using it? While some accidents are unforeseen many others can be avoided. In recent years there has been a surge in the number of work related accidents and diseases, which have productivity, economic and personal impacts, many of which could've been prevented had work safety rules been followed.

Today the Social Security Board and Ministry of Labour collaborated to highlight some of the companies that are practicing the occupational safety and health measures in sectors including construction and agriculture:

Merlene Martinez, CEO SSB
"We see the twelve thousand persons who have sustain employment injuries over the past 5 years, we see the almost 700 persons who have resulting disabilities, we see the almost 40 deaths and this is over a 5 year period."

It is these statistics that helped to bring about this two day Safety and Occupational Health Conference, bringing together over 200 participants from all over the country to share and learn more on this topical issue.

Modesto Chun, Health and Safety Administrator - CPBL
"Occupational health and safety is two-fold it has to be 50/50, 50% management commitment, 50% employee commitment. We encourage employee communication, they have to tell us the hazards they are facing, what they need to used, what type of PPEs they need to use. For us to know they would need to come and talk to us, we do surveys, we do work force inspection so even if they do tell us what they need we go and we find what they need, we try our best to convince to buy it and I could tell you that management has no rejection of buying equipment, they are in full support of this occupational health and safety for the workers."

Gregory Moguel, Warehouse Manager - Port of Belize Limited
"Listening to all the different speakers, we normally have a committee and now I have heard 2 speakers mention that part of their committee they have introduce the social security board personnel, they also have a member from the labor department and I applaud that because then that can make the procedures in anything or any damages to anybody a more easier flow and I even feel that somebody from the union aspect as to be a part of that committee so that you can have a strong rounded committee which involve members of the board, you have the social, you have the labor and you have the union representative so whenever you anything happens it's an easy flow of process in doing all documentation and paper works."

Denise Mahler, Internal Audit Manager - SSB
"There were presentation that were done for example on electrical safety that can be applied simply in your homes, things that we practice from example you know it's Christmas time; the very lighting - the way we use the electrical equipment for lighting our equipment using Christmas trees and lights, very good tips were provided to us today as to how to do that in a safe manner and in a safe way."

Santiago Victorin, Belize Food Packers Company Limited
"it's very effective because we have reduce from where we started before which was we were having a lot of injuries from rashes, right now almost everything we have covered and making sure that our employees don't suffer those injuries."

The Social Security Board has partnered with The Ministry of Labour to sensitize employees of Occupational Safety and Health, and as Chandra Cansino tells us, discussions are underway to get the Occupational Safety and Health legislation passed:

Chandra Cansino, Manager-Employment Injury Services - SSB
"It is a topic not discuss as frequently as it should be. Of course work accidents rarely affect the well to do and it rarely affect the employers themselves and it is an issue for the workers of Belize and so having the information from Social Security Board on all the accidents that are registered with us and ministry of labor having some of the expertise, we decided to pool out resources together and host the conference and start the procedure of sharing information. We do have draft legislation in place and we need to start the process of information sharing now and not at the time the legislation is passed."

Andrea Polanco
"Is this legislation is pass, how soon can we see it coming to effect?"

Calbert Barber, Senior Labour Officer-Labour Department
"Well if its pass in the house, of course as soon as it is gazette it comes into effect but there will be a 3 year grace period for the employers to put in place what is necessary like the safety committees, upgrade the conditions of the workplace, of course we will be trying to work with the employers in this area to provide whatever training is necessary but this will all be done however through a national occupation safety health board which will be a separate statutory board from the labor department."

The Social Security Board says that the next step after this conference will be to sit down with the Ministry of Labour and charter a path forward. It will also target other industries, including the medical field and shift its focus from employers to employees to help them understand and facilitate the ease of implementing occupational safety and health policies.

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