The Ministry of Labour and Manpower Planning, through its Occupational Safety and Health Department, in collaboration with stakeholders, has intensified its “Putting Safety First” campaign to strengthen workplace safety across Guyana.
The initiative, which officially began with a focus on the construction sector, will now roll out a nationwide outreach programme across all ten administrative regions. It is designed to target contractors, supervisors, workers, and other stakeholders in an effort to improve awareness, promote compliance, and build a stronger safety culture within the industry.
In a statement the ministry noted that the construction sector was prioritised due to its rapid expansion and high-risk nature, making safety education and enforcement critical to protecting workers on the job.
The programme carried through seminars, where participants receive practical guidance on workplace hazards, risk management, legal requirements, and best practices for maintaining safe construction sites. The ministry will also conduct increased inspections of construction sites to ensure compliance with safety standards.
A representative from the ministry highlighted the importance of the initiative, noting that construction workers play a key role in national development and must be protected.
“The thousands of Guyanese who help build our nation’s future deserve the confidence that they will return home safely,” the representative stated, explaining that, “Construction remains one of the country’s highest risk industries. A missing component or an unsafe scaffold is all it takes to change a life forever.”
The ministry stressed that the campaign will combine education, awareness, inspections, and partnerships to support safer workplaces.
Radhadevi Takchandra of Takchandra’s Safety Solutions, who attended one of the recent contractor seminar at the Regional Democratic Council office, described the engagement as highly informative.
“The topics covered included the Occupational Safety and Health app, the Guyana National Bureau of Standards, and NIS. It was very educational,” she said.
She added that safety should be embedded in every aspect of operations.
“We need to move away from saying safety is a priority. A priority can change. Safety must be a core value in everything we do,” she emphasised.
Another participant Lestraza Joseph also welcomed the initiative, describing the session as valuable and practical for workers in the sector.
“It is very informative and educational. As we move forward, we have to do things the correct way,” Joseph said.
The ministry noted that while construction is the current focus, the “Putting Safety First” campaign is intended to expand into other high-risk industries in the future, reinforcing its long-term commitment to safer workplaces across Guyana.