Labour Department continues it education initiatives

The Labour Department within the Ministry of Legal Affairs, Public Safety and Labour recently held one in a series of ongoing education and capacity building initiatives targeting key stakeholders.
The Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) workshop focused on the collection and use of reliable occupational safety and health (OSH) data, under this year’s World Day for Safety and Health at Work theme “Optimize the Collection and Use of OSH Data”. Hosted by the Antigua and Barbuda Hospitality Training Institute, the workshop was attended by Employer Representatives including Human Resources Managers, Employee Representatives and Staff Members of the Labour Department.
The workshop examined the various pieces of legislations that mandate employers to report to the Labour Department any occupational accidents, or diseases that occur at the workplace, as well as the importance of reporting occupational accident, diseases and dangerous occurrences.
In an effort to assist stakeholders, the Labour Department drafted a number of forms that employers could use internally to collect the data. One of the forms drafted and discussed at the workshop was one that allowed employers to report to the Department occupational accidents, diseases and dangerous occurrences.
It is the objective of the Department for this form to be approved and issued by the Minister for this purpose.
Participants were also informed of the CARICOM Labour Market Information System, which requires CARICOM Member states to report various labour market statistics to include occupational accidents, diseases and dangerous occurrences.
Feedback from the workshop revealed that employers were not aware that it was mandatory for occupational accidents, diseases and dangerous occurrences to be reported to the Labour Department. Some were also not aware that businesses should be registered with the Department.
J. Arlene Martin, Executive Secretary of the Antigua And Barbuda Employer’s Federation commented that the workshop was a meeting of the minds and she hoped for continued collaboration between the Labour Department and its partners on similar issues that affect businesses and are regularly brought before the government Department.