A new package of regulations governing workers’ safety in the oil and gas sector in Guyanais being crafted, said the country's occupational safety and health consultant at the Ministry of Social Protection, Gwyneth King.
She made the disclosure at a Health, Safety, Security, and Environment Conference and Exhibition held by the American Chamber of Commerce of Guyana in collaboration with the American Chamber of Commerce of Trinidad and Tobago.
King says the International Labour Organisation is expected to assist the government in formulating the oil and gas regulations, which will be implemented under the Occupational Safety and Health Act.
“The oil and gas sector, which is new to us, will not be left out of it all. While the Occupational Safety and Health Act makes provision for all employers to comply with safety and health requirements in the workplace, we would still need to have oil and gas regulations that are specific to that sector,” she said.
From all accounts, companies in the oil and gas sector are seeking approval of their occupational safety and health regime from the Ministry of Social Protection because international companies would not do business with other entities and countries that have poor occupational safety and health practices.
“We are experiencing that in Guyana because we have a number of companies coming to us looking for safety and health compliance, and this is due to their interaction with the new oil and gas sector. So we have a set of local content providers, and they need that because the oil sector would not do business with them unless they are safety and health compliant,” she said.