by Linda Straker
- OSH laws typically cover areas like hazard identification and control, training, equipment maintenance, and worker rights
- 13th Caribbean Labour Ministers meeting was held in Guyana from 6–7 April
- 2-day event focused on strengthening regional cooperation, advancing decent work, and improving labour governance
Grenada is to introduce Occupational Safety and Health legislation that will ensure employers implement and enforce health and safety standards in workplaces and workspaces for both the employer and the employee.
“Just like how the Employment Act applies to all workspaces, whether in the private or public sector, we will have occupational health and safety legislation. It will take care of safety at work,” Labour Minister Claudette Joseph said during an interview where she shared outcomes about the recent Caribbean ministers of labour meeting.
She explained that occupational safety and health in the workplace was one of the issues discussed, and as a result, at a regional level, there will be legislative changes pertaining to workplace health and safety. “We are working feverishly to bring into operation legislation that will take care of occupational safety and health issues in all workspaces,” she said while explaining that different standards will be applicable for different workspaces and places. “That will depend on the industry in which the worker is engaged, the measures, and so might be slightly different,” Joseph added.
The 13th Caribbean Labour Ministers meeting was held in Guyana from 6–7 April 2025 under the theme “Decent work for resilience: Securing the future of Caribbean labour.” A press release from the regional office of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) said that the 2-day event focused on strengthening regional cooperation, advancing decent work, and improving labour governance amid global and regional challenges.
The ILO promotes occupational safety and health through conventions, recommendations, and guidelines. Key conventions include the Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 1981 (No. 155), which establishes employer duties to ensure safe workplaces, and the Promotional Framework for Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 2006 (No. 187), which emphasises prevention and a national preventative safety and health culture.
The ILO states that occupational safety and health legislation sets the legal framework for ensuring safe and healthy workplaces. It defines the responsibilities of employers and employees to prevent accidents and illnesses in the workplace. OSH laws typically cover areas like hazard identification and control, training, equipment maintenance, and worker rights.
