By Deon Rose, Staff ReporterTHE OCCUPATIONAL Safety and Health Act is one step closer to becoming a reality with the final draft now completed by the office of the Chief Parliamentary Counsel.
Neville Moodie, director of the Industrial Safety Department at the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, told The Gleaner recently that the final draft is to be distributed to stakeholders such as the Ministries of Health, Labour and Social Security; the Jamaica Employers' Federation; and trade unions for their input before being sent to Cabinet for approval.
The proposed Bill is expected to replace the current Factories Act, which was passed in 1943 and which does not address current issues that affect workers such as noise control, hazardous chemicals and the field of occupational health in general.
NEW PROVISIONS
Mr. Moodie said that there are new provisions in the proposed Bill, which the Factories Act does not address. These include a compulsory safety and health committee to be set up at all workplaces and a fit and health policy to be established at all work places.
"We are trying to introduce a tripartite team where there will be workers, employers and the Government working together to make safety a priority," he said.
"It (the Occupational Safety and Health Act) is different in some ways from the Factories Act, (in that) it will apply to all work places," Mr. Moodie said.
FACTORIES ACT
Currently, under the Factories Act only industrial type workers, like those in a factory, are covered.
The new Bill has been in the works since 1995. It was advocated by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) report, which noted that occupational safety problems in Jamaica were largely due to lack of awareness and knowledge about the hazards faced by employers and employees.
