Labour Ministry Completes ILO Recommendations On Tornado Safety
On March 29, 2010 a tornado struck the Container Port in the Bahamas killing three people and injuring several others.
Through the Department of Labour, Mr. Foulkes said the government commissioned an ILO expert to investigate and suggest what preventative measures could have been taken.
The ILO specialist presented the report, which was later tabled in the Senate.
That report made several recommendations for the government.
"The Occupational Safety and Health is governed under the 2002 Health and Safety at Work Act. While the Act has a good general framework, it can be strengthened by the development of regulations specific to different economic sectors," the report said.
"Consideration should be given to amending the Health and Safety at Work Act in order to more closely accord with the provisions of the ILO’s Safety and Health Convention, The Bahamas should formally ratify the main Occupational Safety and Health Convention 198 and Protocol 2002 related to recording occupational accidents."
The report said The Bahamas should also develop a set of technical regulations defining occupational health and safety requirements for particular occupations and hazards and strengthen and expand the Occupational Health and Safety training of labour inspectors.
"The Bahamas should participate in regional occupational safety networking systems which are designed to exchange information," the report said.
The report also suggested that government officials advance the professional certification of occupational health and safety practitioners in order to ensure that skills and experience in this area are updated periodically.
During his contribution to the mid-year budget yesterday Mr. Foulkes said, "All recommendations have been acted upon and completed."
"One such recommendation was that Labour Officers receiving training in Maritime Port Inspection. Officers of the Department of Labour did receive the necessary training and now are able to put protocols in place to further ensure the safety of workers at various posts," said Mr. Foulkes.
"When ILO Director, Dr. Cleopatra Doumbia Henry visited the Container Port last month while attending the Bahamas International Maritime Conference And Trade Show (BIMCATS) Conference, she was impressed by the measures that had been put in place."
