Health and safety at the workplace

EMPLOYEES have the right to refuse work once it is determined with probable cause that the job will cause undue harm and employees’ health and safety are at risk.{{more}}

Dr. Jerrol Thompson, Minister of Telecommunications, Industry and Commerce, made the comment at the opening ceremony of the 5th annual workshop on Occupational Health and Safety, Tuesday, March 16.

According to Thompson, throughout history, there have been instances of unsafe work conditions and examples of the adverse effects of these hazards.

Therefore, every employee has the right to ensure that they take precautionary measures to protect themselves and their co-workers, identify potential hazards and report them, Thompson said.

The Minister contended that the occupational health goal of all businesses should be to foster a safer working environment and to protect persons all across the board that may be directly impacted by the business.

He further explained that in some of the more developed nations, legislation has been enacted to ensure that companies operate within legal limits and ensure safety standards are in place.

The two day conference was put on by The Caribbean Electric Utility Service Corporation (CARILEC) and hosted by this country’s electric company, VINLEC, as it seeks to foster a safer work environment.

The conference was expected to end yesterday.