KINGSTON, Jamaica — Minister of Labour and Social Security (MLSS), Shahine Robinson, says her ministry has been engaging both the public and private sectors in voluntary compliance programmes, to facilitate a smooth transition to regulatory requirements which will be binding under the proposed Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act.

Speaking in the Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, Robinson did not give a timeline for the introduction of the Bill to Parliament, but noted that the ministry was preparing for it.

Her most recent predecessors – Derrick Kellier and Pearnel Charles – failed to deliver the Bill, despite promising it annually in Sectoral Debates over the past two decades.

Robinson avoided giving a date, despite earlier pronouncements indicating that it would be ready for tabling during the current parliamentary year.

She said that the ministry’s OSH Department will complete the development of the National Occupational Safety and Health Policy, as well as a Public Sector Occupational Safety and Health Policy during 2016/17.

“The OSH Department of the ministry has also begun engaging academic institutions to review or revise their training programmes, to ensure that the training provided is relevant and in keeping with the current and new OSH Bill,” Robinson said.

An Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) is the primary law governing occupational health and safety of workers on the job in both the private and public sectors. 

Balford Henry