Government Delivers Long‑Awaited Worker Safety Law

And while the government is moving to tighten penalties for motorists who break traffic laws, lawmakers today also turned their attention to safety beyond the roads. In the House of Representatives, a long‑awaited Occupational Safety and Health Bill was finally passed, legislation labor groups have been calling for over nearly two decades, aimed at strengthening protections for workers, especially those in hazardous environments.

 

Prime Minister John Briceño

“It is a bill that has gone through seventeen years and I remember when we first passed the bill under the Musa government, it was a very ambitious bill and the way it was presented, there were certain things that were not really practical, for example in the cane fields that for every five or ten persons you have working you have to put a toilet. So there is a lot of things not really practical. We had to revise it and our term came to an end. The UDP came into government and never gave it the attention that was necessary. Since we came in we have been working hard at it and we had to ensure it was a bill that can work, that both the private sector and labor can work with. I am happy that we finally crossed that hurdle. Today we passed the second and third reading. It is unfortunate that the opposition chose not to attend this meeting, because this is a historic day that we are passing the OSH Bill, something our workers form across the country have been clamoring for.”

 

Despite skipping today’s House meeting in Belmopan, the UDP Parliamentary Caucus says it supports the Occupational Safety and Health Bill. In a statement this evening, the caucus called the bill a step in the right direction but warned it needs strong regulations to work. The UDP raised concerns about inspector powers, weak penalties, and the lack of real protection for injured workers, while stressing that its boycott does not mean opposition to the bill, only calls for improvement.