The Government is moving to develop occupational safety and health regulations specifically for Guyana’s oil and gas sector, with industry stakeholders expected to be engaged in consultations in the coming months.
Minister of Labour and Manpower Planning Keoma Griffith made the announcement on Friday while addressing the commissioning of the Occupational Safety and Health Centre of Excellence at the New Amsterdam Technical Institute.
Griffith said the move comes as the Ministry reviews Guyana’s existing health and safety legislation and the wider framework governing occupational safety and health.
He explained that the country’s existing legislation was developed at a time when the level of economic diversification Guyana is currently experiencing had not been contemplated.
“And so I’m happy to say that in the coming months, we are pursuing health and safety regulations for the oil and gas sector,” Griffith announced.
He said the Ministry will engage stakeholders in the sector during the consultation process.
“We will be coming to engage with all of you for our process of consultation so that we can have the best and most effective regulations for our men and women who work every single day in this sector,” the Minister said.
The wider review follows collaboration between the Ministry and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and includes the country’s health and safety legislation, programme, policy and overall approach to occupational safety and health.
Griffith said the Ministry has also expanded offshore inspections, sector-specific training and workplace engagements.
Meanwhile, Griffith said the Occupational Safety and Health Department surpassed its annual inspection target within the first five months of 2026.
He said a target of at least 2,000 inspections had been set for the year, while more than 3,000 health and safety inspections have since been conducted.
The Minister said Guyana’s rapidly changing economy, including expansion in oil and gas, mining, construction, manufacturing and infrastructure, is creating new risks, technologies, workplaces and categories of workers which must be accompanied by changes in the country’s approach to worker protection.
“It is our economy that is changing, and if our economy is changing, our safety architecture cannot remain static,” Griffith said.
He said this requires intensified workplace inspections, stronger enforcement, improved education and awareness and greater capacity among employers, supervisors and workers to identify hazards before they result in accidents.
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