Caribbean occupational safety and health experts discuss measures to protect workers during and after COVID-19 pandemic

Policies and actions to address the challenges of COVID-19 to occupational safety and health (OSH), including protocols to prevent the spread of the virus, was the focus of the most recent ILO Caribbean virtual roundtable.

Held on 28 April to celebrate World Day for Safety and Health at Work, the interactive exchange included close to 300 participants as well as five OSH expert panellists who shared perspectives from the ILO and tripartite partners. The session, “Safety and health at work in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic”, was moderated by Ms Claudia Coenjaerts, Director of the ILO Decent Work Team and Office for the Caribbean.

During the virtual roundtable, panellists discussed and assessed the central role of OSH to undertake COVID-19 risk assessments and implement preventive measures aimed at protecting workers during and after the pandemic lockdowns.

Mr Ariel Pino, ILO Caribbean Social Protection and OSH Specialist, began the discussion with key insights from the ILO’s COVID-19 policy response framework that address the protection of workers from the risk of contagion to enable effective recovery and resilience. “More than ever, OSH must be considered as a fundamental right at work as declared by the Global Commission on the Future of Work and should be seen as an investment to protect workers’ health and ensure business continuity,” he explained.

“We are looking at public education through training, the provision of guidance and enforcement to make sure that people keep within the guidelines, rules and regulations so that we can keep COVID-19 at bay,” said Ms Carolyn Sancho, Executive Director of the Trinidad and Tobago Occupational Safety and Health Authority and Agency. She also outlined the organization’s three-phased approach, which includes managing the pandemic, recovery and post-pandemic risk mitigation.

Mr Asif Gafoor, Health, Safety and Environment Manager for Demerara Distillers Ltd, Guyana provided examples of the OSH actions taken by the company in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. They include increased availability of handwashing and sanitizing resources, proper hand and respiratory hygiene, more frequent deep cleaning of facilities, protocols for sick employees, physical distancing, the use of face masks, temperature screenings, and transportation for employees who work after the national curfew. “We will continue to implement appropriate measures in an attempt to effectively mitigate the transmission of COVID-19 in our workplace,” he said.

“There are a lot of new policies being developed,” explained Ms Yvonne Edwin of the Saint Lucia Trade Union Federation, who addressed how protecting public sector workers from COVID-19 can help to overcome challenges such as uncertainty and psychological effects. “We saw a renewed spirit of collaboration and team work, and persons working together not just to fight the pandemic but to ensure that the public service continued to function,” she said.

Mr Godwin Thomas, Occupational Safety and Health Officer of the Grenada Technical and Allied Workers' Union also participated as a panellist to discuss how the crisis was affecting the private sector workforce. He explained that the union developed a 14-point OSH mechanism aimed at keeping its members safe, and gave some examples of how social dialogue has helped to advance the framework. “Since then, we have been able to get banks and other institutions to have some form of protection between themselves and customers such as plexiglass,” he explained.

Discussions also covered the important issue of ensuring a safe and healthy return to work in workplaces that are not operational. The ILO is developing guidelines that countries could adapt to their needs and specific sectors. Mr Pino explained, “these guidelines are fundamental to continue the good work being done so far and avoid a second wave of contagion when businesses will reopen.”

The session was part of an ILO Caribbean “Resilient with Decent Work” Virtual Roundtable Series for representatives from governments, employers’ organizations, workers’ organizations and other stakeholders to discuss the economic and social impacts of COVID-19, as well as effective policy responses.

The next ILO Caribbean virtual roundtable will take place on 12 May 2020, and will focus on the impact of COVID-19 on the Micro, Small & Medium Enterprise (MSME) sector in the Caribbean.

Links:

ILO Caribbean Virtual Rountable Calendar

ILO Global Campaign for World Day for Safety and Health at Work