The National Insurance Services (NIS) launched their “Occupational Safety, Health Policy and Procedure Guidelines on January 5th, 2010 to mark their 24th anniversary.

Deputy Executive Director of the NIS Miss Mineva Glasgow who drafted the Policy stated in her opening remarks that the document was prepared with the intent of creating a safe and healthy work environment for the staff of the NIS and serves to encourage other institutions in SVG to provide Occupational and Safety Guidelines.

Meanwhile Executive Director of the NIS Reginald Thomas stated the move has signaled their commitment to limit injury to their staff and that safety at work is not a choice but a must. He stated that in 2009, the NIS paid out ¼ million dollars relating to employment injuries, whilst one hundred and fifty seven (157) persons received injuries on the job. He emphasized that half of the injuries could have been avoided had the workers been educated about their safety rights.

He then made a call to the Trade Unions, Ministry of Labour and the Business Sectors to work with the NIS to safeguard all workers through the implementation of the module.

The feature address came from The Minister of Urban Development, Culture, Labour and Electoral Matters Hon. Rene Baptiste who stated in her opening remarks that there is always some concern when it comes to matters of money, sick leave and maternity leave, but insufficient emphasis is placed on safety.

She urged all business sectors to ensure that the policy becomes a part of their agenda and that the adoption of the policy should leave an impact.

The Minister endorsed the document but however stated that certain measures should be taken such as Education in the workforce, Revision and Updating of the Manual and Training and Retraining of personnel.

The document seeks to increase the safety and health of employees regardless of their occupation, be it a Construction worker or an Office Attendant. It states the measures which should be in place and gives guidelines as to the conduct of persons at the work place.