New national commission must improve occupational safety

The committee is chaired by Junior Bharratt, acting head of the Medisch Bureau of the Arbeidsinspectie. An important objective is to reduce occupational accidents, occupational diseases, health risks and fatal incidents in the workplace.

The installation is in line with international agreements on occupational safety. Since 2022, the International Labour Organization (ILO) has regarded a safe and healthy working environment as a fundamental right at work. ILO Conventions 155 and 187 are central to this. These conventions emphasise the importance of national policy and cooperation between government, employers and employees.

The committee will, among other things, advise on a coherent policy for working conditions. This will take into account the existing Veiligheidswet, the Ongevallenregeling and the draft Arbeidsomstandighedenwet. This draft law still has to be considered by De Nationale Assemblée (Suriname’s parliament).

The activities also fall within the Decent Work Country Programme III for the 2023-2026 period. This programme is a partnership between the Surinamese government, employers’ and workers’ organisations and the ILO.

Through its tripartite composition, the parties involved can jointly determine priorities and develop measures that are feasible in practice. The committee must thereby contribute to greater consultation and support for improvements in the workplace.

The new committee replaces the Nationale Raad voor Bedrijfsgezondheidszorg, which was established in 1995 but had not been operational for several years.

According to the Directoraat Welzijn & Arbeid, the committee must contribute to a culture of prevention in which safety, health and well-being become a permanent part of policy and business operations. In the long term, this should lead to fewer occupational accidents and diseases and better protection for workers in Suriname.