The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

I am bewildered on how poorly we treat the safety of our construction workers in The Bahamas. Pass any construction site and the majority of workers have no hard hat, steel toe boots, safety glasses or reflective safety vest or bright colour shirts on. To make matters worse workers working on two-and three-story construction sites don’t have on any safety harness or hard hats. This issue is twofold, first the construction companies are liable for the safety of its workers, and secondly the Government is liable for lack of enforcement of safety rules. In a first world country this is an issue, but in The Bahamas where we lack basic safety standards, I am not sure who is liable.

Kudos to those construction companies that value their workers and do require these safeguards such as hard hats, steel toe boot, etc, be enforced. I have driven past two condominium construction sites on West Bay Street where I saw construction workers wearing these protections.

We have lost construction workers over the years, but the death of these workers seems not to stir the conscience of our law makers. Additionally, I am sure the injuries sustained on these sites only add more burden to our already overrun government hospital and clinics. I have not even touched the personal health and financial challenges that an injured construction worker must bear.

What is the requirement to be a licensed contractor and builder in The Bahamas? Are there any safety inspections required? Are companies penalised for not following safety standards? Should we not have safety inspectors similar to building inspectors? Why don’t we have similar standards to OSHA (The Occupational Safety & Health Administration in the USA).

According to their website “The Bahamas Bureau of Standards and Quality (BBSQ) was established, as per the Standards Act of 2006, as a corporate body operating within the Ministry of Labour. The BBSQ is mandated to establish and maintain standards for all goods, services, practices, and processes to protect the health and safety of all Bahamians.”

Seventeen years later, the BBSQ and the Government have failed the construction workers of our Bahama land. It is my sincere prayer that we will get it right if only to protect our workers.

BA SWEETING

Nassau,

April 23, 2023.