health in the workplace.

The guidelines have been included in an approved Code of Practice for Occupational Health and Safety. The code came out of a seminar held in June last year on Occupational Health and Safety.

Sponsored by the Ministries of Public Safety and Health and Social Services, the seminar had participants develop the framework for the code and representatives of unions, employers, and Government drafted it according to recommendations made.

And Labour and Public Safety Minister Quinton Edness said: "I am pleased that such a collaborative effort was made on behalf of the safety of all workers, employers and employees alike, in their working environment.'' In the code, emphasis has been placed on setting up "properly functioning'' health and safety committees in each workplace.

"This committee would assess risk, inspect the workplace, do in-house investigations of incidents and complaints and train new employees on the health and safety procedures within their workplace,'' Health and Safety Officer Doris Foley-Millett explained.

The code also covers standard safety operating procedures, record keeping, reporting and dissemination of information, emergency response plans, training and promotion of wellness in the workplace. "I just want everybody to get a copy of the code,'' Mrs. Foley-Millett said.

"This is a document which health and safety committees can use to conduct their in-house inspections, including how to look for the hazards, how to record their findings, and in the course of doing so conducting investigations.'' The Health and Safety Office was willing to provide more information on the role of a health and safety committee, if employers wished. She added: "We would be willing to go to their place of employment and we will conduct seminars.'' A course on health and safety for construction companies was underway at the Bermuda College. Mrs. Foley-Millett said: "It is dealing basically with the role of the health and safety committee on the construction site.'' "We want to increase health and safety awareness and ensure that the CEOs, the top management understand their responsibility,'' she added. "Things can only begin to change when they take it very seriously.

"We want to work with them more so as an advisory, educational body and at the same time as an enforcement agency, but to more or less direct them in the right way.'' Pamphlets on the code can be obtained from the Labour and Training Department and the Health and Safety Office at 94 Reid Street, Hamilton, post offices, gas stations, and the Transport Control Department.