On-site visit by Bahamas to the United States

Theme: Occupational Health and Safety
Place and Date: Washington, DC - December 8 to 12, 2008

The Bahamas adopted its Health and Safety Law at Work Act in 2002 and, since then, has been identifying and pursuing actions for its enforcement. Through this cooperation, five high-level officials from the Ministry of Labour of The Bahamas received direct assistance from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). During a one-week work program they met with various areas of the OSHA and explored practices used in the areas of inspection, fines, prevention, evaluation and follow-up, etc; in addition they visited a construction project and spoke by videoconference with teachers from the OSHA training center in Chicago, which highlighted the importance of having such a facility. At the end of the visit the officials said their expectations had been exceeded and that OSHA’s experiences would be used to propose new developments in The Bahamas; in particular, they noted their interest in reproducing the Voluntary Protection Programs, which promote the direct involvement of employers, workers, and trade unions in improving health and safety conditions in the workplace.