For the benefit of workers and national economy

THE MANAGEMENT and students of the Occupational and Environmental Safety and Health (OESH) programme in the Department of Chemistry, UWI, Mona, are pleased to join with the Jamaica Occupational Health and Safety Professionals Association in celebrating the International Labour Organization’s (ILO)designated World Day for Safety and Health at Work on April 28. We offer undergraduate and graduate degree programmes in OESH. The theme for the 2017 World Day for Safety and Health at Work is ‘Optimise the Collection and Use of OSH Data’. While this theme may not be attractive to many, it is especially opportune to us in the field of OSH as it highlights the need for focus to be placed on a neglected area.

At the UWI, we inculcate in our students the importance of OSH data and the role of such data in decisionmaking and research. We implore the Ministry of Labour and Social Services (MLSS) and other agencies involved in the collection of OSH data to ensure the accuracy of the data and, more importantly, the timely reporting of the data. All OSH data should be reported to the MLSS so that OSH data reported to the ILO is truly reflective of the national situation. The MLSS can facilitate the process by developing a data-capture and reporting form to be used by all agencies. Our students are involved in research and the availability of OSH data will enhance the research output of our programmes, thus providing additional data for evidence-based decisions, including legislation and programme planning for OSH by the relevant organisations. This will benefit workers and the national economy. We salute all workers on this special day!

HENROY P. SCARLETT Coordinator, OESH Programmes Department of Chemistry, UWI, Mona