OSH Bill Advances as Government Moves to Modernize Workplace Safety

Minister of Rural Transformation Oscar Requena today led debate in the House of Representatives on the second reading of the Occupational Safety and Health Bill, 2025, doing so on behalf of Minister of Labour Kareem Musa.  The proposed legislation aims to modernize Belize’s workplace safety framework by establishing a National Occupational Safety and Health Advisory Committee and an Occupational Safety and Health Inspectorate. It also sets out duties and obligations for employers, workers, self-employed persons, manufacturers, suppliers, installers and inspectors, while repealing the long-standing Factories Act.  Requena explained that the bill expands occupational protections beyond factories to all workplaces across the country, introducing clearer standards and enforcement mechanisms to safeguard workers.  Support for the legislation came from Minister of Health and Wellness Kevin Bernard and Minister of Public Service Henry Charles Usher, who both highlighted the importance of prevention, enforcement, and accountability in protecting workers and reducing pressure on the healthcare system.

Kevin Bernard, Minister of Health: “At its core this legislation recognizes something simple but powerful. That safe work is a public health issue, an economic issue, and a human rights issue. For far too long, our legal framework has relied on an outdated Factories Act that focuses narrowly on traditional manufacturing but Belize today is different. Our economy has expanded into agriculture, construction, health care, maritime services, tourism, and many emerging sectors. From a health perspective, Madam Speaker, the need is clear. Every workplace injury, every chemical exposure, every untreated ergonomic strain, every mental health stressor, these are not abstract issues. They show up in our clinics, our hospitals, and our national health system. They affect families, they affect productivity, they increase healthcare costs, and they place avoidable burdens on our public services. Prevention, Madam Speaker, is always better and cheaper than treatment. This bill moves us decisively in that direction.”

Henry Charles Usher, Minister of Public Service and Disaster Risk Management: “I want to also put on the record my appreciation for the work done by members of the union, by the NTUCB, by especially the president of the APSSM and the former Chief Magistrate Sharon Frazier for the work that she did. She was really the spearhead of this project, Madam Speaker, to make sure that the Occupational and Safety Health bill was kept on the forefront and that all of the consultations, the work done, she was right there doing that. But certainly we are other people and I know Sister Ella Waight was here today. Congratulations to her at the NTUCB for getting this bill across the finish line. But Brother Tate, Luke Martinez, a lot of guys were there working on this particular piece of legislation. This bill and its passage will reduce the possibility of accidents in the workplace. And just as important, hopefully eliminate workplace health dangers. Two, this bill will create mandatory safety committees to promote and monitor safety measures. Three, employers are mandated to report any workplace accidents. Very important, Madam Speaker. And employees are protected when reporting safety concerns and violations. They don’t have to fear any type of reprisal, any type of discipline if they report any of these workplace safety violations. Number four, compliance will be enforced through notices, prohibition orders, and administrative penalties. And number five, on the regulatory side, Madam Speaker, there will be the creation of an OSH inspectorate and also the establishment of an OSH advisory committee. This bill aligns with the labor standards such as ILO conventions and it also supports Belize’s decent work country program. As the Minister of Public Service, I welcome this bill Madam Speaker for what it will do for public officers and how it will protect them in the workplace.” 

Meanwhile, Minister of Human Development Dolores Balderamos Garcia reflected on the long process that led to the bill reaching the House, noting years of consultation and policy development.

Dolores Balderamos Garcia, Senior Minister of State: “This bill also outlines the duties of employers, workers, self-employed persons, manufacturers, suppliers, installers, and other persons at work. There is also the establishment of the committee. There are prohibitions against reprisals or related activities. There are grounds for refusal of work and investigations. It talks also about hazardous substances, chemicals, biological agents, and physical agents. There is the notification of occupational safety and health accidents and diseases, and the duty to keep record and register of accidents and diseases. And it goes on, it is important to note for the record, Madam Speaker, that in the definition section of the bill there is a very clear definition of accident, of injury and bodily injury, of domestic work and who is a domestic worker, who is an employer, what is a hazardous substance, and of course, going back to the fact that there will not only be a National Occupational Safety and Health Advisory Committee but also an Inspectorate. The bill also defines risk assessment, who is a self-employed person, and also an important definition of worker, Madam Speaker. Ministry of Labour took time to go over every recommendation that was made by all our partners and I believe that this bill, so many years in the pending that it had to take a PUP government to bring it now to fruition.”

If enacted, the legislation will introduce comprehensive safety standards, structured inspections, and national oversight mechanisms intended to improve working conditions across Belize.