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Barbadians are being invited to create a visually appealing and impactful design that can effectively demonstrate the importance of occupational safety and health.

The Labour Department is staging Poster and Logo competitions to encourage all persons to familiarise themselves with the Safety and Health at Work (SHaW) Act, which is to be proclaimed on or before January 1, 2013.?? These are part of the outreach initiatives of the on-going Zero in to Safety – 100 Days to SHaW campaign.

In relation to the logo competition, the Labour Department has partnered with the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM). Competitors will be required to design a logo for the Globally Harmonized System (GHS) of classification and labelling of chemicals.

According to the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, GHS is a system which "addresses the classification of chemicals by the types of hazard and proposes harmonised hazard communication elements, including labels and safety data sheets."

GHS is important because it ensures that uniformed information on physical hazards and toxicity from chemicals are available to all, so that human health and the environment are protected during the handling, transport and use of these chemicals.

Consequently, the logo competition is open to everyone regardless of age and the designer of the winning logo will be awarded $1000.

The Labour Department’s poster competition, which is being held in collaboration with the National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health, is open to school children and adults.

Participants may submit their poster designs in the appropriate age categories: 8-10; 11-15; 16-18 and over 18 years of age.??

Designs should showcase the importance of a Health and Safety Committee within an organisation – a new regulation under the SHaW Act which requires that all workplaces with more than 25 employees establish such a committee, comprising an equal number of employers and employee representatives.

Moreover, designers may highlight an employee’s duty to correctly use protective clothing and devices while on the job, especially since the SHaW Act has stipulated that failure to do so could result in an employee being fined $500, imprisoned for one month, or both.??

Prizes for the poster competition include Nintendo Wii, Kindle Fires, iPads, a staycation and cash.?? Winning posters will be displayed for public viewing around the island.??

Rules for both competitions are available online at http://www.labour.gov.bb/??

Entries must be submitted to the Labour Department, 2nd Floor East, Warrens Office Complex, Warrens, St. Michael by 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 12, 2012.??

shamkoe.pile@barbados.gov.bb

Author: Shamkoe Pil??

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