Workplace safety

The foundation is still the Safety Act of 1947, with fines raised in 2023: per affected worker and per day. A modern Occupational Health and Safety Act with a mandatory risk assessment has been before the National Assembly since 2019 and has not been passed. Until then, as an employer you must provide a safe workplace, insure your staff against accidents and report every workplace accident to the Labour Inspectorate within 72 hours.

On this page (14)

• The rules that apply now
• What is coming: the OSH Act and the new Accident Regulation
• The Labour Inspectorate
• When an accident happens
• Fire safety
• Young workers
• Pregnant workers
• Occupational physicians and OSH services
• By sector
• Training
• Self-check: is your business in order?
• What if...
• Sources
• Frequently asked questions

The rules that apply now

The general labour rules (contract, pay, working hours, dismissal) are in Labour law basics. This page goes deeper into safety and health.

Rule	What it covers	What it means for you
Safety Act 1947 (Veiligheidswet, G.B. 1947 no. 142)	Framework act on safety and hygiene in businesses, with implementing decrees per subject	Machines, buildings, tools and working methods must be safe; the inspectorate can issue instructions
2023 amendment (S.B. 2023 no. 121, since 8 September 2023)	New art. 4 bis: supervisor appointed in writing; higher fines	No supervisor: up to 6 months' detention or a third-category fine. Other offences: first-category fine, second category for a repeat within 2 years, each per worker and per day
Accident Regulation 1947 (Ongevallenregeling)	Employer liability for workplace accidents and occupational diseases	Mandatory accident insurance, reporting and a register (see below)
Civil Code, art. 7:658	Duty of care for workplace, tools and instructions	If someone is injured you are liable, unless you prove you did everything required
Child and Young Persons Labour Act (S.B. 2018 no. 76) and Hazardous Work Decree (S.B. 2010 no. 175)	Minimum ages, light work, hazardous work banned for under-18s	Check ages and keep young people away from hazardous work
Fire Safety Order (S.B. 2007 no. 118) and Fire Service Act	Fire safety requirements and fire service advice for permits	Extinguishers, emergency exits, storage of flammable materials as advised

What is coming: the OSH Act and the new Accident Regulation

The draft Occupational Health and Safety Act 2019 (Arbeidsomstandighedenwet) was submitted on 25 April 2019. The parliamentary committee heard employers, unions, occupational physicians, insurers, the NMA and the fire service from May to July 2026, and issued its final report on 4 August 2026. As of 26 October 2026 the act had not been passed. The committee asked, among other things, about missing implementing decrees, twelve-hour shifts in mining and oil and gas, psychological occupational diseases and administrative fines.

What the draft asks of employers:

• Risk inventory and evaluation (RI&E): write down the risks of the work, with measures and attention to special groups of workers, plus an action plan. Update it at least every three years; every worker must know the relevant parts. Temporary work agencies also get the RI&E in advance.
• Access to an OSH officer or occupational health service.
• Reporting serious accidents (death, permanent injury or hospital admission) within 3 working days, recording near misses and reporting suspected occupational diseases.
• Rules for preventing major accidents with hazardous substances.

A new Accident Regulation is also before the National Assembly; in August 2026 employers asked for a technical, legal, medical and actuarial review. We track both bills in New laws and rules.

On 3 September 2026 the VWA deputy minister installed the National Committee on Safety, Health and Welfare, chaired by the head of the Labour Inspectorate's Medical Bureau. This tripartite committee advises on a coherent OSH policy. Background: since 2022 ILO Conventions 155 and 187 on safety and health have been fundamental conventions, and Suriname has taken steps to ratify them.

The Labour Inspectorate

Since July 2025 the Labour Inspectorate has been part of the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Labour. Inspectors have access to every place where work is done; anyone who refuses may face the police. The inspectorate's Medical Bureau handles the medical side of accidents and occupational diseases. Contact details are in Business resources.

What an inspector asks for

• The written appointment of the supervisor, who must be able to identify themselves
• Proof of accident insurance (a policy with a recognised insurer)
• The accident register: place, time, cause, worker's name, treating doctor, witnesses
• Staff register, working hours list and payroll records (see Labour law basics)
• Machine guarding, condition of electrical installations, scaffolding, ladders
• Personal protective equipment and whether it is used
• Ages of young workers
• Overtime permit above 8.5 hours a day or 48 hours a week (see Overtime calculator)

When an accident happens

Workers are not insured automatically. The Accident Regulation requires you to insure them from their first working day; volunteers and apprentices also count as workers. If you are not insured, you pay the statutory compensation yourself: medical costs, pay based on the daily wage, a disability benefit and, in case of death, benefits to surviving dependants. The Labour Inspectorate names Assuria, Fatum, Parsasco and Self Reliance as insurers. The employer pays the full premium; see Employer costs and Business insurance.

1. First aid and care. Get the worker to safety and to a doctor. In a fire or with hazardous substances, call the fire service first.
2. Record what happened: photos, witnesses, time, machine or substance. Leave the scene undisturbed as far as possible.
3. Report within 72 hours (3 x 24 hours) to the head of the Labour Inspectorate on the report form, and to your insurer straight away.
4. Enter it in the accident register.
5. Investigate the cause and take measures so it does not happen again. Record those measures.
6. Dispute about the disability percentage? An appeal to the Accident Committee is possible within one month of the medical certificate.

Deliberately failing to report an accident, falsifying the register or pressing a worker to give up their rights is a criminal offence. If you do not insure your staff, the minister can order your business to close.

Fire safety

For shops, warehouses, hotels, guesthouses, schools, day care centres, halls and storage of flammable materials, the issuing authority asks the Prevention Department of the Suriname Fire Service (KBS) for advice. The permit follows only after you have carried out the requirements (Fire Safety Order, S.B. 2007 no. 118); details in Business licences.

On 19 May 2026 the National Assembly passed the amended Suriname Fire Service Act 1993 with 39 votes. It gives the fire service a modern basis for prevention, firefighting and rescue, and regulates supervision of the storage, keeping and handling of highly flammable and explosive substances. So expect more checks on fuel storage, gas cylinders and chemicals.

• Extinguishers of the right type, visibly mounted and inspected yearly
• Clear emergency exits that open from inside without a key
• An evacuation plan, assembly point and at least one drill a year
• Gas cylinders and fuel outside or in a ventilated, locked space
• Electrical installation without loose wires and overloaded power strips
• Staff who know how to use an extinguisher

Young workers

The Child and Young Persons Labour Act (S.B. 2018 no. 76) provides that children aged 13 to 15 may only do certain light work under strict conditions. Young people aged 16 and 17 may work, but not hazardous work. Anyone under 13 may not work.

The Hazardous Work (Young Persons) Decree (S.B. 2010 no. 175) classifies hazardous work by the nature of the work (risk of serious injury, biological, chemical, ergonomic, physical and psychosocial hazards) and by the conditions (no protective equipment, unhealthy or confined spaces, work along roads, bad weather).

On 7 April 2026 the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Labour validated two draft state decrees with unions, employers and civil society:

• Light Work Decree: an exhaustive list of light work allowed from age 13, with conditions for safety, health and schooling, and a list of what is explicitly not light work, such as work with dangerous machines or harmful substances.
• Amendment of the Hazardous Work Decree: additional bans, including work at high noise levels without protection, work at height, heavy physical strain and certain industrial machines, with restrictions worked out per sector.

The decrees then go to the minister and the President. As of 26 October 2026 they had not appeared in the Official Gazette. Until then the 2010 decree applies.

• Ask every applicant under 18 for ID and keep a copy
• No under-18s at saws, presses, slaughtering, pesticides, high voltage, heights or at night in bars and casinos
• Children aged 13 to 15 only light work that does not harm their health, safety or schooling
• Interns and holiday workers count too; see Staff training and internships

Pregnant workers

Maternity leave, the dismissal ban and the benefit from the fund are covered in Labour law basics. For safety the general duty of care applies: you adapt the work if it poses risks to mother or child. Known risks are lifting and long standing (back and pelvic complaints), chemicals and pesticides, infection risks in healthcare, heat, night shifts and high work pressure. When a worker reports a pregnancy, agree on what changes temporarily and put it in writing. An occupational physician can help with that assessment.

Occupational physicians and OSH services

An occupational physician is not yet mandatory in Suriname, and there are few of them. Since 2022 the ministry, the Occupational Health Foundation (Stichting Bedrijfsgezondheidszorg) and partners from the Caribbean and the Netherlands have worked on a local, accredited training programme for occupational physicians. It is now producing the first locally trained occupational physicians, but their number is still small. Larger businesses and suppliers to mining and oil companies use an occupational health service for pre-employment medicals, periodic medical checks for risky work, absence management and advice on adjustments. For a small business an on-call arrangement with such a service is often enough.

By sector

Sector	Biggest risks	Minimum you arrange
Construction	Falls from height, trench collapse, electrocution, heat	Sturdy scaffolding with guardrails, fall protection, helmets and safety shoes, shoring for excavations, water and shade. See Sectors and opportunities
Oil and gas	Fire, explosion, offshore work, long shifts	Operators require an HSE policy, training records, incident statistics and often pre-qualification. See Oil and gas
Mining and gold	Collapse, machinery, mercury and cyanide, malaria, remote sites	Mining Installations Decree (S.B. 1989 no. 38), first aid and evacuation plan, no mercury. See Mining and gold
Agriculture	Pesticides, machinery, snakes, heat	Only registered products, masks, gloves and overalls, re-entry times after spraying, nobody under 18 spraying. See Starting an agribusiness
Maritime and port	Loading and unloading, falling overboard, fatigue	Life jackets, certified lifting gear, rest periods. See Shipping and logistics
Retail, hospitality, office	Fire, robberies, cuts and burns, slips, screen work	Fire service advice, emergency exits, non-slip floors, first aid kit, breaks

Maritime work and the MLC

The ILO Maritime Labour Convention (MLC, 2006) sets minimum standards for work and life on board: rest hours, accommodation, medical care, pay and social security. Ships flying the flag of a ratifying state are inspected on this in ports. Crewing agencies and ship suppliers in Suriname get these requirements through their customers. Whether a ship or shipping company must comply depends on its flag; ask your customer or the Maritime Authority Suriname (MAS).

Training

• ILO EOSH (Essentials in Occupational Safety and Health): an online course from the ILO's training centre (ITCILO) for employers and employers' organisations, in modules, with a certificate. Employers' organisations can also offer it to their members; ask your business association (see Business associations).
• Fire prevention and first aid: have staff practise with extinguishers and evacuation every year, and make sure each shift has a few certified first aiders.
• Sector training: oil and gas operators and mines often expect recognised safety certificates from suppliers and their staff; see Staff training and internships.

Self-check: is your business in order?

• Supervisor appointed in writing for every shift where management is absent
• Accident insurance for all workers, including new, temporary staff and volunteers
• Accident register present and up to date; Labour Inspectorate report form at hand
• A simple risk assessment: hazards and measures per workstation on paper
• Personal protective equipment provided free, in the right sizes and replaced when damaged
• Machines guarded, emergency stop works, electrical installation inspected
• Fire service advice carried out, extinguishers inspected, emergency exits clear, evacuation drill held
• First aid kit stocked and a first aider per shift
• Safety data sheets for every chemical, storage labelled (see Environmental rules for business)
• No under-18s in hazardous work; ages checked
• Arrangements for pregnant workers and workers with disabilities
• Working hours and overtime within limits, enough rest (see Overtime calculator)
• Induction instruction on joining, signed by the worker

What if...

• ...a worker refuses unsafe work? In serious danger to life or health they may do so, if they report it at once. Dismissal for this is prohibited. Remove the danger and record what you did.
• ...I work with freelancers or subcontractors? Your duty of care also covers freelancers and hired-in workers in your business. Agree in the contract who arranges protective equipment and insurance.
• ...the inspectorate issues an official report? Fines count per worker and per day. Fix the breach at once, keep evidence of that and get legal advice if needed.
• ...a customer asks for a safety policy or incident statistics? Use your self-check and accident register as the basis. For EU customers, see also EU rules for Surinamese suppliers.
• ...a worker develops an occupational disease? Occupational diseases are also covered by the Accident Regulation. Report it as an accident and involve your insurer and a doctor.

Sources

• Wijziging Veiligheidswet 1947, S.B. 2023 no. 121
• Arbeidsinspectie: informatieblad bedrijfsongeval en Ongevallenregeling
• DNA: ontwerp-Arbeidsomstandighedenwet 2019, met tekst en eindverslag (4 August 2026)
• DNA: ontwerp-Ongevallenregeling 2021
• VWA: Nationale Commissie Veiligheid, Gezondheid en Welzijn geïnstalleerd (September 2026)
• Minister van Arbeid: ILO-verdragen 155 en 187 en de Arbowet (April 2025)
• Arbeidsinspectie versterkt met 21 buitengewone agenten van politie (June 2025)
• Wet Arbeid Kinderen en Jeugdige Personen, S.B. 2018 no. 76
• VWA: validatie concept-staatsbesluiten Lichte Arbeid en Gevaarlijke Arbeid (April 2026)
• VWA: Internationale Dag tegen Kinderarbeid (June 2026)
• DNA keurt gewijzigde Wet Brandweer Suriname 1993 goed (May 2026)
• Opleiding bedrijfsgeneeskunde als publiek-private samenwerking (November 2022)
• ILO: Essentials in Occupational Safety and Health (EOSH)
• ILO: Maritime Labour Convention, 2006

Checked on 26 October 2026. General information, not legal advice. The OSH Act, the new Accident Regulation and the youth labour decrees may change soon; check the status before you decide.