Belize Enacts New Workplace Safety Law

Belize has enacted a new Occupational Safety and Health Act, establishing expanded workplace protections for employees and new safety obligations for employers across the country.

The Government announced Wednesday that the Occupational Safety and Health Act, 2026 has been enacted and gazetted, describing the legislation as a modern framework intended to strengthen workplace health and safety standards.

The legislation applies across public and private-sector workplaces, including construction sites, industrial facilities, domestic work environments and certain remote-work arrangements.

Under the new law, employers will be required to take reasonable measures to protect workers, including conducting risk assessments, managing workplace hazards, strengthening accident and disease reporting systems and implementing preventive measures.

Workers, meanwhile, will receive enhanced protections, including protection against reprisals for reporting unsafe conditions and the right to refuse dangerous work where there is a reasonable belief of an imminent and serious threat to health or safety.

The legislation also establishes a National Occupational Safety and Health Advisory Committee and an Occupational Safety and Health Inspectorate, which will have responsibility for inspections, compliance monitoring and related initiatives.

Other provisions address hazardous substances, chemicals and biological agents and strengthen worker participation through Safety and Health Committees and Safety and Health Representatives.

Despite its enactment, the new framework will not take effect all at once. Government said provisions will be implemented in phases through commencement orders issued by the responsible Minister, allowing administrative and institutional arrangements to be established before enforcement begins.

The Labour Department will oversee the implementation process, including establishing the new Inspectorate, developing regulations and codes of practice, conducting nationwide public education, training inspectors and workplace stakeholders, and developing compliance and reporting systems.

Government described the legislation as one of Belize's most significant advances in labour protection in recent decades and said implementation will involve collaboration among employers, workers, trade unions, professional organizations and other stakeholders.