Energy Minister Dr. Roodal Moonilal has announced the complete termination of the Safe to Work (STOW) certification regime, following what he described as “widespread consultation” with energy stakeholders.
Speaking at Thursday’s Post Cabinet Media Briefing, he pointed out that STOW was never part of T&T’s law, and instead evolved from a private agreement between the Energy Chamber and multinational operators.
“A decision has been arrived at to terminate, to discontinue the STOW requirement and revert to the ISO codes and other relevant codes that obtained before as per the entity in the energy sector. They will revert to that. I can also indicate that all state enterprises involved in the energy sector have also taken decisions, respectively, to do away, terminate and/or discontinue the STOW process for entry into the sector, which we believe to have been unfair.”
The STOW programme provided an understanding of the STOW Elements, equipping participants with the foundational skills required to meet the STOW TT Minimum HSE Management System requirements.
Dr. Moonilal reminded stakeholders that this was a promise from the then Opposition Leader, now Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, during the 2024-2025 budget debate, and quoted her statement from that period.
“It can cause hundreds of thousands to become STOW certified. Certification is given for one or two years after which the businesses must be recertified. STOW through the Energy Chamber is holding companies to ransom by having a monopoly on who can conduct business in the energy sector, using health, safety and environment as a strangling tool.”