Glenda Daniels
Boiling oil was an everyday feature in the 22 years of loyal service in kitchen worker’s Peter Mudogwa’s life at Wimpy Cresta. But he didn’t know it would one day kill him.
Mudogwa, a member of the South African Commercial and Catering and Allied Workers’ Union (Saccawu), was burnt by boiling oil while he was draining chips from the fryer.
“He slipped and fell in the oil on April 22, and he died a few days later in hospital,” says Saccawu general secretary Bones Skulu. The union and Mudogwa’s family intend to sue Wimpy for damages on charges of negligence in the workplace. “But the company is denying any responsibility, claiming he died from kidney failure,” says Skulu.
Skulu says workers at Wimpy Cresta, in Johannesburg, have been warned not to talk about the incident. The union has reported the death to the police and intends investigating it independently as well. It claims this is the second such death from boiling oil at the restaurant.
This week Wimpy Cresta’s manager, Tyrone du Plessis, aggressively ordered the Mail & Guardian off the premises. He said: “I have no comment. Talk to the owner. No, you can’t see the kitchen. No, you are not allowed to talk to staff. If you don’t leave now I will call security.”
Staffers at the restaurant confirmed that Mudogwa died from the boiling oil by nodding their heads but they were too nervous to say anything.
The owner of Wimpy Cresta, who would only identify herself as Hubie, said: “I have nothing to say, contact my lawyers.” The “lawyer” turned out to be a labour consultant who said: “Yes there was an accident which injured a worker. There is an investigation.”
According to Skulu, Wimpy has pledged R10 000 towards funeral costs but workers suspect that the money will come from the Workmen’s Compensation Fund and not from the company. He adds that small- and medium-sized employers are especially guilty of “flouting the laws and exploiting workers”.
Since the Lenasia fire accident late last year, when 11 workers were locked up with chemicals and burned to death, health and safety in the workplace has come under severe scrutiny by the Department of Labour.
After the incident the labour department conducted a countywide inspection blitz to find that of 452 companies, 237 had to be issued with compliance orders. The department says that over the past five years about 600 workplace fatalities took place in South Africa from an estimated 6 000 occupational accidents.
“A further frightening statistic is that during 1996 alone, the cost of occupational accidents to the economy was estimated to be about 3,5% of our gross domestic product a staggering R17-billion,” said Minister of Labour Membathisi Mdladlana.
“Occupational health and safety has wrongly been seen as the sole responsibility of government. The ultmate responsibility to ensure a healthy and safe workplace lies with the employers,” he said.
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