The Department of Labour is to intensify the inspection of sectors where high workplace injuries and fatalities are being reported.
”National roving and blitz inspections will make sure that an inspector walks into a workplace at anytime. Our visibility will be at a high level,” labour director general Vanguard Mkosana said.
He was speaking at the third KwaZulu-Natal Workers’ Parliament in Newcastle on Thursday.
Mkosana said day-to-day statistics compiled by the department revealed that the iron and steel, construction, agriculture and food, drink and beverage sectors were the four main contributors to the 47% of reported workplace injuries and fatalities countrywide.
He urged the hundreds of delegates from the three major trade-union federations — the Congress of South African Trade Union, the National Council of Trade Unions and the Federation of Unions of South Africa — to form health and safety committees in their workplaces.
He also made a call to all employees to become whistle-blowers for the department’s inspectors.
”We want clean workplaces. We do not want fatalities and accidents,” he said.
Through its efforts, the department said, it had reduced the fatality rate by 18,4% nationally in 2006 and 2007 — while out of 156 483 inspections conducted 119 988 (78%) employers were found to be complying.
The department had also spearheaded initiatives such as the signing of the OHS (Occupational Health and Safety) Accord, the establishment of forums to deal with eliminating the silicosis disease in the workplace and regional electrical safety. — Sapa