Occupational Health and Safety Conference, Western Cape, 20th February 2023 speech by: The Deputy Minister of the National Department of Employment and Labour
Director General of the National Department of Employment Labour,
Inspector General
Chief Directors Provincial Operations
National Chief Inspector
Provincial Chief Inspectors
Occupational Health and Safety Senior Specialists and Specialists
Representatives of the South African Council for the Project and Construction Management Professions SACPCMP, Organised Business, Organised Labour
Inspectors and All officials of the Department of Employment and Labour
Independent consultants
Distinguished guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
Good morning.
On this day, we are gathered here to participate in this Occupational Health and Safety Conference under the theme ‘DECENT WORK POST THE PANDEMIC’.
Issues of workplace Health and Safety are everyone’s business, ladies and gentlemen. Human beings are an asset for any workplace, healthy human being are of even greater value. I firmly believe that safe and healthy workplaces are not going to happen by accident. We need to grab the bull by its horns in these matters.
A unique feature about this conference is that it comprises of inspectors and partners from the Northern Cape; Eastern Cape and Western Cape. In the not too distant future, we will be holding similar conferences in other provinces that would bring together inspectors and our partners from the inland provinces. This is an important benchmark for comparing notes.
The last OHS conference was held in July 2019 under the theme ‘Strategic Co-operation to Promote Decent Work, at that time we did not fully comprehend the eminent pandemic that was about to hit us.
The 2019 conference as well as previous conferences, served as a platform to strengthen and continuously improve Occupational Health and Safety systems by Government, Organised Business and Organised Labour and Civil Society in order to realise the Decent Work Agenda in all workplaces in the South Africa.
This conference is a continuation of the 2019 Conference. From the foundation of Decent Work and achieving vision zero, to the post Covid 19 World.
The impact of COVID-19 on the world of work and the need to design a post-pandemic future that prioritizes decent work must be the objective of this conference.
Program director; the South African government remains invested in everyone’s wellbeing in terms of health and safety. In a gathering like this, it is imperative
that we put the spotlight on our ability to provide policy direction and guidance with regards to the regulation of Occupational Health and Safety.
As we are aware everyone has a right to an environment that is not harmful to their health and wellbeing, furthermore, everyone has the right to access a health care service. Department of Employment and Labour administers both the Occupational Health and Safety Act as well as the Compensation of Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act. Both Acts safeguard issues of interest in the space of health and safety in the workplace.
One should concede that both the OHSA and the COIDA predate democracy. As we speak, both pieces of legislation are undergoing reform and are at different
stages of advancement. I trust that you will and have taken advantage of contributing in the reviewal of these important pieces of legislation. We may want to commend you on this landmark contribution that will go through memory lanes.
Program director, we have missed coming together in this fashion. The era of the Covid-19 pandemic has taken its toll on all of us. Be that as it may, that period has tested our resilience and mantle as a nation. We demonstrated our agility to put together customized guidelines and regulations as we grappled with dealing with occupational health and safety. Our Department was enabled to come up with Covid aligned regulations We owe the success of this to all who came to the party.
It is clear that the pandemic has forced employers and workers to adapt quickly to new ways of working.
Interestingly, many of these changes have brought unexpected benefits, such as improved productivity or working conditions. However, it is important that we not only focus on returning to work, but also take the lessons learned from the pandemic to re-strategize and prepare for future emergencies. We should not allow compliance to happen by accident. Developing a culture and a system of health and safety is mandatory. If you think compliance is exorbitant, try noncompliance.
Ladies and gentlemen, we should particularly prioritize the welfare of workers and design work delivery systems that focus on outputs rather than activities. This will help to motivate workers and ensure that they are able to perform their duties efficiently. It is also important to adopt long-term approaches that can be sustained in the face of the current challenges, and to draw on past knowledge and good precedents to navigate challenges in the OHS space. As recent as 2022, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) agreed that Occupational Health and Safety is a key and strategic component of the concept of Decent Work
Programe director, while the pandemic had presented us with difficult and challenging times, it has also brought some unexpected benefits, such as improvements in productivity or working conditions. For example, many people have discovered that they are able to work remotely, which has allowed them to save time and money on commuting. In some ways, this has also improved the social aspects of workers and to enjoy a better work-life balance. In some cases, employers have also been able to reduce costs by adopting remote work arrangements or by introducing other new working practices.
A glaring challenge in this regard, is our ability or lack thereof, to ensure that workers remain healthy and safe during this era of remote or telework. At a policy level, we’ve been forced to grapple with an inadequate policy environment. We are ill equipped to enforce OHS in private households.
However, it is important to recognize that the pandemic has also had a negative impact on the world of work, and it has disproportionately affected certain groups of workers in non-standard forms of employment such as those in low-paid, precarious, or informal jobs. These workers have often been hit the hardest by job losses or reduced working hours. They may have had limited
access to social protections or other forms of financial support. However, the Department of Employment and Labour in South Africa had also developed a COVID-19 Temporary Employee/Employer Relief Scheme (TERS) to provide financial relief to workers who had been affected by the pandemic. This scheme provided financial support to workers who had lost their jobs, had their working hours reduced, or had been placed on unpaid leave due to COVID-19. Through our COID implementation, the Department was able to pay for the workers that contracted COVID at their workplaces.
In addition, the South African government has been working to promote decent work and protection of the rights of workers during the pandemic. This includes strengthening employment laws, promoting social dialogue between workers and employers, and providing guidance and support to businesses to ensure that they are able to operate safely and responsibly during the pandemic.
In South Africa, health and safety inspectors are responsible for monitoring compliance with health and safety regulations in workplaces across the country, including the Northern Cape, Eastern Cape, and Western Cape provinces. As I mentioned earlier, this conference has brought together role players from these provinces.
In all these Provinces, the Department of Employment and Labour's Inspection and Enforcement Services (IES) units are responsible for enforcing compliance with occupational health and safety regulations. Through the Provincial Inspection Services (PIS) these provinces carry out inspections of workplaces to test the level of compliance with the primary OHS Act and all the regulations.
The health and safety inspectors play a crucial role in ensuring that workplaces are safe and healthy for workers. Employers are expected to ascertain that their workforce is protected against potential workplace hazards. Employees themselves are a critical role player in contributing to the implementation of mitigating strategies against workplace health and safety hazards.
Program director, I cannot emphasise enough the need to make sure that men and women who take to workplaces to earn a livelihood, should return to their
families in one piece. You will agree with me that this bodes well for improving productivity levels. I need to speak against malicious compliance in some workplaces. I believe that if you take care of your employees, they will, in turn, take care of you. Workers that are healthy and productive are one of the crucial building blocks of economic growth, something which our country desperately need.
Overall, the post-COVID-19 labour market in South Africa remains challenging, with businesses and workers still facing a certain level of uncertainty and disruption. However, by working together and implementing policies that prioritize job security, social protection, and economic recovery, it is possible to mitigate the impact of the pandemic and build a more resilient and sustainable labour market in the future.
In the post-pandemic period, health and safety inspectors will likely play an important role in enforcing health and safety regulations and guidelines to prevent the spread of infectious diseases in the workplace. This will involve monitoring compliance with social distancing measures, ensuring that personal protective equipment is used correctly, and verifying that workplaces have appropriate ventilation systems in place.
Inspectors will also play an important role in supporting businesses and workers to adapt to new ways of working. For example, they may provide guidance and support to businesses in implementing new health and safety protocols, such as developing risk assessments or implementing training programs for workers.
In addition to monitoring and enforcing health and safety regulations, health and safety inspectors can also contribute to the development of new regulations and guidelines that reflect the changing nature of work post- pandemic.
Program director, it is clear that we all have a pivotal role to play in building workplaces that aren’t going to be a ticking time bomb for all. I impress on all of us to participate in meaningful engagements in these few days to shape our country towards achieving Decent W Overall, the pandemic has highlighted the need for us to rethink our approach to work and to ensure that the world of work is more resilient, inclusive, and sustainable in the future. This will require collaboration and cooperation between employers, workers, policymakers, and other stakeholders to address the challenges posed by the pandemic and to create a more decent and equitable world of work, going forward.
I thank you.
