16 August 2007
A 21 year old woman was last night crushed to death while cleaning a
conveyer belt with bare hands at Ashton Extract PTY limited, in Ashton near
Worcester.
The victim, Anneli Swart, was apparently crushed by the roller of the
conveyer belt while cleaning it without protective gloves in preparation for
knock off time.
According to the Occupational Health and Safety Act 85 of 1993, section
8(2): the employer shall provide the necessary safe work instructions,
training, supervision and relevant information in order to ensure safety of the
worker.
Labour Spokesperson, Zolisa Sigabi, said "the department views the loss of
life of a worker in a very serious light. We will do a thorough investigation
into the accident to check whether all safety procedures were adhered to."
An interim report will be made available once the preliminary investigation
has been concluded.
Enquiries:
Zolisa Sigabi
Cell: 082 906 3878
E-mail: zolisa.sigabi@labour.gov.za
Issued by: Department of Labour
16 August 2007
Source: Department of Labour (http://www.labour.gov.za)
