Department of Labour inspectors are this week hitting the road once again in pursuit of employers who were served with contravention notices in the agriculture and iron and steel industries a few weeks ago.
Thobile Lamati, Chief Inspector at the department, said the focus would be on ensuring compliance with health and safety regulations though other areas of non-compliance with other labour laws will be checked as well.
“It is the minister’s position that workers’ lives are sacrosanct and that employers should not sacrifice workers’ lives for profit,” Lamati said.
The initial inspection identified the two sectors as being among the culprits in terms of risk. This latest round of inspections comes hot on the heels of countrywide visits to employers in the construction sector. The latter revealed, among others, that there was a high degree of non-compliance among employers. The situation is worrying especially regarding small employers and sub-contractors.
The construction sector remains one of South Africa’s most dangerous workplaces, with the highest number of occupational fatalities and injuries. A series of Labour department’s nationwide blitz inspections a fortnight ago suggest the trend is still far from improving–with disregard of occupational health and safety standards being a glaring factor.
Lamati said a highly trained team of inspectors would comb the country from 11 to 12 August 2009. He said the department would stop at nothing to ensure “safe and healthy workplaces in South Africa.”
Enquiries:
Page Boikanyo
Cell: 082 809 3195
Issued by: Department of Labour
11 August 2009
Source: Department of Labour (http://www.labour.gov.za/)
