Employment and Labour launches an Occupational Hygiene laboratory to provide valuable scientific results on the work of inspectors
The Department of Employment and Labour today officially launched an Occupational Health and Hygiene laboratory – part of exploring new ways of conducting inspections and equipping the inspectorate to adopt a scientific touch to their work.
The laboratory by the Chief Directorate: Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) is part of a drive by the Inspection and Enforcement Services (IES) branch to professionalise the work of the inspectorate and will be replicated in all provinces, said the Department’s Chief Inspector, Milly Ruiters.
The laboratory is the first of its kind for the Department and is located on the ground floor of Laboria House, the Department’s head office in Pretoria.
The purpose of the laboratory is multifaceted, in that it will be used as a training facility in the field of occupational hygiene to prepare and provide technical support for OHS inspectors. Furthermore, this laboratory will also be used to support practical exposure for inspectors who wish to prepare themselves for professional certification in the field of occupational hygiene.
The laboratory will also be used to support exposure monitoring by inspectors in high-profile inspections and investigations. The laboratory is equipped with equipment capable of monitoring several occupational stressors (stressors – are factors in the workplace that cause stress to employees) including noise, hazardous chemical agents, illumination, indoor air quality, and airflow.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), work-related stress can be caused by poor work organization (the way we design jobs and work systems, and the way we manage them), by poor work design (for example, lack of control over work processes), poor management, unsatisfactory working conditions and lack of support from colleagues and supervisors.
Department’s IES branch Inspector General, Aggy Moiloa said the unveiling of the laboratory was the start of something ‘big’ that was coming and a legacy the branch wants to leave behind.
“While this is a humble beginning, it is a giant step,” Moiloa said.
Ruiters said the Department has 700 OHS inspectors – and a bulk of them were specialising in Occupational Health and Hygiene (OHH).
“We previously had OHS inspectors focused mainly on engineering. We are branching into other areas of OHH, this is a milestone for us. A lot of employers are not complying with OHH. With this facility, we will empower our inspectors to go and do spot checks. Our inspectors will no longer be second-guessing,” she said.
According to Ruiters: “We view the laboratory launch as part of our capacity building and developing a cohort of specialists. We want to proactively prevent injuries and diseases. Literary we are preparing to prevent rather than investigate incidents.
Department of Employment and Labour Senior Specialist: OHH, Bulelwa Huna said the launch of the “small” facility has been a long journey started in 2018 in partnership with the Department’s stakeholders. Huna said occupational hazards were silent killers.
“As a Department, we will not accept the proposition that injury and death go with the job. When we talk about creating decent work we cannot leave out OHH. We want to support inspectors when making decisions. We want to develop technical data that supports reports. The facility will also make our inspectors to be comfortable using the instruments,” Huna said.
She said the Department wants to be an approved training provider, use the laboratory in the future to support research initiatives of inspectors, and support other inspectorates’ agencies in the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) region. The work of the laboratory, she said also responds to the outcomes of the National Development Plan.
The Department has spent R956 000 to set up the facility. The OHH Directorate will be responsible for the day-to-day running of the laboratory. The lab is not replacing the work of existing authorities. Compensation Fund, an entity of the Department is expected to be one of the beneficiaries from the work of the lab.
The official launch and ribbon-cutting ceremony was attended by the Department’s officials and various stakeholders such as representatives from Rand Mutual Assurance, Ergonomics Society of South Africa, Southern African Institute for Occupational Hygiene, and New Partnership for Africa Development (Nepad).
For more information, contact:
Teboho Thejane
Departmental Spokesperson
Cell: 082 697 0694
Email: Teboho.Thejane@labour.gov.za
