Labour Department’s Deputy-Director General (DDG) for Inspections and Enforcement Services, Siyanda Zondeki has commended MacSteel, an Iron and Steel merchant company in Bloemfontein for their willingness to improve workers conditions of employment.
“Their willingness to improve their compliance level on occupational health and safety legislation is commendable. That is where we come in as the department, not to police but to assist in ensuring that measures are put in place to improve where they are lacking,” said the DDG.
The DDG yesterday led a team of inspectors to the iron and steel firm to check on compliance on labour laws. The firm which has 49 people under its employ was found to be compliant on some of the laws including registration with unemployment insurance and compensation fund, however lacking on the implementation of occupational health and safety regulations.
“Occupational health and safety is partnership between the workers and employer, workers on the ground knows the real and the dangers it comes with therefore it is very important that in all these processes the workers are involved. We as department are going to ensure that we continuously educate and raise awareness to make workers and employers aware of their rights and obligations,” she added.
The DDG said the employer ought to ensure that a good risk assessment was conducted to minimise and prevent risks in the workplace, and also crucial is the election of health and safety representatives by workers, and these should undergo relevant training. The employer was also advised to increase the number of first aiders to be available during both work shifts. Further instructions regarded ensuring that gas bottles are properly stored in a fire resistant booth with no leakages. Lack of proper housekeeping as well as labelling of electrical distribution board units were also matters that were noted.
The inspection was part of the weeklong campaign, which started on Monday and is currently taking place in all provinces with inspectors accompanied by senior officials of the department.
Since the beginning of the week 34 out of more than 167 employers inspected throughout Free State were advised to improve their workplaces as requires by the law or face prosecution.
In some of the workplaces, employers were found to have not conducted any risk assessments to determine the dangers the work may be posing to their employees, electrical installations with faults; not covered or labelled; no fire extinguishers, if there not serviced regularly or are not readily accessible in case of emergency; broken toilets some with no seats; no change rooms; workers not provided with protective clothing; no signs to the respirator zones while in some workplaces there were no health and safety reps or first aiders appointed and trained.
In Reitz, Eastern Free State, an employer had to be prohibited from allowing his forklift driver to continue driving the machine until a valid driver’s license and service book were produced.
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