nationwide
20 August 2007
The construction inspection campaign got off to a rigorous start in many
parts of the country today (Monday) with Department of Labour inspectors
issuing prohibition and contravention notices against employers in the
accident-prone industry.
Such notices compel employers to fix areas of concern identified by the
inspector. The prohibition notice stops work where there is imminent
danger.
The inspection teams made it clear that they would stop at nothing to
emphasise Labour Minister Membathisi Mdladlana's campaign of bringing health
and safety to the workplace.
The drive is a forerunner to efforts by the department that will see the
Minister and his Director-General Vanguard Mkosana also focusing on
agricultural as well as the food and beverage sectors of the economy.
In his message on occupational health and safety day in May, Minister
Mdladlana said "this is going to be the year of inspection and enforcement and
we urge employers to get their house in order."
The blitz inspections, set to cover over 4 000 employers, will see
Department of Labour's staff criss-crossing the country, going to areas as far
a field as Phalaborwa in Limpopo to Frankfurt in the Free State.
In the Eastern Cape, among employers served with contravention notices are
East London's Hunter Construction and Dewing Construction. Both were found to
fall short on providing workers with protective clothing ranging from boots and
gloves to overalls.
Equally disturbing was that they did not have health and safety
representatives on site. "When you have 20 or more employees, the health and
safety representative must be elected by the employees," Zwelixole Maseti, an
inspector, said.
Addressing workers at the two sites, Maseti said: "We urge you to wear the
protective clothing when it is provided to you as this will help you in case of
an accident. We also want to see you electing a health and safety
representative so as to ensure that your safety is always high on the
agenda."
Issued by: Department of Labour
20 August 2007
Source: Department of Labour (http://www.labour.gov.za)
