Rutendo Nyeve, [email protected]
GOVERNMENT is moving to overhaul Zimbabwe’s occupational safety and health framework amid a sharp rise in workplace injuries and fatalities, with a new Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Bill now before the Senate.
Workplace injuries increased by about four percent to 4 414 in 2025, from 4 242 in 2024, while fatalities rose by 11,4 percent from 70 to 78 over the same period.
The trend has continued this year, with 2 442 disabling injuries recorded by June, an eight percent increase from the 2 263 recorded during the same period last year. Fifty-two workers have also died in workplace-related incidents during the first half of 2026.
Speaking at the official opening of the annual Safety and Health at Work (SHAW) Conference in Victoria Falls last Thursday, Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Edgar Moyo said the figures highlighted the need for a stronger preventive approach to occupational safety.
“It is sad to note that during the same half-year period such needless loss of life and deaths at work is unwarranted, hence, the policy shifts I have highlighted above underscore Government’s commitment to move towards zero harm in the workplace,” he said.
“A shared responsibility is therefore required among all social partners to realise zero work-related injuries, fatalities and diseases.”
The conference was held under the theme “Vision Zero: Safety, Health and Well-being.”
Minister Moyo said the OSH Bill, which has passed through Parliament and is now before the Senate, represented one of the most comprehensive reforms of occupational safety and health legislation in the country.
Once enacted, the Bill will repeal and replace the Factories and Works Act and the Pneumoconiosis Act, creating what the Government says will be a modern, harmonised and integrated legal framework covering all sectors of the economy.
The proposed legislation embraces a systems-based approach in which hazard identification and risk assessment become the cornerstone of workplace safety management.
Under the approach, employers will be required to proactively identify workplace hazards and implement appropriate controls before incidents occur.
“The shift from reactive to preventive management aligns perfectly with the Vision Zero philosophy that underpins this conference,” said Minister Moyo.
Government is also developing supporting Statutory Instruments to operationalise the proposed law.
Minister Moyo said processes towards ratifying International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention No. 187 on the Promotional Framework for Occupational Safety and Health and Convention No. 190 on eliminating violence and harassment in the world of work had also advanced significantly.
He said both instruments had passed the Cabinet Committee on Legislation and were now before Parliament.
Minister Moyo said Government was also strengthening occupational safety practices within the public service, with the Public Service Commission working on comprehensive OSH policies for ministries, departments and agencies.
The policies are expected to be formulated and implemented by the end of this year.
Awareness and capacity-building programmes targeting directors, chief directors and permanent secretaries have already been conducted in collaboration with the National Social Security Authority (NSSA).
Media practitioners have also been trained in Harare and Gweru to strengthen public communication and awareness on occupational safety and health.
Minister Moyo reaffirmed Government’s commitment to tripartism and acknowledged the role of the Zimbabwe Occupational Safety and Health Council in shaping occupational safety policy.
“The Vision Zero approach reminds us that workplace accidents, occupational diseases and work-related suffering are not inevitable. They can be prevented through leadership commitment, worker participation, risk management and continuous improvement,” he said.
“Let us seize this opportunity to transform our workplaces and embed a culture of prevention in every sector of our economy.”
