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Tawanda Musrurwa
Government is working to expedite the enactment of the harmonised OSHA Bill, which will extend the scope of occupational safety and health (OSH) coverage in the country to the informal sector, Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Professor Paul Mavima has said.
He said this while officiating at the National Social Security Authority (NSSA) annual Safety and Health at Work (SHAW) Conference yesterday.
“Government takes seriously the urgent need to extend OSH coverage to the informal sector and other remotely legislated occupations such as agriculture.
“Government is aware of the existing legislative bottlenecks currently stifling efforts by NSSA,” said Minister Mavima.
“In this respect, Government is committed to ensuring the expeditious enactment of the harmonised OSHA Bill that will provide a broader coverage of workplaces.”
Currently, occupational safety and health in Zimbabwe is regulated generally by the Factories and Works Act (20 of 1948), the Labour Act (16 of 1985), the National Social Security Authority (Accident Prevention and Workers Compensation Scheme) Notice No. 68 of 1990 and the Labour Relations (HIV and AIDS) regulations S.I.202 of 1998.
Added Minister Mavima: “I am convinced that our current challenges cannot be addressed by yesteryear solutions.
“As we introspect on the need to invest in resilient occupational safety and health systems, may we also not pay a blind eye to the urgent need to extend OSH coverage to the micro, small-to-medium enterprises and the generality of the informal sector taking cognisance of the reality of the proliferation of the informal sector that now accounts for most of the working population in Zimbabwe.”
OSH issues have become even more vital given the new challenges that have emerged due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
In a speech read on her half, International Labour Organisation (ILO) country office director for Zimbabwe and Namibia, Hopolang Phororo highlighted the need for the evolvement of OSH management systems in view of the impact of the pandemic.
“The Covid-19 crisis has magnified the need for governments to provide guidance on the development and effective implementation of OSH management systems at enterprise levels,” she said.
“In fact, the ILO findings reveal that workplace exposures contributed to up to 20 to 30 percent of new Covid-19 infections in some surveyed countries.”
According to the ILO, the burden of accident prevention at work is of a global magnitude as currently an estimated 2,78 million workers are lost every year because of occupational accidents or work-related accidents and diseases.
ILO figures also show that an additional 374 million workers suffer non-fatal injuries and illnesses.
During SHAW (2017), Government, through NSSA, launched the Vision Zero Concept earmarked to bring a transformational approach to OSH management.
Minister Mavima commended the Zvishavane-based Mimosa Mines for managing 365 days of work with zero-harm, despite the inherent dangers of their mining activities.
“This shows that zero harm is possible,” he said.
Online Reporter