Safety and Health at work

the largest gathering of health and safety experts. This year’s meeting also focuses on strengthening global commitment to a culture of safety and health at the workplace amid the ongoing challenges of global economic uncertainty.
It seeks to bring to the fore the importance of a safe work environment in an era where shortcuts in provision of decent work situations are fast becoming a norm.
The meeting brings together more than 3 000 policy makers, experts, industry and labour leaders from over 100 countries.
They will discuss issues such as comprehensive and proactive approaches to safety and health at work, social dialogue and partnerships on occupational health and safety.
Zimbabwe is being represented by the National Social Security Authority Occupational Health and Safety department as well as the Zimbabwe Occupational Health and Safety Council.
The last statistics availed by NSSA in April on work related casualties this year stood at 17, while 1 160 workers were injured during the same period.
The human cost of daily tragedies due to occupational accidents in Zimbabwe is immeasurable, while many of the hazards have remained hidden and ignored.
Zimbabwe has experienced some of its worst work related accidents in the past dating back to 1972 when 427 coal miners perished at Kamandama, Hwange Colliery after an explosion caused by methane gas at No. 1 mine shaft.
Another terrible occupational accident occurred more recently in 2003 when the CABS Millennium Tower along Samora Machel Avenue in Harare was under construction.
Fifteen construction workers perished after a goods hoist they had boarded to take them up failed and crashed.
The Palm Groove Farm accident which claimed 23 lives and left 14 seriously injured is also among the country’s worst occupational accidents.
In 2003, Zimbabwe ratified the Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 1981 (No. 155).
Earlier this year, the International Labour Organisation Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions noted the information from the Government indicating that there have been no legislative changes which affect the application of the convention.
However, a new Occupational Health and Safety law is under review by the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare.
The Committee noted that in response to its previous comments, the Government referred to the monitoring functions entrusted to the inspectorate services.
This includes the requirements related to the registration and licensing of hazardous substances also monitored by the inspectorate services.
A senior officer in the department of OHS with NSSA, Mr Benjamin Mutetwa admitted there was also risk to workers of diseases caused by chemicals and noise induced hearing loss among others.
Mr Mutetwa said this had led to the formulation of legislation such as the Pneumoconiosis Act that seeks to protect workers who work in dusty environments.
However experts say the Act needs to be reviewed as it protects unfit workers to work in dusty conditions, but does not offer means of protection to those who are pronounced fit to work in the environment.
Workers who work in dusty conditions have for long been given a pint of milk per day by unscrupulous employers, yet the milk has nothing to do with absolute protection.
There is however continuing research in high risk sectors. There is a feeling that some occupational related diseases were going undetected.
There are always risk factors associated with heavy manual lifting of goods that can lead to musculoskeletal disease.
NSSA has promised to make reference to the law in order to protect workers albeit limited by shortage of specialists on these occupational diseases.
Experts however, lamented that some sector Collective Bargaining Agreements sometimes contradicted the provisions of the OHS.
Mr Mutetwa concurred saying NSSA was now issuing prohibition notices wherever they found serious violation of OHS issues at a workplace.
He said the authority was resorting to stopping all work from proceeding, and this encourages employers to address OHS issues.
A national policy on OHS was initially adopted in 1993 following the re-launch of the tripartite Zimbabwe Occupational Safety and Health Council, and NSSA was established with the responsibility to administer both OHS and social security.
The national OHS policy is reviewed every five years, and the last review was in 2006, which makes this year the next.
It is hoped the Zimbabwean delegation will come back from Instabul better enlightened on OHS, as the congress being held there seeks to build on the Seoul Declaration on Safety and Health at Work, adopted during the last summit in 2008.