adminsurpass last year’s statistics of 4 410 serious injuries and 90 casualties.
Officially opening the National Social Security Authority conference on safety and health at work, acting Labour and Social Welfare Minister Theresa Makone said the statistics were too high for an economy, which was not operating at full capacity.
“We want to prevent these heinous accidents through the promotion of occupational safety and health among other strategies,” she said. “We must not leave any stone unturned to protect the safety and health of our national workforce.”
She lamented the increase in pneumoconiosis disease – 13 last year and 7 so far this year – which is incurable, and is caused by the inhalation of hazardous dust at work.
“An analysis of this uncomfortable trend reveals the major causative factors such as the improvement in industrial production capacity utilisation from 10 percent in 2009 to 47 percent in 2010. Liquidity problems and lack of credit lines, leading to restricted recapitalisation and the use of old and outdated equipment has also been contributory,” she said.
Online Reporter