adminTHE Zimbabwe Artisanal Small Scale Mining Council (ZASMC) and the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) have bemoaned the increase in occupational hazards amid revelations that at least 34 workers died while over 1 200 were injured at workplaces between January and last month.
The ZCTU president, Mr George Nkiwane said the statistics of people who were dying or getting injured at work were worrying.
“ZCTU is not happy about the statistics of occupational safety and health. The period January to May, 2014 recorded a total of 1 207 occupational injuries and 34 fatalities and we are convinced that to date the numbers could be even more.
The figures are not anything to smile about as this is a great challenge to all us,” said Mr Nkiwane during commemorations to mark National Day For Safety and Health in Bulawayo last week.
He said the most affected sector was mining where most workers were losing their lives while at work.
“Global trends in mining accidents are not impressive at all. We have become tolerant of the wrong practices taking place in the mining sector, all in the name of employment creation at the expense of workers’ lives,” said Mr Nkiwane.
He said there was a need to engage relevant authorities and reduce the occupational accidents especially in the informal mining sector.
“May I, on behalf the ZCTU implore those bent on promoting illegal activities to stop forthwith and engage with authorities on how to venture into mining activities. The chikorokoza way has cost many their precious lives. A case in point is when we also lost six Zimbabweans in South Africa,” said the ZCTU president.
He called for an effective implementation of occupational safety and health management systems in the country.
ZASMC president, Mr Wellington Takavarasha echoed the same sentiments adding the accidents in the mining sector were increasing.
“The situation in the mining sector is critical where you find the workers there working without protective clothing. You find someone drilling without a helmet or even the safety shoes,” said Mr Takavarasha in an interview last Friday.
He also said there was rampant abuse of dangerous chemicals by the miners which pose serious health problems.
“We are also seeing some mining workers using dangerous chemicals such as mercury while mining gold. They don’t know that mercury has long term health effects such as mental complications,” said Mr Takavarasha.
He said his organisation was pushing for the formalisation of all illegal miners so that they could teach them about occupational issues.
“We want to formalise and regularise the informal miners so that we will be able to teach them about the occupational health issues,” said Mr Takavarasha.
The call comes when the nation last week marked 42 years since the Hwange Mine disaster which left 427 miners dead in 1972.
Online Reporter