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Department of Employment and Labour to employ 500 OHS inspectors to deal with health and safety in workplaces
The Department of Employment and Labour is on the verge of employing 500 occupational health and safety (OHS) inspectors, in a move that will have major change in the workplaces, said Department’s Chief Inspector, Tibor Szana.
Szana said this major change would require of the Department of Employment and Labour to broaden its scope of work by also focusing on the small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) and the informal sector.
“In the next 10 years health and hygiene will never be the same. We are clear what we are about to do. When we look back this will be a major turning point. We will be leveraging on the use of technologies to fulfil our objectives,” Szana said.
Szana was speaking during the first day of the Department of Employment and Labour’s occupational health and safety conference.
The conference ends on Friday (26 July 2019). It is being held at the Emperors Palace in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng Province. The theme of the conference is: “Strategic co-operation to promote decent work and achieve ‘Vision Zero’ in occupational injuries and diseases”.
“We are doing all these to prepare for challenges that will be posed by the fourth industrial revolution,” Szana said the world will never be the same and it is changing.
Szana said the health and safety profession was on the throes of major changes. He said there were some 21 regulations governing the health and safety environments and these would be of no value if the high accident environments persist. He said while the world of work is changing, the next 10 years will matter.
Department of Employment and Labour Inspector-General, Aggy Moiloa, delivering the opening address said decent work cannot be achieved without sound, safe and healthy environments. Moiloa said every occupational incident is preventable.
“Workers have a right to work in environment that is not harmful. Decent work cannot be achieved without sound, safe and healthy environment, and when that gets compromised productivity levels suffers,” Moiloa said.
She cautioned that safety should not be done as a ‘by the way’, adding that employers should not be lured by the ‘short cut syndrome’.
The OHS conference continues tomorrow.
Employment and Labour Minister, Thulas Nxesi and Department of Employment and Labour Director-General, Thobile Lamati are expected to address the conference tomorrow (25 July).
by lloyd —
24 July 2019