Labour Ministry not equipped to implement regulations
Weak enforcement mechanisms within the Occupational Safety and Health Department of the Ministry of Labour are largely to blame for the high number of workplace accidents that have occurred during the first quarter of this year, according to a senior private official. And according to the city businesswoman Occupational Safety and Health Month, which is being celebrated in April, should be used by the Ministry to initiate investigations into safety and health transgressions that continue to erode the health of workers.
“Frankly, I doubt that many of these accidents have been properly investigated,” she added.
“Most of the accidents referred to in the Minister’s statement would have occurred in the private sector and proper investigations are likely to reveal that many of them occurred because the proprietors were not under any real pressure to enforce safety provisions. Of course, what the Minister’s statement does not say is how many of these accidents have been investigated, what were the outcomes, whether or not compensation was paid to the victims or their families where this was warranted and whether legal action was taken against delinquent employers,” the official said.