There are a lot of fatalities in the iron and steel industry because employers do not comply with health and safety regulations, Labour Minister Membathisi Mdladlana said on Thursday.

"This is the most difficult industry as far as safety is concerned. We want to ensure that we drag people into the courts of law for contravening the laws of the country," he said in Alexandra, Johannesburg.

He was speaking at the launch of a health and safety campaign by the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa).

He called on unions to name and shame non-compliant companies.

"I applaud Numsa for raising these issues. Carry on fighting these battles, convincing and persuading people until they listen to you."

Numsa president Cedric Gina said that employers were not willing to comply.

He said that some took over 100 days to report incidents that were supposed to be reported with seven days.

"As Numsa, we have decided that we can no longer afford to fold our arms as our members are infected, injured and maimed at work through negligence and flagrant violations of existing health and safety regulations."

Gina said the union's central committee had budgeted R2,69-million for the first phase of the campaign.

He called on workers to report non-compliant employers.

"We want to see these non-compliant employers behind bars."

Mdladlana said that, according to statistics, there were 44 fatalities in the iron and steel industry in 2009, and 42 in 2010.

The Minister also blamed the courts, saying that they were lenient on employers convicted of contravening health and safety regulations.

"An employer was charged in Mpumalanga last year and later convicted, but the sentence he got was just a slap on the wrist."

Mdladlana also called for attitudes to change, claiming that when whites died in the line of duty it was a "huge issue", which was not the case when blacks were killed.

"When blacks die, it's like they are a lot anyway. Those attitudes must change, we don't want any lives lost at workplaces, regardless of their race."

Gina said that the union looked forward to working with the department to ensure there were no more fatalities in their industry.

He said that their campaign, with the slogan: "For the safety of our lives, make work safe", was intended to ensure compliance with health and safety regulations, and that every Numsa-organised workplace had a written union-negotiated health and safety policy.

"Every workplace must have a risk assessment at least every five years and an on-site emergency plan. And no hazardous work for pregnant and breast-feeding employees."

Gina said that they also wanted negotiations between the unions and companies on the election, function and training of health representatives.

"We have a right to access the department of labour inspectors' findings, but we have had a challenge in the past where inspectors refused to avail inspection findings to shop stewards and the union, citing confidentiality. That must come to an end."