Issued by: Department of Water Affairs and Forestry
ASMAL CHALLENGES FORESTRY INDUSTRY TO IMPROVE HEALTH AND SAFETY STANDARDS
Addressing guests at the NOSA awards presentation banquet in Nelspruit tonight, Friday 15 November, Prof. Kader Asmal, Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry challenged government, in the private sector, trade unions ad health and safety organisations to make South Africa a cleaner, healthier and safer place for everyone, in the workplace, in the street, and at home.
He said that although the recipients of the 1996 NOSA awards for occupational safety should be proud, the awards should not allow people to feel that they have moved far, or fast enough. He pointed out that injuries in the forestry sector in Mpumalanga have increased by nearly a half over the past five years. Mpumalanga's commercial forestry plantations employ about 40,000 people, or 10% of that province's population.
The Water and Forestry Minister said while industrial forestry is dangerous by nature, this becomes compounded when industrial managers and contractors neglect their duty to put safety before profit. "The days are gone when a truck load of timber was deemed more precious than the lives of those people working to generate wood for our houses, our furniture, our paper."
Recognising that the state, as an employer, also had to improve its record, Prof Asmal said in restructuring the state forestry assets, his Department would have to act on the fact that "a distressingly large number of workers (in the ex-homelands) live without access to electricity or piped water." He said environmental and social problems increase the chances of accidents in the workplace.
"Consider the danger to himself and to others, of a worker wielding a chain saw after several nights of disturbed sleep because his house leaks in the rain. What will his concentration be like after he has got up four nights in a row, to move the sleeping children away from the drops and puddles, to put out pots and buckets to stop the water pooling and splashing on the floor? ...Consider the impact on concentration levels of a pregnant woman working in a paper mill when her nutritional needs are not being met because her meagre salary is feeding not only her family, but her elderly parents and her unemployed brother's children as well."
The Minister called upon NOSA, central and provincial governments, NGOs and trade unions to join forces in improving health and safety standards throughout the country.
Forty awards in 15 categories were conferred by NOSA on individuals and companies, at a banquet attended by about 200 people representing industry, trade unions and NOSA. NOSA has been promoting occupational health and safety in South Africa for the last 45 years. Mpumalanga's Premier, Mr. Matthews Phosa, was among the guests.
Enquiries: Mr. P.G. Reyneke: (012) 299 3299 or Mr. Marius Garbers: 083 228 7794