Issued by: The Ministry of Labour
MINISTER TITO MBOWENI MINISTER OF LABOUR NOSA JOHANNESBURG REGIONAL AWARDS PRESENTATION MEGAWATT PARK: 27 OCTOBER 1995
Chairperson The Mayor of the Johannesburg Transitional Metropolitan Council. Mr Isaac Mogase and Mrs Mogase, The Mayor of the Sandton Transitional Metropolitan Council, Mr Justice Ngidi and Mrs Ngidi, Mr Walter Passet, President of the NOSA Board of Directors, Mr Leo Strydom, Managing Director of NOSA, and Mrs Strydom, Mr Boetie Mashigo, Regional Manager NOSA, Johannesburg and Mrs Mashigo, Excellencies, Ladies and gentlemen.
I am pleased nd honoured to be here this evening to share in the health and safety successes of industries in Johannesburg, Sandton and Midrand.
My sincere congratulations to all recipients of awards. May these recognitions for effort and commitment towards health and safety in the workplace give impetus to further successes in future.
Tonight is an event to celebrate and to be proud of, but it is also an opportunity to assess our work practices soberly.
As you may all be aware almost 9 000 people were involved in health and safety incidents of varying degrees, and in addition 913 people were killed in the industry last year.
These statistics are indicating to us that the world of work is not working as safely as it should be. There are many contributory factors to this. Whilst it is not our intention to discuss these at any length tonight it is nevertheless relevant and necessary to take cognisance thereof.
What is, however, of greater importance, is how we are going to address these issues. Government is not satisfied with the situation, nor is business or labour.
In this regard all role players have a specific duty. Let me share with you some of the issues my Ministry is focusing on.
The Ministry of Labour has developed a Programme of Action to address specific issues in the labour field. The actions are based on the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP). The policies and programme of the Ministry and Department will contribute towards two pillars of the RDP, namely:
Economic progress is measured principally by the economy's ability to create jobs and to produce commodities and services capable of meeting domestic demand and internationally competitive markets.
However, our objective must be to eliminate work accidents. We need to ensure alth and safety.
One of the most important underlying principles is productivity enhancement. This can only be achieved when labour is viewed as a resource and not a cost to be minimised. The Ministry of Labour is especially focusing on:
Ladies and gentlemen, government feels that occupational health and safety competencies need to be restructured.
You may ask, why?
Because South Africa does not have an overall national policy or strategy on occupational health and safety, and because there is no consistent legislative structure, no uniform method of reporting accidents and disease, and no statistics which reflect the full extent of the loss of life and health problems caused at the workplace, we are called upon to rectify this situation.
In order to address these issues, the Department of Labour is developing an overall national policy and strategy on occupational health and safety and a National Occupational Health and Safety Council (NOHSC) will most likely also be established soon.
Ladies and gentlemen, let us also look at the issue of occupational health and safety from another angle.
According to international research of accident statistics, a 25% decrease has been experienced in the percentage of deaths per 100 000 population world-wide during the period 1912 to 1984. Compare this to South African statistics where the number of fatal accidents has more than doubled from 1990 to 1994. The figures tell us clearly that we have to look more critically at our situation.
These findings also indicate that the most important contribu- tory factors to the decrease have been amongst others, the following:
The challenge is therefore to practice health and safety more creatively, innovatively and vigorously.
How?
In the field of health and safety training NOSA has been involved for many years. The philosophic principles of the NOSA Five-Star System, incorporating occupational health, safety and environmental control, have always been involvement and ongoing training of all workers.
In this regard NOSA has repositioned itself firmly to take up the new challenges and to address the burning issues of today, namely the enhancement of occupational health, safety and environmental control for all the people of our country.
In a creative manner and in the spirit of the RDP there are developments taking place which will benefit our people and build their capacity to enhance health and safety in their work environments, their communities and their homes.
I understand that NOSA has recently developed programmes for agriculture and the building and construction industry. I am confident that these programmes will undoubtedly contribute towards the reduction of accidents and incidents in these industries.
It will indeed be an achievement, when we can record zero accidents, incidents and fatalities, compared to the 145 persons killed in agriculture and forestry and the 103 fatal incidents in the building and construction industry recorded in 1994 or for that matter the daily injuries and fatalities in the mining industry.
A further need identified, is a programme for small, medium and micro enterprises (SMME's). This initiative is welcomed as health and safety guidance is a necessity in this sector.
These programmes will equip entrepreneurs and small business people alike with the relevant information regarding legislation, basic health and safety principles and health and safety knowledge needed to safeguard themselves and their employees.
Capacity building and empowerment of our future business people is extremely important. NOSA has seen the need and has taken the initiative to contribute constructively.
Ladies and gentlemen, now is the time for all involved in the health and safety of the people of our country - government, the labour movement and business - to seek creative and innovative ways in ensuring our people prosper and develop and within this context NOSA has an even more important role to play in future.
Benjamin Disraeli, Earl of Beaconsfield stated in the previous century, I quote:
"all power is in trust - that we are accountable for its exericse - that, from the people, and for the people, all springs, and all must exist".
May this also be true of the way in which we will be practising health and safety in South Africa in future.
I thank you.