SYDNEY MUBAIWA
MASVINGO-Zimbabwe is losing about US$15 million annually due to workplace related injuries, National Social Security Authority (NSSA) acting general manager Dr Charles Shava has said.
Addressing engineers during the Occupational Safety and Health Workshop in Masvingo last week, Dr Shava said the data only accounts for the formal sector, meaning the cases could be much higher if the informal sector is also accounted for.
“In Zimbabwe, NSSA research showed that the country is losing about US$15 million annually due to workplace injuries.
“The mining sector alone records more than 200 deaths every year,” he said.
He said the figures are very conservative and the true picture may be up by threefold.
“The figures are bleeding the country’s economy taking into consideration the size of Zimbabwe’s economy.
“The figures are too high because the annual average deaths excludes the informal sector where many deaths, diseases, accidents and injuries by workers go unreported,” he said.
He said NSSA as the regulatory authority has the responsibility to know what is happening in the mining sector to assist in curbing the rise in new cases.
In his remarks, Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Edgar Moyo decried the high rate of workplace related deaths and injuries and the need to reverse the trend.
He said government is crafting a new Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) law to address the increasing workplace injuries and deaths.
He said every year, the country records an annual average of 300 deaths and 5000 injuries at workplaces.
“Occupational Safety and Health is not just a regulatory requirement, but a fundamental principle and right at work. No worker deserves to be incapacitated or die because of work.
“Our injury statistics over the past three years have not been pleasing at all and hence we need to do everything possible to significantly cut back such injury statistics.
“In this regard, the government will do everything possible to push for a new OSH law that should help us all as a nation to arrest the needless loss of lives at workplaces as well as to stop the horrendous experience suffered by injured workers and their families,” he said.
He said government will work closely with social partners to ensure the Convention 187 on the Promotional Framework on OSH, being a fundamental convention, is ratified to reduce occupational accidents, injuries, deaths and diseases.
He challenged engineers to be at the forefront in innovation in areas like artificial intelligence, automation and safety devices as these technological facets could revolutionise approaches to Occupational Safety and Health for a more secure worker.
The workshop which was held from March 19 to 21 at the new home of business events in the ancient city, Urban Lifestyle Hotel was attended by CEOs from various sectors besides engineers who formed the core of the delegates.
The indaba was held under the theme ‘Occupational Safety and Health: Technology and the Future’.
