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Fin24 reports that according to research revealed by the Department of Employment and Labour (DEL), only 48% of employers across the country complied fully with government's Covid-19 occupational health and safety guidelines aimed at keeping employees safe from the lethal virus.
At a webinar hosted by Nedlac on Tuesday, the department also warned that the challenge was compounded by the strained capacity of the DEL’s inspectors to monitor occupational health and safety at all employers across the country. The government's Covid-19 occupational health and safety protocols were signed by DEL Minister Thulas Nxesi in 2020. These included requirements like adequate ventilation, access to hand sanitiser, masks, and screening procedures to curb the spread of Covid-19 in workplace environments where working remotely was not possible. DEL Deputy Minister Boitumelo Moloi reported: "A total of 4,783 inspections have been conducted during the five provincial mega-blitz inspections in the Eastern Cape, Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, and Mpumalanga. Of the 4,789 inspections, 52% of the workplaces were noncompliant and only 48% complied with the Covid-19 direction and other related regulations.” Moloi went on to say: "[This] is an opportunity not only to ensure that there is improved protection of workers from Covid-19 and similar respiratory infections, but also to chart a new way forward in respect of occupational health and safety in the workplace." Compensation Commissioner at the Department of Health, Dr Barry Kistnasamy, said while there was good progress in the supply of masks and hand sanitiser in workplaces, vaccinations remained a challenge. The webinar also served as the launching event for a programme by the DEL that will introduce virtual surveys and questionnaires for employers to submit, so easing pressure on in-person inspections.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Khulekani Magubane at Fin24
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