Cosatu shocked at safety violations 08-03-07

 

COSATU shocked at safety violations

The Congress of South African Trade Unions is shocked at the report from the Department of Labour that "during an on-site crackdown by labour inspectors in Mthatha, East London, Queenstown and Port Elizabeth, 50 out of 85 construction employers were found to be violating workplace safety regulations".

We welcome the fact that, in the first two days of a five-day inspection blitz in the Eastern Cape, the Department has shut down seven construction sites and that an additional 48 contravention notices were served for minor violations for which employers were given 30 and 60 days to take corrective action.

We are disturbed at the Department's report that "disregard of workplace safety measures has continued to be a trend". These figures are totally unacceptable and COSATU demands that all the violations identified by the DoL inspectors must be rectified before any work is recommenced on those sites. Meanwhile the employers, who are responsible for the contraventions, must continue to pay their workers their full wages.

COSATU agrees with the DoL that "increased vigilance against non-compliance with Occupational Health and Safety regulations was needed with 2010 World Cup preparations putting the construction industry under rising pressure". Meeting tight deadlines must in no circumstances be used as an excuse to take short cuts with health and safety.

The results of this blitz also exposes the need for more DoL inspectors to reflect the rapid expansion of the construction sector.

We shall be studying the results of similar blitzes which are scheduled for all other provinces, and demanding similarly harsh measures to protect the lives of workers in the construction sector, which still has far too many accidents. The blitzes should then spread to other sectors, such as hotels, which will employ a lot more staff before and during the World Cup.