Dear Editor,
If perchance there has been a mistake, two not unrelated incidents of disrespect were reported to have occurred in Region 10 recently. One revealed the apparent ineffectiveness of the Ministry of Labour in the matter of a claimed worker in mining industry; the other being the dismissive treatment of voted officials of that Region during an alleged celebration by the same employer in the presence of the highest leadership of all Ministries.
It is unclear how alert the latter has been about the dismissive manner in which the Ministry’s Officers were treated in the earlier legal issue. Nor is it certain how appreciated the implied shortage of relevantly skilled Labour Safety Officers, a human resource deficit that would result in inadequate enforcement, is critical to Safety Regulations particularly in relation to the current disposition towards infrastructural development, more particularly in multistoried edifices.
For starters, there appears need to create at least two official questionnaires for completion by Owner/ Funder of the building in relation to design requirements as stipulated in the case of the capital city by the City Engineer and approved by the City Council. One is uncertain whether similar authority obtains in other Regions for schools, hospitals, hotels and Training Centres, for example.
Contractors – The questionnaires would concern, amongst others: Certification of relevant skills and experience; Provision of appropriate and legally required safety protection for workers from the ground floor. Indeed the excessive expansion of the multistoried structures has created a challenging environmental issue that could better be addressed by an appropriately coordinated Authority inclusive of say: Ministry of Labour, Ministry of Public Works, Ministry of Health and possibly the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Administration, supported by representative Industrial Training Centres.
The Authority would certify and monitor the design and operations of say: Elevators, Fire Alarms, Electrical Installation, Escape Facilities and related systems. The Authority will conduct scheduled and unscheduled inspections, whether day or night and report accordingly. It must also be able to recommend remedial action as necessary, as well as to exercise relevant disciplinary responses. The foregoing clearing implies the need for the current laws and regulations to be updated to the point of ensuring that all workers are registered as one condition of employment.
In the process, urgent consideration must be given to the conceptualization and promulgation of a more comprehensive national Occupation-al Safety and Health Programme, including for construction workers, taking also into account the high incidences of fires. The Mahdia Incident was not an Accident, nor was the Mining Industry incident one to celebrate.
Sincerely,
E.B John
