World Day for safety and health at work

We are gathered here today to celebrate the World Day for Safety and Health at Work, this is very important to me because not only do we want to celebrate this day but we also want to remember those who lost their lives during their execution of their work, as well as those who lost limbs or are suffering from an occupational disease. We salute all of them!

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) and indeed the whole international community started celebrating this day as from 28 May 1996 and the objectives are:
1. To create awareness of the dimensions and consequences of work related incidents, injuries and diseases,
2. Promote basic protection of all workers inline with basic international labour laws and standards, and
3. To enhance the capacity of member states and industry to design and implement effective preventative and protective policies and programmes.

So clearly the emphasis has been prevention of illness and accidents at work and this include prevention of illness and accidents in the Agricultural Sector, which is a sector that is usually neglected in favour of other sectors resulting in workers within this sector becoming victims rather than beneficiaries of the products of the democratic dispensation that we are all enjoying.

Agriculture is one of the three most hazardous sectors of activity, both in industrialised and developing countries. According to estimates from the International Labour Organisation (ILO), at least 170,000 agricultural workers are killed each year. This means that workers in agriculture run at least twice the risk of dying on the job as compared with workers in other sectors and due to the widespread under-reporting of deaths, injuries and occupational diseases in agriculture, the real picture of the occupational health and safety of farm workers is likely to be worse than what official statistics indicate.

Millions of agricultural workers worldwide are injured due to workplace incidents while using agricultural machinery; some are poisoned by pesticides and other agrochemicals. The situation is exacerbated by:
* Lack of sufficient training of agricultural workers and their employers which result in lack of knowledge on how to manage hazardous chemicals, equipment and machinery,
* Lack of knowledge of preventative and protective measure to be put in place, and
* Lack of understanding of hazards identification.

In order to guarantee sustainable agricultural development, farm workers and their families should have access to adequate working and living conditions, health and welfare. An adequate balance between agricultural growth and the protection of the environment is also crucial for the future of our food production and for its sustainability. Agricultural Occupational Health must be integrated into a rural development policy with a well-defined strategy placing an emphasis on prevention and on environmental protection consistent with current and future trends.

I have taken keen interest in the farm workers and my department will work very closely with them and the farmers as well as their representatives to ensure that there is greater compliance with the requirements of Occupational Health and Safety Act as well as all other labour laws that are meant to protect workers. My Department is at this moment conducting a pilot project in farms situated in Western Cape and Northern Cape respectively and the aims are to:

* Prevent fatal incidents and injuries arising out of, or linked with or occurring in the course of work by eliminating or controlling hazards in the agricultural working environment,
* Promote co-regulation in agricultural sector and to ensure that workers are involved in the decision-making on issues affecting their health and safety,
* Ensure compliance with the Occupational Health and Safety Act, 1993 and other relevant health and safety standards, and
* Improve co-operation between government and the farming community at large.

To ensure that the workers in the agricultural sector are protected and to build capacity for effective service delivery and to promote health and safety within the sector, my department had to train 40 inspectors with a view to undertaking preventative actions, education and where necessary enforcement of control measures.

My department in partnership with the Primary Agriculture Education and Training Authority will be training certain agricultural workers on health and safety issues so that they can identify the hazards associated with their own work environment and to use protective clothing and equipment in the right way.

Programme director, we all know that agricultural workers are amongst the most vulnerable workers, this calls for government to take steps to protect them. I am glad that in South Africa the agricultural workers are covered under different pieces of Labour Legislation including the Occupational Health and Safety Act. This Act not only requires employers to safeguard the health and safety of their employees but also require employers to safeguard the health and safety of other people who might be affected by the business of the enterprise. This broad formulation extends the legislation protection to any person who may be working in whatever capacity for the employer including temporary, seasonal and contract employees as well as family members.

Children make up a significant and a growing proportion of the agricultural workforce, in our country it is prohibited to engage children below the age 14 years and children in the age group ranging from 14 to 18 years are prohibited from performing certain hazardous work including night work and work at heights. Of particular relevance to agriculture are provisions that prohibit young people from performing work involving exposure to chemicals such as fertilisers and pesticides and work involving lifting of heavy loads. My department in conjunction with Towards the Elimination of worst forms of Child Labour programme (TECL) are working on Child Labour Action Programme (CLAP) and are investigating the possibility of coming up with a set of new regulations aimed at protecting children who are employed.

Women workers need to be protected as well, especially when they are pregnant against lifting of heavy loads or exposure to hazardous chemicals and ionizing radiations. It will be prudent for employers to transfer such women from work that is hazardous to work not involving such health and safety risks. In South Africa the women agricultural workers should be provided with paid maternity leave and other health benefits. I am hoping that the employers are practicing this, there should not be any gap between what stands as law and what is practised.

HIV and AIDS is posing a huge challenge in the agricultural sector, this epidemic affects everyone, every individual, every family, every social institution, every organisation and indeed every business, big or small. The epidemic claims some of the best business leaders, managers, and great number of workers at all levels of the production system. HIV and AIDS related absenteeism, loss of productivity and the cost of replacing employees lost to HIV and AIDS threatens the survival of a number of businesses, industrial sectors and agricultural sectors in the increasingly competitive world market. HIV and AIDS impoverish families and communities and it also affects the market base of the African business.

Programme Director, it is clear that no one sector alone can make a significant inroad in the fight against the epidemic. A true partnership involving the government, the private sector and the community is essential to face the problem, the workplace, whether it is agricultural or otherwise provides an excellent environment to implement a comprehensive HIV and AIDS programme and policy reforms.

Employees in the agricultural sector:

* Avoid infection with HIV Virus, take responsibility for your own health,
* Ensure that the people living with HIV and AIDS are treated fairly by all,
* Ensure that confidentiality is maintained and respect the privacy of those living with HIV and AIDS, and
* Take the lessons you learn at the workplace to your home community.

Employers:

* Develop and implement an HIV and AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD) policy and programme, which should be run not only for the farm workers but also for their families as farm workers and their families often stay together on the farm,
* Show your commitment to the programme,
* Allow time for your employees to take part in the programme,
* Ensure that resources are made available to the programme,
* Farm education programme should be established and should take note of the special issues for farm workers such as migration, low level of literacy and lack of recreational facilities,
* Farm peer educators should be established who are able to work with the other workers providing them with information and support, and finally
* Farmers should start considering the problem of HIV and AIDS orphans and look at the best approach to a situation where following the death of both parents a child is left orphaned on the farm

Clearly programme Director, HIV and AIDS issues must be integrated into the everyday activities of the farm, induction programme should include a module on HIV and AIDS to raise awareness. If there are social events organised in the workplace they must involve an aspect of HIV and AIDS, e.g. a stand giving out information on how to prevent HIV and AIDS.

The workplace remains the best place to deal with HIV and AIDS simply because:
1. HIV and AIDS has a huge impact on the world of work, it is reducing the supply of labour and available skills, increasing labour cost, reducing productivity, threatening the livelihoods of employers and employees and undermining rights;

2. Standards are set for working conditions and labour relations. Workplaces are environments where people come together and they discuss debate and learn from each other. This provides an opportunity for awareness raising, education programmes and protection of rights; and

3. Employers and trade unions are leaders in their communities, leadership is crucial to the fight against HIV and AIDS.

We will never achieve our goal of promotion of opportunities for men and women to obtain decent and productive work in conditions of freedom, equity and security and human dignity unless we stop compromising the basic human rights, including fair treatment in recruitment and job security by not discriminating against people living with HIV and AIDS. The spread of HIV and AIDS has been helped by the culture of silence imposed by the stigma against people living with HIV and AIDS and by the reluctance to discuss issues such as drug use and sexual behaviour. This culture must stop and we must encourage and we must be amendable to frank discussion leading to co-operative solutions

Programme director, let me conclude by borrowing the words of the Secretary-General of the United Nations Kofi Annan when he said” All to often lives are shattered unnecessarily because of poor working conditions and in adequate safety systems…,” let me encourage every one present here today to join me and my department in promoting health and safety at work. That is not only sound economic policy but it is a basic human right. This will eventually pay not only in human terms but also in a better performance by business and the economy at large. Together we can make sure that decent work is safe work.

I thank you!

Issued by: Department of Labour
4 May 2006