Safety Week 2013 - ‘Safety in the workplace enhances productivity’ |27 November 2013

“Safety in the workplace is vital as it not only protects the employees and employers from injury but it also promotes a positive social climate, smooth operation and enhances productivity.”
The Minister for Labour and Human Resource Development Idith Alexander said this yesterday while officially launching this year’s Safety Week and a one-day validation workshop for the national HIV/Aids policy for the workplace.

For this year’s Safety Week the ministry has adopted the theme chosen by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) for World Day of Safety and Health at Work which is ‘The Prevention of Occupational Diseases’.

Speaking at the launch ceremony yesterday, which took place at the Seychelles Trading Company’s conference room, Minister Alexander described Safety Week as an important annual event on the calendar of her ministry as it is an opportunity for the government and its social partners to promote good health and safety practices in the workplace and to discuss various issues that impact the health and safety of workers.

She said that safety in the workplace is vital as it not only protects the employees and employers from injury but it also promotes a positive social climate, smooth operation and enhances productivity.

The minister went on to say that having a safe and healthy work environment is not simply the prevention of accidents, but it also aims to promote and maintain a high degree of physical, mental and social well-being of workers in all occupations.

As for this year’s theme, Minister Alexander said it addresses a subject that has been discussed in numerous forums over the last couple of years and necessitates national efforts to address it.
“It calls for an improved national recording and notification system of occupational accidents and diseases in order to strengthen the quality of statistics on occupational diseases and accidents,” she said.

She also noted that as occupational health and safety is high on the agenda of her ministry, it was in that context that it has decided to work on a second National Profile on Safety and Health in collaboration with the ILO.

“Based on the recommendations of the National Profile on Occupational Safety and Health, my ministry along with other stakeholders will develop an efficient reporting, notification and classification system of occupational accidents and occurrence in line with the International Labour Organisation code of conduct for the reporting of occupational diseases. Therefore the theme for this year’s Safety Week also serves as a reminder of the importance of reporting workplace accidents and implementing measures to prevent and minimise these. It is also calling on workers and employers to be mindful of the adverse impact of the effects of not respecting health and safety measures at work,” added the minister.

It was revealed during the workshop that from January to October of this year 89 occupational accidents have been reported to the ministry compared to 71 cases during the same period of last year. Two of these accidents were fatal.

Minister Alexander also said her ministry has made much progress in its efforts to improve the working conditions and environment of its workforce and that the challenges in occupational safety and health have also changed over the years – from traditional mechanical hazards in the early years of industrialisation to new hazards such as ergonomics, stress, alcohol and drugs and now radiation safety.

She therefore stressed the need for her ministry to continue in its efforts to sensitise employers and workers and the community at large on best practices related to the management and control of risks and hazards.

“We all need to be informed on emerging risks in the workplace in order to prevent and minimise occupational accidents and illnesses,” she said.

She said the department of labour will be placing greater emphasis on the Best Safe Workplace Award which will help employees realise that safety and health is not simply a cost to organisations but an investment in workers’ safety and therefore leads to an increase in productivity.