Dept of Labour hone in on biological hazards
Concerns raised about employees in KZN’s health sector.
THE Department of Labour (DoL) is knuckling down on the risks for local employees working around hazardous agents in the public health sector.
According to the department, there is a serious need to promote Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) in the industry and to improve compliance with the health and safety legislation, particularly in Zululand and the rest of KZN.
‘Employees in this sector are exposed to hazardous biological agents due to their exposure to patients suffering from various infectious diseases as a result of their working environment,’ said the department in a statement.
‘Some of the sources of infection can be found in human waste, blood and other body fluids, respiratory discharges such as coughs and skin when coming into contact with infectious substances.’
Based on the findings of 2014/2015 inspections in the inland public hospitals, prominent areas of non-compliance ranged from ‘risk assessment not being conducted’; ‘evaluation of hazards to exposure and control measures not carried out’; ‘employees not inducted and trained on sources of exposure’, ‘medical surveillance not conducted and carried out in accordance to HBA regulations’; and to ‘non-provision of personal protective equipment to employees’.
To address these issues, the DoL is hosting a seminar on Wednesday and Thursday in Durban, starting by training shop stewards on OHS Regulations, how to manage chemicals in the sector, implementing an illness and injury prevention program, measures for cross-contamination and infection control as well as how to report injuries and diseases.
On the long list of speakers at the seminar are DoL Deputy Director-General of Inspection and Enforcement Services, Aggy Moiloa; DoL Chief Inspector, Tibor Szana and DoL Chief Director for KZN Provincial Operations, Thembi Nene-Shezi.
During the seminar, there will also be speakers from the National Department of Health who will deliver a paper on the subject of ‘The vision of the Department of Health’s interventions to reduce occupational diseases and injuries in the health sector’.
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