\u201cIf you think compliance is exorbitant, try noncompliance,\u201d \u2013 cautions Employment and Labour Deputy Minister, Moloi<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Employment and Labour Deputy Minister Boitumelo Moloi told delegates at an Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) conference today that organisations need to develop a mandatory culture and a system of health and safety compliance.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Moloi said the COVID-19 pandemic has forced employers and workers to adapt quickly to new ways of working.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cInterestingly, many of these changes have brought unexpected benefits, such as improved productivity or working conditions. However, it is important that we not only focus on returning to work, but also take the lessons learned from the pandemic to re-strategize and prepare for future emergencies.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cWe should not allow compliance to happen by accident. If you think compliance is exorbitant, try noncompliance,\u201d Moloi warned. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The Deputy Minister was delivering the keynote address during the opening of the three-day OHS conference at Lagoon Beach Hotel in Cape Town. The Occupational Health and Safety Conference under the theme: \u201cDecent work post the pandemic\u201d brought together the Departmental inspectors, workers, employers and various stakeholders of the Department.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
She said priority in the workplace should focus on the welfare of workers and design work delivery systems that focus on outputs rather than activities.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile the pandemic had presented us with difficult and challenging times, it has also brought some unexpected benefits, such as improvements in productivity or working conditions. In some ways, this has also improved the social aspects of workers and to enjoy a better work-life balance. In some cases, employers have also been able to reduce costs by adopting remote work arrangements or by introducing other new working practices,\u201d Moloi said.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The Deputy Minister said one of the challenges brought about by the pandemic and work from home at policy level was to develop mechanisms to deal with an inadequate policy environment. We are ill equipped to enforce OHS in private households.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
In the same breath she said the pandemic has also had a negative impact on the world of work, and it has disproportionately affected certain groups of workers in non-standard forms of employment such as those in low-paid, precarious, or informal jobs.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
She said during the COVID-19 the Department had to intervene and developed a COVID-19 Temporary Employee\/Employer Relief Scheme (TERS) to provide financial relief to workers who had been affected by the pandemic.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cOverall, the post-COVID-19 labour market in South Africa remains challenging, with businesses and workers still facing a certain level of uncertainty and disruption. In the post-pandemic period, health and safety inspectors will likely play an important role in enforcing health and safety regulations and guidelines to prevent the spread of infectious diseases in the workplace.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cIn addition to monitoring and enforcing health and safety regulations, health and safety inspectors can also contribute to the development of new regulations and guidelines that reflect the changing nature of work post-pandemic,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The conference continues tomorrow, 21 February 2023.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Source: Government of South Africa<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cIf you think compliance is exorbitant, try noncompliance,\u201d \u2013 cautions Employment and Labour Deputy Minister, Moloi Employment and Labour Deputy Minister Boitumelo Moloi told delegates at an Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) conference today that or…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n