Abide by domestic and international laws, employers reminded

EMPLOYERS countrywide have been reminded to ensure safe environment at workplaces to abide by both domestic and international laws.

Acting Director of Business Support at the Occupational Safety and Health Authority (OSHA), Ms Netiwe Mhando, made the reminder recently here in Arusha.

It was when speaking at a joint meeting between the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism and its stakeholders.

The OSHA was among the stakeholders at the meeting which meant to hear challenges facing stakeholders regarding implementation of Occupational Safety and Health Act of 2003 and its regulations.

Ms Mhando said during the 110th international conference in labour issues held in June in Geneva, Swiss, the issue of safe environment at workplace was cited as among basic rights of a worker.

Hence, it makes mandatory for Member States of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), including Tanzania, to fulfill international convention which requires them to have system and national policy on safety and health at workplaces.

She pledged that the OSHA would work on challenges raised by the stakeholders in the tourism sector and others, including being not informed about a schedule for inspection at workplaces done by the authority.

“Next inspection season tourism stakeholders’ workplaces will be inspected at the same time when there no huge influx of tourists so as not to affect their operations,” she promised.

On his part, OSHA’s Acting Director of safety and health, Dr Jerome Materu, informed the gathering that the authority makes huge efforts to implement the government’s Blueprint document.

In implementing the Blueprint, the authority has scrapped over 10 levies that seemed to trouble traders and investors in the country.

Dr Materu further pointed out that during this time when Tanzania is witnessing huge number of tourists as result President Dr Samia Suluhu Hassan’s Royal Tour film; there is necessity for stakeholders in the tourism sector to invest heavily in matters of safety and health in order to continue attracting more visitors.