MINISTER of State in the Prime Minister’s Office (Labour, Youth, Employment and Persons with Disability), Prof Joyce Ndalichako, has asked players in the public sector to strengthen systems for safety and health at offices and various projects.
Prof Ndalichako made the statement recently when opening training on safety and health for officials from ministries, public institutions and agencies.
The training held in Dodoma was organised by the Occupational Safety and Health Authority (OSHA).
Prof Ndalichako commended OSHA for implementing the government’s directive that required it to do inspections in all public offices and provide training and professional consultancy to improve the environment at workplaces and projects.
“It’s our expectation that after the training, public officials will understand the law guiding safety and health issues at workplaces,” Prof Ndalichako stated.
OSHA’s Chief Executive Officer, Khadija Mwenda explained that the two-day training came following inspection on public workplaces conducted by OSHA in April this year.
During the inspection, OSHA found various challenges over the safety and health at workplaces, including low understanding.
“This training is part of our strategy to address challenges we found during the inspection,” Ms Mwenda stated.
On his part, OSHA’s director of training, research and advocacy, Mr Joshua Matiko noted that the programme was prepared to counter the perception that people in offices do not face risks of safety and health.
“Personally, this training has given me understanding in ensuring that our offices are safe all the time,” Ms Rose Chipembele, Human Resources Officer from the National Food Reserve Authority (NFRA), said.
The training brought together human resource officers, procurement officers, internal auditors and legal officers, among others.
