Ensure workers safety, minister tells public institutions

What you need to know:

  • The Occupation Safety and Health Authority (OSHA) has started implementing the Prime Minister office's directives on training employees and employers in the public institutions on how to create a conducive working environment.

Dar es Salaam. The minister for State in the Prime Minister's office responsible for Policy, Parliamentary Affairs, Labour, Employment, Youth and the Disabled, Ms Jenista Mhagama, has called upon public institutions to enhance safety of their employees.

The outspoken minister said after improving working conditions of those in the private sector, the government has shifted its focus to the employees in the public institutions.

She made the remark during her tour of Occupation Safety and Health Authority (OSHA) offices on Friday, December 14, 2018 with a view to learning challenges that the workers are still facing.

"In September, this year, we directed OSHA to organise training for various public institutions on what they were obliged to do for their employees as a way of creating a win-win situation between employers and employees," she said.

"I have come to have a talk with OSHA employees, I want to see whether the institution was implementing our directives or not. We want to see employees' health protected," she said.

Ms Mhagama also said that they were set to use OSHA as a watchdog in ensuring that the directives were implemented in all public institutions.

"If OSHA can be supported, it can help curb different challenges that can lead to lose of our labour force. I am happy that today there is a team of Dawasa officials being trained by OSHA. There is need to work closely with these institutions in order to attain our industrialisation agenda," she said.

For her part, the deputy managing director, Ms Hadija Mwenda, said they have started implementing the directives from the government and that train them on issues of safety and health at their working stations.

"We have started with a four-day training of a total of 60 employees from Dawasa," she said.