DR. JAGAN’s memory remains fresh with us. Under his administration a number of labour-friendly legislations the most important one is the Occupational Health and Safety Act to protect workers at their workplace. Employers have a duty to take reasonable care of their workers by providing a safe place of work and a safe system of work with adequate plant and equipment with competent staff. Lately we have seen a lot of on the job death and accidents at factories. Occupational safety and health matters are indeed critical issues. Of equal importance is knowledge about the hazards to which workers are now being exposed.
Many of the ailments now afflict workers could have been avoided by better safety and health standards, together with better understanding by the Labour Officers in all regions. The question is what causes accidents, illness and death at work? If workers do not know a dangerous substance is present or what harm it can do, they will not see the need to take precautions. Information should be provided by management concerning plans and proposed changes of dryers at the workplace.
These machines are designed by people who do not have to work with them; they are there to make profits not to necessarily have a safe workplace. Work processes are devised with speed and efficiency often more important than reducing the level of risk involved. Providing personal protective equipment creates a false sense of security, some safety equipment can make it difficult for workers to do their job; it can be bulky, ill-fitting, and unreliable.
Protecting the workers, however, must go beyond issues of dismissal, retrenchment, victimization or rule violation.
Another dimension of the problem is the countless number of workers who are sent off the job medically unfit for work, due to ailments that resulted from accidents. What is tragic about these cases is that they are due to the high incidents of fault by management.