“When I was injured by the conveyer belt, I thought my life had collapsed .I could not do anything even going to the toilet or bath myself until I was referred to the centre, where I enrolled in November. I am now able to do a lot of things which I could not do before,” said Dube. Employed as a machine operator before his accident, he is confident that he will one day be able to live a normal life and work for himself and his family.
The fully equipped centre, located near Mpilo Hospital in Mzilikazi, also assists in the rehabilitation of traumatized injured and doomed workers.
A former employee of the Rural Electricity Agency in Masvingo, Julington Dube, has also undergone intensive rehabilitation at the centre.
“My femur was injured after I fell on an electricity pole. When I came here my condition was very bad and I could not do anything .The advantage of this centre is that I am getting both prescribed treatment and vocational training in poultry and market gardening, which will assist me when I am discharged,” he said.
Dube praised the centre’s management for creating a conducive environment for the injured workers. “Every facility here is friendly to our unique needs. It is like a five-star hotel. Even the environment is clean and this makes one feel mentally and physically cured,” said Dube.
NSSA Public Relations Manager Philemon Chereni said disabled workers should be able to lead a near normal life and participate in normal activities in society after being discharged. “Vocational training is a key part of the rehabilitation process. It includes carpentry, leather craft, poultry, market gardening, metal work and tailoring,” he added.
Chereni expressed concern over workers’ lack of knowledge of the scheme, which falls under NSSA’s workers compensation insurance fund. Under this scheme, both the employer and the employee contribute 3% of insurable earnings towards the fund.
“All workers who are covered by this scheme are entitled to this facility in the event of injuries related to work accidents. When a member is injured in a work-related accident, the employer must immediately provide first aid before promptly referring him or her to the nearest medical centre. The employer is then required to report the accident to the nearest NSSA offices by completing the WCIF 14(Accident Report Form),” explained Chereni.
Some injured members sometimes wait for a very long time before seeking assistance at the centre – and when they eventually do their condition has deteriorated. Some 60 percent of workers admitted at the centre have hand injuries due to machine cuts or crushes. Back injuries due to lifting of heavy loads account for 15 percent of injuries, while leg fractures and damage fo other parts of the body account for 10 to 15 percent.
“The most common cause of accidents at work places is defective machines and lack of protective clothing. We had a recent case with a local electrical gadgets manufacturing company where there were a lot of injuries. When we sent our team to investigate we discovered that workers were not putting on their protective clothes while at work,” said Chereni, adding that the mining sector recorded the highest number of occupational accidents, with illegal mining accounting for the majority.
Post published in: News