This came out at a belated commemoration of World Occupational Health
and Safety day held at Meikles Park here last week.
According to statistics released by the National Social Security Authority,
from January 2013 to date, the country has already recorded 32 fatalities and 959 injuries.
This is in spite of efforts by NSSA to ensure every worker is
educated and receives training in occupational safety and health.
The
informal and domestic sectors, which constitute more than 89 percent,
have a huge figure of occupational injuries and fatalities.
According to figures released by the NSSA Division of Occupational Health
and Safety, 13 cases of pneumoconiosis were diagnosed by the end of
April 2013.
Employers Confederation of Zimbabwe President, Anthony
Mandiwanza, said in 2009 the country recorded 3,122 serious injuries
and 64 fatalities at work while in 2010 there was a 41 percent
 increase.
 Mandiwanza said although the situation stabilized in 2011 with serious
injuries and fatalities decreasing slightly by 0.1 and 0,2 percent
respectively, the improvement was short lived as serious injuries
increased by 24 percent and fatalities by 37 percent in 2012.
He described the Zimbabwean situation as disturbing and attributed 85
percent of the accidents to human error.
“Occupational Health and Safety is what is needed. Employers
should accept that money and time spend on OHS is a good investment.
With more than 100 people losing their lives in the line of duty in
2012, the Zimbabwe economy is lethal and the labour market must find
that unacceptable. Employers must come together to address the problem,” said Mandiwanza.
International Labour Organisation Country Director for Zimbabwe,
 Alphonse Tabi-abodo, described the situation as unacceptable.
Post published in: News