Inspections find most KZN food sector workplaces health hazards

During a national inspection campaign that took place in the food and beverage sector last week, inspectors in KwaZulu-Natal handed out notices to 35% of the 735 workplaces visited for a wide range of hazards uncovered in the industry.

The 105-strong team of  inspectors searching throughout the province issued 256 contravention notices for health and safety violations that threatened the well-being of workers.These employers were given 60 days to rectify the various areas of non-compliance detected as prescribed by the Occupational Health and Safety Act.Some of the contraventions included slippery floors that can cause sprains and strains from falling, exposure to sharp instruments such as knives by not providing workers with gloves,  not being able to produce a certificate of compliance for electrical installations and not appointing first aiders.Others included inadequate safety measures when dealing with hazardous substances and hazardous biological agents.Ten improvement notices were also served to employers for poor house-keeping.

In identifying the food and beverage sector as a high risk industry when it comes to the health and safety of workers, the department has found that some of the main causes of occupational ill-health within industries in the sector includes musculoskeletal disorders which mainly comprises of work-related and upper-limb disorders as well as back injuries.Other health and safety risks included work-related stress that can be caused by poor work organistation, occupational asthma that can be caused by the inhalation of bakery and grain dusts, occupational dermatitis that affects workers handling meat, fish, poultry, fruit and vegetables.Rhinitis may also be caused by irritant dust from bakery, grain, spices and seasoning.Noise induced hearing losses may also be caused where noise levels exceed 85 deci-bels which may be particularly prevalent in workplaces with noisy plant machinery like bottling halls or canning and packaging factories.

By stamping out errant employers and raising awareness to prevent hazards in the sector, inspectors in the province have reminded all employers about their the legal and moral responsibility to do whatever is reasonably practicable to prevent any form of work-related ill-health.The 479(65%) employers found to be fully compliant during the week-long inspections were examples of a step in the right direction in achieving this goal.