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Despite attempts by the Inspection and Enforcement Services Inspectors to continually engage its stakeholders through various online platforms to ensure that there is maximum compliance, figures released yesterday show that there is still a high level of non-compliance.

The Department of Employment and Labour (DEL) released its report this week on the inspection of Covid-19 health and safety in both Government and private sector which covers the period from lockdown levels 5 to 1.

“We are still unhappy at the level of compliance. Despite a number of attempts to ensure that companies and government departments increase their vigilance, in some cases, compliance has even regressed.

“The private sector is static at 58% while the public sector has regressed from 45% to now 44%. This is not an acceptable picture," said the Inspector General Aggy Moiloa.

The total number of inspections conducted in all sectors is 7 307.  Out of 1 586 inspections conducted in the government sector there were 722 contraventions, 190 prohibitions and 157 improvement notices. The private sector saw a combined 5 721 inspections conducted, with 3342 compliant workplaces and 2 379 instances of non-compliance. Contravention notices issued totalled 1 814, while 444 workplaces were issued with prohibition notices and 607 issued with improvement notices.

During this period, the government sector has seen a low compliance rate of 44% whilst the general sector accounted for a relatively higher compliance rate at 58%. But, according to Moiloa, this is not good enough.

Most inspections were conducted in the Retail and Wholesale industry which saw a total of 253 prohibition notices. The next highest industries showing a high level of non-compliance were Manufacturing, Construction, Hospitality, Agriculture and Financial services including call centres.

During the period of the two lockdowns level 5 to level 4, the Inspectors were averaging about 100 to 110 inspections a day and during level 2, the Inspectors were averaging 63 inspections a day (60.5%).

At lockdown level 1, the Inspectors are now averaging 57 inspections a day.

For more information, contact:

Musa Zondi

Acting Departmental Spokesperson

067 426 4190

“Please continue adhering to the lockdown regulations. Wash hands or sanitise your hands regularly and wear your mask at all times."

-ENDS-

 Issued by: Department of Employment and Labour​