Employers representing various companies and organizations in the country have been encouraged to adopt some form of Occupational Safety and Health Management system to ensure the well being of their employees at the workplace.

Speaking during a half-day seminar on occupational safety and health management systems held at Lesotho Sun on Wednesday, the Deputy Labour Commissioner of the Ministry of Employment and Labour Mr. Posholi Jonathan explained that the Labour code stipulates that employers are obliged to have a system to deal with occupational hazards.

He said the seminar therefore, serves as a reminder to employers of the importance to adopt a system to protect everybody in their environment and to promote safety and health of the property of the organization as a whole. He further highlighted the significance of affording employees a chance to participate in deciding on a system that an organization could employ to address health and safety problems, adding that certain health problems will only be addressed appropriately through workers participation.

Mr. Jonathan concluded by revealing that his Ministry is committed to ensuring that at least 30 companies and organizations in the country adopt the system by the end of the year, saying at the moment only six companies have since adopted the system.

Speaking at the occasion, a guest speaker who is an Expert in the field of Occupational safety and health management system based in South Africa Mr.Thabo Monyamane explained that every employee is a victim of occupational safety and health, adding that this applies from the top management down to the lowest ranking employee.

He said complying with occupational safety does not only keep the organization workers at safety but also enables organizations to meet required standards when competing in the international market. He concluded by urging the employers to therefore, adopt their own safety measures, which will be suitable for their working environment.

The seminar was organized by the Ministry of Employment and Labour and was
attended by representatives from various companies and Non -Governmental
Organizations in Lesotho.

26 February 2003