International Journal of Economy, Management and Social Sciences, 2(6) June 2013, Pages: 304-309

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International Journal of Economy, Management and Social Sciences www.tijournals.com

ISSN 2306-7276

* Corresponding author. Email address: mjambwa@yahoo.co.uk, vachitongo@gmail.com

Challenges of Implementation of Occupational Health and Safety Measures in the Marondera Municipality Department of Works

Michael T Jambwa 1, Leonard Chitongo 2 1 High School Teacher, specialized in Languages, Great Zimbabwe. 2 Lecturer in the Department of Rural Development and Resettlement, Great Zimbabwe University P.O. Box 1235 Masvingo.

A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T

Keywords: Occupational Health Safety Accidents Diseases

The major objective of carrying out this research study was to investigate the extent of occupational health and safety of workers in Marondera Municipality Department of Water Works and Sewer. This being an area prone to many diseases such as fungal, air borne and water borne, workers are at continual risk of being affected and infected with different diseases and accidents.

The methods used to carry out the study were the interview method where workers were interviewed face to face by the researcher. Unstructured and structured interviews were used. Questionnaires were also used by the researcher when workers were given questionnaires to go and answer questions. Participant observation method was the last method used when the researcher had to go round with the workers during their daily chores. This proved to be quite helpful as the researcher had first hand information on what really goes on on the ground when workers are doing their duties.

The major findings were that the Municipality is not doing enough to protect its workers from diseases and accidents. The rate of infection and accidents are on the increase. Workers are not given enough protective clothing and labour inspectors are not even going around inspecting the working conditions in the department. Accidents do occur due to negligence and over familiarization by the workers. The long servings workers are the ones who usually take things for granted.

The researcher recommends that appropriate and effective health and safety management systems and procedures must be established, enforced and adhered to in order to ensure and assure the preservation of safety measures and human life.

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Background of the study Throughout the world, more than 50 000 accidents do occur annually. The greater proportion of workers are maimed and disabled for their entire lives. Other causes of these problems are occupational diseases which develop at work. More than 180 workers die annually through occupational accidents and diseases (ILO 1989). Regionally more than 1 000 000 people die and are injured at their work places. The trend is on the increase and the government seems not to be doing enough to curb the problems. In Zimbabwe there are many examples of occupational hazards and fatalities at workplaces. Notable accidents in Zimbabwe include Kamandama shaft in Wankie Coal Colliery mine where 472 employees perished. The explosion was caused by methane gas. The CABS Millennium tower accident on the second of December 1989 killed all 15 employees. The good host which was used to ferry employees to the upper floor failed above the 14th floor. It crashed, landed and killed all the 15 employees aboard. Another occupational health disaster is the Palm Groove Disaster in Shamva. On January 22 2004, a total of 37 workers were involved in the lorry accident on which 23 employees died and 14 sustained serious injuries when the lorry they were travelling in plunged into a dam over the bridge (On Guard 1999). The major reason why the researcher engaged on this study is that instead of a decrease in Health and Safety issues at workplaces, diseases, fatalities and hazards are on the increase in Zimbabwe. The health and safety of workers is being compromised and not being paid deservedly attention by the management. The hyperinflationary environment in Zimbabwe of 2008 worsened the situation as most firms failed to provide adequate safe working environments due to shortage of foreign currency. According to Berman (1978:55), He said, “like wages, the issue of job health and safety is a class issue. Clean working conditions cost money”. So for the firms to adequately cater for their employees safe working environments, was a tall order as the money was not available or in short supply.

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At the present moment, the issue of occupational health and safety is gaining momentum the world over with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) doing much of the research. Not much literature is available on this topic but internationally, ILO is on the fore front of doing research on the topic and providing literature on Statutes and Regulations. In Zimbabwe two bodies, the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Union (ZCTU) and National Social Security (NSSA) are also carrying out research and providing literature on the subject. The On Guard magazine is a NSSA endeavor to disseminate information on Occupational Health and Safety to firms to conscientise management and workers on the dangers, hazards and fatalities at the work place and how they can be prevented. The Zimbabwean Government should do a lot of research on the issue in order to provide a safe environment at the work place.

Aim of study The main aim of this study was to investigate the extent of Occupational Health and Safety for workers in the Waterworks and Sewer Department in Marondera Municipality. The Waterworks and Sewer Department is an area which is prone to many fungal, air borne and water borne diseases together with accidents. The selection of this area was to find out whether in such disease prone areas workers are being protected against such diseases.

The conceptual framework Many scholars have contributed towards the writing of Literature on Occupational Health and Safety. These writers have contributed much to or on issues related to European countries and these writers include Armstrong (1991), Phillipo (1985), Beach (1985), Massile (1987), Berman (1978) Confer .R and Confer .T (1994) and Harnson (1990). Not much has been written on issues pertaining to Africa. There are writers such as E. Wandure and Matande .M (2003), Bates (1996) Clement (1983), who have contributed literature on Zimbabwe. Their effort has been complimented by bodies which deal with workers such as ZCTU and NSSA. The On Guard is a monthly magazine by NSSA which deals strictly with Occupational Health and Safety issues only. The ILO also contributes greatly on these issues by way of publishing Regulations, Statutes and Conventions governing Occupational Health and Safety (OHS). A lot of ground needs to be covered for OHS to be recognized by firms as an area which needs concentration. Government and employees need to be very serious on the issue of OHS at the work place. Most countries use American and British Legislation on OHS. In Zimbabwe we use Statutes, Conventions and Regulations which are wholly Zimbabwean and others regulated by ILO. The government through NSSA has laws with such categories of work place hazardous factors which include chemical, physical (noise radiation, vibration etc), psychological and biological hazards. Some of the laws and conventions which govern the OHS in Zimbabwe are as follows:-

1. The NSSA Act Chapter 17:04;5.1 and 68. (1990) 2. The Factories and Workers Act Chapter 151; 08 3. The Hazardous Substances Act and Articles 51;37 (2000) 4. The Water/ Wastes and Efficient Regulations 51;274 (2000) 5. The Mining Management Safety Regulations 51;109 (1990) and lastly 6. The Occupational Health and Safety Act (1994).

NSSA act chapter 17:04 5.1 .68 (1990) This Statutory Instrument (SI) deals with the compensation issues to workers. Every worker in Zimbabwe contributes to NSSA in monthly subscriptions from his/her pay when the worker gets injured in an accident at work or gets a disease at work he/she is compensated by NSSA using the above instrument. The SI provides for the promotion of the accident prevention program at the work place and ensures that safety and health of all workers are covered by work compensation insurance fund. A worker will receive compensation and rehabilitation services of injuries at work.

Factors and workers act chapter 14:08 This deals with the registration and factors and the power of inspectors at the work place. It also approves plans, new factories, and existing building facilities. It lays down all procedures to be undertaken in the operation of procedures and maintenance requirements for persons working with machines.

The pneumonoconious act chapter 151:08 This section deals with the infection and respiratory system due to inhalation and dusty operations. Workers need to be examined periodically and issued with certificates. In Zimbabwe firms with cases rampant with pneumonoconious are Circle Cement, Shamva Mine, Saltrama and others which produce dust and dangerous gases which can be inhaled.

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The hazardous substance and article regulation 5;1;37 (2000). This section deals with the importation and exportation of hazardous waste oils and the delivery. A case in point is the disposal of toxic substance outside Abidjan by a French company. The waste posed a health hazard to residence of Abidjan and the waste was later transferred to Paris.

The mine management safety regulations chapter 1.37 (1990) It deals with the mining industry taking into account things like outlets. Ladder ways, travelling ways, ventilation and general machinery. It tells management what it should protect workers from e.g. chemicals, dust and physical injuries. It also stipulates duties which the mine manager needs to carry out as far as inspections and reporting of accidents in the mine is concerned.

ILO Convention 155 This statutory instrument clearly outlines the employer’s obligation to ensure safe working environments and provide adequate protective equipments and clothing to workers. It goes on to say that employers and workers’ representative bodies should cooperate in health and safety be given adequate information, appropriate training and to refuse dangerous environments. It states that safety and health standards should be maintained at all the times.

The labor relations act 28:01 (1992) Amended This clearly states that no employer shall make an employee to work under any conditions or situations which are below those prescribed by the law or by the convention practice of the occupation for the protection of such employees’ health and safety. This means that workers have the right to refuse to work under conditions they feel their safety is compromised. The government through the Labor Inspectors should constantly inspect work places for Occupational Health and Safety Standards. If any firm is found to be operating outside the stipulated regulations, production should be stopped immediately as this will endanger workers’ lives.

Methodology Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used. Three methods of collecting data for analysis were used. The Interview method (structured and unstructured, Questionnaires and Participant Observation methods were used to collect data. The three methods were used concurrently in order to improve the reliability and validity of the research. Twenty five workers were interviewed. Structured and unstructured interviews were used to collect information. Unstructured interviews were more popular and affective than the structured interviews. To them structured interviews appeared more scholarly and since most of them were not educated, it proved to be quite difficult. Both the management and the workers were cooperative when it came to face to face interviews. Forty Questionnaires were distributed to members of the Waterworks and Sewer Department. To reduce bias, questionnaires were randomly distributed to the workers of different grades. Not all 40 distributed questionnaires were returned to the site supervisor. Areas of difficulty were explained to the site Manager who later explained this to the workers who found some of the questions challenging. To get first hand information about OHS measures at the Waterworks and Sewer Department, visiting the site to observe workers doing their work was done. Travelling with workers around the township repairing burst and blocked sewer pipes was done. Putting on a navy blue work suit was a way of disguise to avoid the Hawthorne effect. The main aim was to check what the workers do on the ground, whether safety regulations were being observed, see what causes the accidents and to compare what they said on questionnaires and responded to during interviews with what they really did on the ground. The townships visited were Cherutombo, Dombotombo, Cherima and Nyameni. Most of the repairs were done in the oldest townships of Dombotombo and Cherima.

Research findings and discussions Marondera Municipality Waterworks is the department which deals with the provision of clean water to Marondera town. Water is drawn from two dams, Nyambuya and Rufaro. This involves drawing the water through pipes and treating it at the Waterworks in the industrial site before it is distributed to the whole town. The work involves repairing damaged pipes, oiling them, treating the water using chlorine and other chemicals. Sewer pipes range from 20cm in diameter to large intercepting sewers almost three meters. Sewer man inspects silt of blockages, removal and repairs of the network. Sewer involves domestic and industrial origins e.g mineral oils, acids, soaps, cyanides, tar etc (On Guard: March 2005 Vol 2 number 1). Control of all these products of industrial activities is often difficult for regulatory authorities who often find themselves victims of their operational constrain. These harmful materials confronting sewer men are hazardous and these include accident works and health risks.

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Accident Risks Most common hazards in sewer are gashing, deaths have occurred from poisoning from carbon monoxide, hydrogen, sulphide, benzene, lack of oxygen, hazardous carbon dioxide and methane concentrations. Others include temperatures, humidity, air movement and atmospheric toxicity vary widely from sewer to sewer and such gases in appropriate concentrates can be fatal. Health Risks Sewer men always suffer from leptospirosis polio mitoses, typhoid fever, and dermatitis wear and tear of the lumber spine, cardiovascular degeneration and conjunctivitis. Causes of Accidents When interviewed, the site Manager, the town Engineer and the workers themselves gave six reasons for the occurrence of accidents. The reasons can be placed under two sub headings namely human error and working conditions. In this case it was said by management that 70% of the accidents were caused by human error while 30% were caused by poor working conditions. During the participatory observation periods it was often found out that most workers were just careless, especially the long service ones. The new workers with less experience were the more careful ones. Table 1 below shows the records of the accidents of the year 2006 according to the statistics found from the management.

Table 1. Record of Accidents 2006

Name of Accident Cause Frequency Human error 1. Flouting of rules

2. Drunk redness 3. Lack of concentration 4. Lack of orientation

20 10 20 20

Working conditions 1. Machinery not well serviced 2. Lack of protective clothing

10 20

Source: (Council report 2006) Human Error

Flouting of rules Many experienced workers ignore some basic rules saying that they know and have seen it all. They ignore chlorinators, ladders and protective clothing and end up getting injured

Drunkenness This causes accidents in that alcohol clouds judgment. Some workers come to work drunk and end up in accidents because they misjudge things.

Lack of concentration Many workers do not concentrate when are doing their works. This causes accidents because maximum concentration is needed when dealing with chemicals and machines.

Lack of orientation 65% of the workers complained of lack of adequate induction for new recruits. The site manager also cited the problem of political interference as some office workers with no orientation are sent to the Waterworks and Sewer as punishment. They end up doing things that cause accidents because of lack of orientation.

Working Conditions

Machinery not well serviced The foreign currency shortage in the country caused many companies to indulge in risky undertakings, some machines at the Waterworks were not well serviced due to a shortage of spare parts and this may cause many accidents as a result of machine failure.

Lack of protective clothing Many workers cited lack of respirators, helmets, trench coats, rain coats, work suits, overalls and gloves as causing some of the many accidents in Marondera Municipality.

Kinds of accidents The majority of workers cited the following kinds of accidents as being the most common

1. Inhaling chlorine gas and hydrogen sulphide. 2. Inhaling lime dust 3. Falls in manholes and sedimentary tanks 4. Beaten by rods.

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Types of diseases The research was an eye opener to the real situation on the ground. The researcher discovered that the sewer men suffer from many diseases which are contracted during their working time. Some diseases even lead to deaths and some will eventually disable the workers.

Water borne diseases Dermatitis (skin Disease)

Air borne Tuberculosis Eye infection (e.g. Conjunctivitis)

Fungi Athlete’s foot (raw sewage is prone to infectious diseases). Athlete’s foot is a fungal disease common among workers in Marondera Municipality Sewer Department.

Conclusion From what was found out during the research OHS measures are not taken seriously in Marondera Municipality. The employees feel neglected when it comes to OHS matters. The psychological contract between workers and management is non-existent. Armstrong (1998: 195) said of the psychological contract, “it is a set of reciprocal but unwritten expectations that exist between individual employees and other employees”. Whilst workers felt neglected, management felt workers were troublesome. The level of accidents is still high. This is because management is not taking OHS matters seriously. Labour inspectors from NSSA have never visited Marondera Municipality since time immemorial. The workers do not even know that such visits from labour inspectors should be carried out. Marondera Municipality falls under the Local Government and therefore implementation of Labour Laws should be followed up by labour inspectors. This is not happening in Marondera. The causes of accidents are as follows, human error, poor working conditions and lack of protective clothing. Local government is also not doing enough to see to it that laws governing OHS are being abided to in all municipalities. The non availability of labour inspectors is a cause of concern especially when accidents are increasing like what is happening in Marondera. OHS matters should be treated with the urgency and seriousness it deserves.

Recommendations The following are possible solutions and recommendation to Marondera Municipality on how to deal with problems of OHS matters bedeviling it. The employees should have a workers representative body on OHS matters. These worker representatives should be given adequate information on measures taken by the employer to secure a safe and healthy work place. The employees should also be well conversant with the ILO convention 155, OHS of 1981. The conventions provide workers with information which causes imminent danger. A good example is that workers in Marondera Municipality who endanger themselves by working without respirators, gumboots and gloves in areas where they are needed most. Workers should also cooperate with management in fulfillment of Legal requirements of OHS matters. Both workers on the ground and workers representatives should be given adequate training on OHS matters. Workers should also report immediately to supervisors and management, imminent hazards and serious danger to their lives and ensure that remedial measures are taken. In Marondera Municipality this is not happening as most workers in the Waterworks and Sewer Departments are recruited along political lines. They risk their lives as they are not prepared to “bit the finger that feeds them”. Marondera municipality should also see to it that there is use of gas detectors of carbon monoxide and hydrogen sulphide. There should also be use of suitable respiratory or airlines. Use of protective clothing should also be high on the agenda. There should be pre employment and periodic examinations of workers for diseases that may endanger their lives. The site manager of Marondera Municipality Waterworks and Sewer said periodic checkups are usually done in November of each Year. There should also be vaccinations against leptospirosis, tetanus, typhoid fever and poliomyelitis. These diseases may endanger the lives of workers and they should be vaccinated against the disease before being engaged. Marondera Municipality should uphold the need to have occupational health matters dealt with as a matter of urgency. This should be done through regular meetings and seminars with workers and workers’ representatives or labor inspectors for NSSA. They should be invited to teach workers on OHS issues. They should also be posters in control rooms and places with dangerous equipment. This reminds workers of dangers that will be imminent.

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References

Armstrong M (1995) Human resources management and Practice, 7th Edition, Basingtone McMillan, London Bates A. (1996) – Personnel Management in Zimbabwe 2nd Edition, Graphic Image, Harare Berman, DS. (1985) – Death on the Job, Occupational Health and Safety Struggles in the United States, New York Human Sciences Press, New York Baloyi R.S. (1983) Occupational Health and Safety in Zimbabwe, Graphic Image, Harare Clement D. (1983) Occupational Health and Safety and Organized Labour, Mambo Press, Harare Confer G and Confer T.R. (1994) Occupational Health and Safety, Terms, Definitions and Abbreviations, Lewis Publishers, Tokyo Flippo E. (1981) – Personnel Management, Scott Publishers, Illinos. I.L.O. (1989) The Organisation of First Aid in the Workplace, Geneva On Guard (1999) Occupational Health and Safety Vol 11 No. 11, Harare Willis N. (1991) Hazards at work, Working for Health and Safety, Harare ZCTU (1991) Worker Participation in Workplace Hazards Screening Research Skills and Occupational Hygiene, Harare ZCTU (1992) Building Health and Safety from the shop floor, Harare ZCTU (1992) Protect the Rights of Injured Workers, Harare

Statutes

The Labour Relations Act (Chapter 28:01) (1992) The I.L.O. Convention (155) The Mining Management Regulations 5.1. 109 (1990) The Pneumonocosios Act (Chapter 151:08) Factories and Works Act (Chapter 14:05) Hazardous Substances Act and Articles Act (Chapter 15:05) 1996 N.S.S.A. Act (Chapter 17:04. 4.168) 1996