THE government is set to launch a crackdown targeting employers who have not registered with the Occupational Safety and Health Authority (OSHA) to address hazardous conditions at their work places.

Deogratius Ndenjembi, Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office (Labour, Youth, Employment and Persons with Disability) gave the warning here ahead of the World Day for Safety and Health at Work or simply Safety Day to be marked nationally in Arusha on Sunday.

The day marks global events with experts and guest speakers from governments, employers and workers discussing how to protect workers and respond to their challenges.

He said records from the Workers Compensation Fund (WCF) show that some 4,993 accidents and 249 disease cases at work places were reported and caused a total of 217 deaths between July 2019 and July 2021.

The minister noted that OSHA manages workplace safety and health by ensuring that all employers in the country put in place structures and systems that ensure workplace safety and health.

“I urge all employers who have not registered with OSHA to do so immediately as the government will launch a crackdown after safety day in Arusha,” he said.

He added that the government is committed to improving safety at work places and called on employers to register with the authority and also adhere to related work regulations.

Ndenjembi explained that through OSHA, the government has managed to closely monitor implementation of the Occupational Safety and Health Act, No. 5 of 2003 by different stakeholders in the country.

 OSHA chief executive officer Khadija Mwenda said in recent years there has been an increase in the number of employers applying for safety and health training at their workplaces.

“This is an important indicator of success. OSHA focuses on educating rather than punishing to ensure that employers are held accountable without a hitch” she said.

However, she said there are challenges of low awareness among employers and workers about the importance of focusing on occupational safety and health issues, and violations of conditions by not adhering to safety and health standards.

Another challenge stems from the mistaken belief among some employers that the costs of ensuring workplace safety and health are too high.

Research has proven that the benefits of workplace safety and health are greater than the cost, she said.

The United Nations International Labour Organisation (ILO) has been observing Safety Day since 2003 in a bid to prevent occupational accidents and diseases globally.

For this year’s World Day for Safety and Health at Work, ILO focuses on how climate change impacts workers’ safety and health.

A new report released this week by ILO found more than 70 percent of the global workforce are likely to be exposed to climate-change-related health hazards, with existing occupational safety and health protections struggling to keep up with the resulting risks.

The report ‘Ensuring Safety and Health at Work in a Changing Climate’ says that climate change is already having a serious impact on the safety and health of workers in all regions of the world.

ILO estimates that more than 2.4 billion workers out of a global workforce of 3.4 billion are likely to be exposed to excessive heat at some point during their work.