MAHIKENG MAIL - MAHIKENG: The recent roof collapse at the Department of Health’s Provincial Office is a complete reminder of the systemic neglect and blatant disregard for worker safety that has been plaguing the department for years.
The Office Park NEHAWU Branch Executive raised concerns about the building’s structural integrity and non-compliance issues over seven years ago, but their warnings fell on deaf ears.
The employees of the department have been working in building with serious cracks and structural defects for far too long.
The NEHAWU branch had been raising concerns about the working conditions, but management chose to silence them by suspending the branch executive seven years ago. The last branch general meeting was held in August 2020 and since then there has been complete silence on whether the building was going to be fixed.
It’s a miracle that no one was injured - however too little, too late, after several warnings tha the building had compliance issues.
The Department of Labour’s inspection and prohibition order are a clear indication that the department’s claims of prioritising worker safety are hollow. The fact that a structural engineer is only now being brought in to assess the damage, is a damning indictment of the department’s handling of the situation.
The department issued a statement which confirmed the collapse of the roof.
“The Department of Labour was notified and conducted an inspection on the same day, subsequently issuing a prohibition order stating that the right wing of the second floor must not be occupied. In addition, the professional service provider was assigned to carry out further inspection, which took place on 12 October. The findings indicated significant defects and recommended that the entire second floor be vacated.
“A structural engineer is scheduled to conduct a detailed inspection from 13 October, after which a comprehensive report with recommendations will be provided. The Department of Labour will also be conducting an assessment on 13 October.
“It is therefore directed that all officials who are based on the second floor refrain from occupying their work spaces except if to temporarily and briefly remove documents and/ or tools and should work from home till directed otherwise,” read the statement.
