Parliament, Friday, 07 September 2018 – The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Labour, Mr Lemias Mashile, has called on employers to take steps that ensure compliance with health and safety standards.

The two tragic incidents in Cape Town and Johannesburg have highlighted the urgent need for steps to review safety measures within work environments to safeguard workers. The Department of Labour, through labour inspectors, must be in the forefront of ensuring high levels of safety standards. Employees must at all times also report unsafe work places.

It is of utmost importance that government departments undertake a comprehensive review of buildings they own and inhabit to ensure that they comply with safety standards, as custodians of these standards.

Above all, a comprehensive investigation must be undertaken to get to the root cause of the fire in Johannesburg and preventative measures must be put in place to avert such incidents from occurring again. 

ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON LABOUR, MR LEMIAS MASHILE 

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