Occupational safety and health, on the World Day for Safety and Health at Work, 2021

Dr Musa Nyandusi Lwegado, Secretary, Directorate of Occupational Safety and Health, Ministry of Labour and Social Protection.

This year’s World day for Safety and Health is marked amid the Covid-19 pandemic with a call from the International Labour Organization (ILO) in the theme; ‘Anticipate, prepare and respond to crises - Invest Now in Resilient Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Systems’. In addition to efforts made to enhance safety and health in workplaces we are called upon to rise up to the occasion when a crisis knocks at our doors. The Covid-19 crisis has had hit the world of work in our country.

From the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic the Directorate of Occupational Safety and Health Services has been able to take its active role in ensuring that workplace hazards including those occasioned by the pandemic are mitigated. It is however important to note that delivery of the Directorate’s mandate was adversely affected due to the pandemic. Among the services affected were;