https://www.miningweekly.com
Africa|Engineering|engineering news|Health|Industrial|Manufacturing|Mining|Safety|Products|Solutions
Africa|Engineering|engineering news|Health|Industrial|Manufacturing|Mining|Safety|Products|Solutions
africa|engineering|engineering-news|health|industrial|manufacturing|mining|safety|products|solutions

Pan-African conference seeks to bolster OHS on the continent

Thuthula Balfour

Thuthula Balfour

Photo by Creamer Media's Tasneem Bulbulia

13th September 2019

By: Tasneem Bulbulia

Senior Contributing Editor Online

     

Font size: - +

OSHAfrica’s inaugural Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Conference – triennial conferences that will be held across the African continent – is a Pan-African, collaborative endeavour that is aimed at bringing together stakeholders from South Africa, the rest of Africa and beyond to discuss the challenges in OHS on the continent.

The conference will be held from September 18 to 20 in Johannesburg.

Speaking to Creamer Media’s Engineering News Online and Mining Weekly Online on Friday, Minerals Council South Africa health head and OSHAfrica trustee Dr Thuthula Balfour said the continent was lagging behind in terms of OHS. Therefore, practitioners and sector participants would come together to seek to improve OHS through cross-continental information exchange, data collection and best practice knowledge sharing.

She said the conference would conclude with a declaration on what industry stakeholders should be doing in terms of OHS.

The declaration will be presented to the African Union (AU) so that the outcomes of the conference can be formally included in the AU’s agenda.  

She indicated that this would enable key resolutions from the conference to be assessed and monitored from one conference to another.

The conference will span across industries, ranging from mining and agriculture to manufacturing; and across OHS professions, ranging from safety and medical to occupational hygiene.

It will be of interest to anyone who wants to help translate the challenges faced in OHS into opportunities and practice for the benefit of the region and the world at large.

The conference is a collaborative effort, organised by OSHAfrica, the Minerals Council as a key sponsor, South Africa’s Department of Labour providing support and endorsement, and notable partners including the International Labour Organisation and the World Health Organisation.

This event will be interactive, providing useful and meaningful deliberation about daily OHS issues across individual, organisational, national and regional levels.

Balfour highlighted that the conference would boast notable speakers from an international and local level, including the Zambian Minister of Mines, who will give a keynote address during the opening session, and South Africa’s Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize closing the conference. 

The conference will host panel discussions – with a good balance across industries – including OHS, the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the future of work, risk and safety management, occupational hygiene challenges and communicable diseases.

Further, Balfour highlighted discussions around gender in the workplace, with many still not geared towards accommodating women. An expert from a Nordic country will lead this panel, with Balfour noting Nordic countries were among the most advanced in terms of women empowerment.

She also highlighted the inclusion of parallel sessions on mining specifically, with these including artisanal and small-scale mining. She acclaimed that the informal sector had been included in the programme as separate sessions, which was notable given that it was usually overlooked.

“To prevent high mortalities from occupational exposure and improve OHS, the informal sector needs to be included.”

There will also be exhibitors at the conference, showcasing products and technologies applicable to OHS.

While the event advocates for Pan-Africanism, it comes at a time when South Africa is once more grappling with a spate of xenophobic violence.

Balfour said this had had an impact on the conference, with some delegates apprehensive about travelling to South Africa, and several having pulled out of the event.

“As South Africa, we need to step up at the conference and show that we are a part of the continent, and the solutions and challenges we face are similar to the rest of Africa.”

She communicated her hope that the conference would assist in bringing countries together over shared aims and common cause.  

Balfour encouraged people, especially South Africans, to attend the conference. “We have high calibre speakers, topics and discussions, at the level of an international conference, but at a local price.”

Edited by Chanel de Bruyn
Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor Online

Comments

Showroom

Weir Minerals Africa and Middle East
Weir Minerals Africa and Middle East

Weir Minerals Europe, Middle East and Africa is a global supplier of excellent minerals solutions, including pumps, valves, hydrocyclones,...

VISIT SHOWROOM 
Aqs image
AQS Liquid Transfer

AxFlow AQS Liquid Transfer (Pty) Ltd is an Importer and Distributor of Pumps in Southern Africa

VISIT SHOWROOM 

Latest Multimedia

sponsored by

Hyphen, Eva mine, ferrochrome price make headlines
Hyphen, Eva mine, ferrochrome price make headlines
27th March 2024
Resources Watch
Resources Watch
27th March 2024

Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):

Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format

Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):

All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.

Already a subscriber?

Forgotten your password?

MAGAZINE & ONLINE

SUBSCRIBE

RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA

SUBSCRIBE

CORPORATE PACKAGES

CLICK FOR A QUOTATION







sq:0.144 0.18s - 109pq - 2rq
Subscribe Now