Principal: Safety first

 By LAZARUS BIRA

ALL companies are expected to be concerned about the safety of their employees in their work place, a Government official said.

Kanau Iobuna, the principal inspector for industrial safety and trade licensing, said every company should have a safety policy and a safety management system to ensure a safe and healthy environment for their employees. He was responding to the concern raised by Maive Aneva in Port Moresby who was worried about the safety of the workers employed by a Chinese construction company in the city.

MS Contractor is constructing a five-storey building in downtown Port Moresby.

Aneva said the workers were engaged in a very dangerous working environment which was putting their lives in danger. The workers were not provided safety gears such as work clothes, safety boots, helmets and proper machines to help workers lift objects.

A occupational health and safety inspection team visited the site last November.

Iobuna said they had already conducted the first inspection and made recommendations to the company to improve workers’ safety. “We are giving the construction company time to comply and meet all the safety requirements,” Iobuna said.

Iobuna said the team would be doing another visit to assess the situation.

He said if the construction company did not comply with the recommendations, they would order them to stop work until they meet the occupational safety and health standards.