The Minister of Labor and Social Security, Margarida Adamugi Talapa, says that the government is engaged in actions to raise awareness of employers and workers in order to ensure greater hygiene, safety and health at work and prevent the occurrence of occupational accidents.

In fact, Margarida Talapa mentioned that the country registers an average of 525 occupational accidents per year, a fact that she considers worrying. As an example, in 2021 the Ministry of Labor and Social Security received 600 notifications on the occurrence of accidents at work, which resulted in 22 deaths, 471 cases of temporary disability, 91 cases of partial permanent disability and 18 cases of total permanent disability.

The Minister of Labor and Safety says, however, that studies conducted on accidents at work in our country indicate that the numbers mentioned above are very far from reality, since eventually not all companies report the occurrence of accidents at work.

Margarida Talapa presented this data in her opening speech at the 5th National Conference on Safety and Health at Work, an event that took place in the Moatize district, in the city of Tete, and that served to celebrate the World Day for Safety and Health at Work on April 28 under the slogan "Acting together to build a positive safety and health culture.

"We intend to reflect together on the problematic of this situation in our country, to renew our commitment to guarantee respect for the dignity of the worker, not only those postulated in international law but also those provided for in our mother law, the Constitution of the Republic," said Talapa addressing 250 participants present at the venue and a vast auditorium connected through the digital platforms of the Ministry of Labor and Social Security.

According to the head of the labor and social security department, the number one gain of this event is to create general awareness among employers and employees for ensuring safety and health in the workplace:

"This forum we are in today is one of the mechanisms through which we intend to raise the awareness of employers and workers, about the importance of promoting occupational safety and health, both for the employer and the worker, as well as for society as a whole."

The 5th National Conference on Safety and Health at Work was also the stage for an exhibition of about 10 companies aimed at promoting good practices in occupational safety and health. (DCI/MITSS)