Chief Inspector Addresses Safety Practitioners

The Department of Labour's Chief Inspector of Occupational Health and Safety (OHS), Thobile Lamati addressed delegates at a Health and Safety Conference held at the Master Builders KwaZulu-Natal Westville office recently.
 
Lamati's topic, "New Corporate Culture - Embracing Occupational Health and Safety", covered work safety as part of Corporate Social Responsibility. He referred to the King 3 Report that was launched on 1 September 2009 and how it will impact on corporate reporting, which will now have to include Occupational Health and Safety performances and not just the organizations financial status.
 
Lamati went on to explain the synergy between Occupational Health & Safety and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). "OHS is an important aspect of CSR since workforce safety is one of the aspects used to measure companies overall progress in CSR and must include product and workforce safety and health, as well as labour standards and working conditions, equal opportunity and access to employment" said Lamati.
 
In closing Lamati said that unlike economic losses, human suffering has no measurable cost.  To protect lives and the health of workers, active participation and effort on the part of labour, management, government, experts and the entire OHS community is necessary. Occupational injuries and illnesses not only cause misfortune for the individual involved, but also for families, companies and the national economy as a whole. In order to prevent this, we need to intensify the activities for OHS and raise the awareness of it. While CSR has been expanded socially and a number of companies have published CSR reports, the reality is somewhat different.  The show of concern and investment in labour on the part of companies, especially in the field of Occupational Health and Safety, remains insufficient.

The Thobile Lamati Fact File:

Thobile Lamati is currently the Chief Inspector of the Department of Labour.

• Qualification; Chemical Engineer by training, Certificate in Executive Development and currently doing Masters in Business Leadership
• Worked at Kendal Power Station – As a junior engineer for a year
• Joined the Department of Labour as an inspector focusing in Chemical Industry
• Left the Department of Labour in 2000 to join Department of Public as a Control Inspector - the goals was to set up OHS Structures through out the Department. This exposed him to the built environment and enhanced my understanding of construction related issues
• In 2002 rejoined the Department of Labour as the Deputy Director responsible for Inspection and Enforcement Services in the Western Cape
• In 2005, appointed as the Provincial Director: Western Cape
• In 2009, appointed as the Chief Inspector
• Chairperson of the Advisory Council on Occupational Health and Safety
• Board member of the Railway Safety Regulator

Neels Nortjé | Safety Manager