Prioritise worker safety
The tragic death of two female construction workers who were digging a deep trench when the walls around them caved in, are stark reminders of the absolute necessity for construction companies especially to enforce the required legal safety precautions.
It is a well-known fact that the more established companies in the Zululand region, as well as the corporates, have a very proud record when it comes to observing safety rules.
Of the emergent companies however, many still have much to learn about protecting their workers against the hazards of heights, drifting sands, electrical accidents and other such work related dangers.
The point at issue is that the owners of such companies cannot shift the responsibility for serious injuries, or for the deaths of workers, to anyone but themselves.
The law is very clear on this and where workers are killed on the job it should have been the responsibility of the employer to ensure that all the necessary safety precautions had been taken, and are properly communicated to those who are doing the work.
It is all good and well for inexperienced companies to be initiated into the joys of earning big money on exciting new construction jobs - that is a part of empowering upcoming new forces in industry - but there is a duty on the part of those who employ others to guarantee their safety while earning profits for their employers.
That the employees so killed leave behind families to often fend for themselves, is another major problem.
Managing a modern, job-creating economy is not a picnic and the sooner the complexities of safety measures, insurance cover and other arrangements to guarantee the standards of both safety and profitability are realised, the better.
Wolf word skaapwagter
Na die eerste demokrastiese verkiesings in ons land, het talle werklose bannelinge, ook van die wat militêr opgelei is en wat nie kon werk kry in die veiligheidsmagte nie, hulle dienste aan sekuriteitsfirms in die land gebied.
Nou word die aantyging gemaak, soos Maandag in hierdie koerant berig, dat gesoekte misdadigers as wolwe in skaapsklere paradeer deur veiligheidswerk vir maatskappye te doen wat verantwoordelik is vir die beveiling van ons geboue en private eiendom.
Niks dien die georganseerde misdaad 'n taaier klap as die feit dat mense vir 'n bestaan moet werk nie. Waar daar werkloosheid is, floreer misdaad.
Dis egter 'n heel ander saak as diegene wat aangestel is om die welsyn en veiligheid van die volk te waarborg, self van misdadigheid beskuldig word.
Trouens dit is een van die baie ernstige aantygings wat teen Kommissaris Jackie Selebi van die SA Polisiedienste gemaak word en wat ondersoek gaan word - dat hy kop in een mus was met leidende figure uit die skemerwêreld van die georganiseerde misdaad.
Hoe gouer hierdie aantygings teen ons kommersiële veiligheidsdienste deur die betrokke veiligheidsmaatskappye besweer word, hoe beter.
Die veiligheidsbedryf moet tot die bevrediging van die hele volk toon dat hy nie alleen behoorlik geregistreerde werknemers in diens neem nie, maar ook dat hy nie 'n heenkome bied aan diegene wat voortvlugtend is nie, of aan diegene wat kriminele rekords het nie.
Anders is die land in groot moeilikheid.
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