FIRMS have been warned against flouting safety rules, as registered violations only make up 20 per cent of offences taking place at worksites.
Adopting a culture of safety at worksites, including forming a health and safety committee, was also essential to ensuring the safety of labourers, according to Labour and Social Development Ministry occupational safety head Mustafa Al Shaikh.
Under Bahrain’s labour law, any worksite with 50 or more workers should have such a committee with not less than seven members to monitor the site and enforce safety.
Members of the committee should comprise the employer or manager, department heads, company physician, senior safety and occupational officer, and two workers either from a trade union or others.
Mr Al Shaikh told the GDN that such committees worked as the “technical arm” of the ministry’s safety section and were responsible for reporting unsafe acts or conditions at a workplace.
“Safety inspectors at the ministry cannot capture all or a high percentage of the violations in the worksite as leading the safety by enforcement is not functioning anymore,” said Mr Al Shaikh.
“By enforcement we register 20pc of the violations, which means the rest of them out there are possible factors contributing to worksite incidents.
“Therefore, we at the ministry, in co-operation with production parties take the necessary action to form a safety and health committee at worksites, which is mandatory as per law.
“These committees work as technical arms for the ministry’s safety section as there is a workers’ representative in these committees and they are reporting to us any unsafe acts or unsafe conditions.”
During random inspections, if labour inspectors find that no such committee has been put in place then the employer will be warned and subsequently referred to the Public Prosecution.
As per the 1976 ministerial order, updated in 2000 and revised in 2013, employers who fail to abide by the rule will face imprisonment for a period not exceeding three months and a fine between BD500 and BD1,000.
“We do random inspections and if we don’t find the committee in place, we will warn them with time for corrections, and if the same continues on the second visit the employer will be referred to the Public Prosecution,” explained Mr Al Shaikh.
“Legal action could result in both imprisonment and fines.”
The GDN reported earlier this month that the number of worksite accidents in Bahrain dropped last year, as a result of the ministry’s proactive strategies.
A total of 304 accidents were reported in 2019 compared to 367 in 2018, reflecting a 21 per cent fall.
Fatalities also dropped by nearly 30pc, from 21 in 2018 to 16 last year.
“We believe in preventive actions that prevent injuries or victims due to performing work,” added Mr Al Shaikh.
“Therefore we focus on conducting awareness sessions for the employers and employees in order to point out the importance of providing safety requirements in the worksites.
Commitment
“Safety culture of an organisation is the product of individual and group values, attitudes, perceptions, competencies, and patterns of behaviour that determine the commitment to, and the style and proficiency of, an organisation’s health and safety management.”
The GDN reported in August last year that 90pc of worksite accidents in Bahrain are due to employees resorting to “short cuts” which an expert blamed on a lack of “safety culture” among workers.
raji@gdn.com.bh
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