The management of occupational health and safety services in the clinics in Mafikeng area, North West Province, South Africa

Abstract

The fundamental purpose of occupational health and safety is to avoid occupational diseases and injuries to the workers. Rendering these occupational health and safety services benefits the organisations in that time lost due to the worker(s) staying away from work treating the disease or injury is lessened. Productivity is also improved when the workers are healthy and working in healthy conditions. Lastly the organisations do not have to lose money in compensating the workers who have been disabled by the injuries and diseases sustained at work. The purpose of this study was therefore to determine whether the occupational health and safety services were effectively managed in the clinics in Mafikeng area with special emphasis being to determine whether the occupational health and safety services were accessible to the health care workers in the clinics in Mafikeng area, whether the workers were benefiting from these services, and whether there was recording and reporting of the occupational diseases and injuries sustained by the workers to their employers for compiling valid and reliable statistical reports on them, and thereafter implementing appropriate remedial measures. It is evident from the literature that global economic development of organisations revolves around offering effective and efficient occupational health and safety services to their workers. These workers should not only be taken as tools for production compromising their occupational health and safety. Disregarding this factor has unbearable socio-economic implications for the organisations, the workers, their immediate families and the country as a whole. Occupational health and safety for the health care workers should keep pace with developments around the world, to enhance their interest in their profession and their performance. Structured questionnaires were used to gather information from the workers in the clinics in Mafikeng area. The study was a survey type and the method used for data collection was the structured self- administered questionnaires. A sample of one hundred and fourty

(140) clinic personnel ( clinic managers, professional nurses, enrolled nurses and enrolled assistant nurses), from a population of one hundred and fifty three (153) were selected at random. The results of the study have indicated that the occupational health and safety services partially accessible to the workers in the clinics in Mafikeng area. Again only half of the respondents in the sample indicated that they benefited from these services. A large percentage of the respondents in the study indicated that there should be pre-placement medical examination of the workers, followed by periodic medical surveillance whilst the worker is still on duty and lastly exit medical examination when the worker retires or leaves employment. Again what has been noted with great concern is the fact that occupational diseases and injuries are poorly recognised, poorly recorded and poorly reported. This could be attributed to fragmentation of the service and the legislation goyerning it. It has also come to light that there is lack of tracing of the source and cause of an occupational injury or disease to the type of work the worker is performing. Much of the responses with regard to the findings stated above came from the professional nurses in the clinics, followed by the enrolled assistant nurses and lastly the enrolled nurses. The following are some of the recommendations made based on what the study has revealed: ❖ Health care workers in the clinics should record and report work-related diseases and injuries sustained. This will enhance compilation of reliable and valid statistical reports, with a view to implement appropriate remedial measures. ❖ Managers of the occupational health and safety services should ensure at all times that the services reach out to all the workers in the clinics in Mafikerig, and that the workers benefit from these services in terms of being medically examined on regular basis and treated accordingly.

the workers benefit from these services in terms of being medically examined on regular basis and treated accordingly. ❖ Health care workers in the clinics m Mafikeng area should adhere to the legislation (Acts and Policies) governing occupational health and safety by adhering to the standard operating procedures in the workplaces. ❖ Fragmentation of the occupational health and safety services should be adverted by drafting a common national policy encompassing all the departments dealing with occupational health and safety, such as Labour, Health, Mineral and energy Affairs, and Agriculture.