27 Apr 2017

The country’s biggest power station, Morupule B, has been awarded a three star certificate for upholding good practice in implementing safety, health and environmental programmes.
Receiving the certificate during the World Safety and Health Day in the Workplace on Wednesday, the power plant manager, Mr Hendrick Pelser said Morupule B has just completed two consecutive years without a fatality.
“The onus is upon ourselves to ensure that 2017/2018 is also injury free,” he said.
He said it was upon themselves to maintain a good standing and strive to improve, adding that such improvements could only happen if they work as a team and demonstrate high levels of commitment across all levels.
He also commended the power station employees for improved and consistent production during 2016/17, adding “we observed an increase in output of 65 per cent.

He urged all departments to plan at the right time to ensure that the power station achieved service excellence in line with the Botswana Power Corporation MASA 2020 transformation strategy.
Mr Pelser, however, said despite the achievements, the power plant recorded a high number of lost time injuries leading to a lost time frequency rate of 0.39 against the target of 0.27.
“As we begin the 2017/18 financial year, I want to urge you all that despite the challenges we need to start thinking outside the box and be innovative to achieve sustainable development.”
Regarding labour inspection statistics, he said the statistics, including data on occupational accidents and occupational diseases, helped labour inspectorates to improve their strategic planning, programming and evaluation of inspection activities.
Through such inspections, he said organisations such as BPC were able to improve their level of compliance to legal statutes such as the factories act, waste management act and employment act.

He said the MASA 2020 goal was to be the leading power distributor in the region, and that it could only be achieved if all employees were fit and all systems were effective to help employees deliver as per the shareholders mandate.
Mr Pelser noted that sustainable development eight, in particular, provided for the promotion of “inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all,” adding that it also called for the “protection of labour rights and promotion of safe and secure working environments for all workers, including migrant workers, in particular women migrants and those in precarious employment.”
He said these International Labour Organisation instruments recognised that the collection and utilisation of reliable occupational safety and health data were indispensable for the detection of new hazards and emerging risks, the identification of hazardous substances and the development of preventive measures.

For her part, IRCA Global Botswana managing director, Ms Masego Lekgowe commended Morupule B for ensuring safety in the workplace.
She, however, said more needs to be done, urging the power station employees to work harder to increase the three stars they received to five stars.
The day was held under the theme: Optimise the collection and use of data which emphasises on the critical need for countries to improve their capacity to collect and utilise reliable occupational safety and health data to better their programmes. ENDS