29 May 2023

The Debswana Diamond Company in collaboration with the University of Botswana, Botswana Chamber of mines and other partners on Thursday signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish an occupational hygiene programme in Botswana.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Debswana Diamond Company managing director, Mr Andrew Motsomi labeled the pioneer move a fundamental transformation across Botswana’s public and private sectors, and that it resonated well with his company’s practice of holding the safety and health of its employees as a top priority.

“The signing of this MoU by critical stakeholders being Debswana Diamond Company, Botswana Association for Occupational Hygiene, Botswana Chamber of Mines and the Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs will assure our employees in Botswana of their fundamental rights of safety and health at the workplace,” he said.

Mr Motsomi said occupational hygiene was a fundamental right as it ensured that employees retired as healthy as they entered the workplace, adding that the MoU would help address the low industry awareness and skills scarcity and legislation on the field, hence the need to foster partnerships.

He also stressed that it was worrying that Botswana had only 31 occupational hygiene officials, with majority of them employed by Debswana.

“The country therefore, needs a more robust and far reaching national occupational hygiene programme that will address the subdued industry appreciation of the occupational hygiene discipline, with the key objective to prevent occupational exposures from the many stressors that may have impact on workers’ health and wellbeing,” he said.

Mr Motsomi said establishing the programme would also ensure industry cohesion and established linkages that would boost the country’s economy in its quest to be at par with the rest of the world that was currently dominated by highly digitised economies.

“A collaborative approach allows us to progress in one accord in developing the education sector and producing sharp graduates who will easily be absorbed into Botswana’s growing economy,” he said.

He therefore challenged other stakeholders  to come on board and establish full-bodied occupational hygiene programmes that would come with real benefits.

Mr Motsomi also assured his company’s readiness to assist other organisations planning to establish their own working occupational hygiene programmes.

For his part, Debswana’s executive head of corporate services, Mr Bonny Thebenyane said the International Labour Organisation estimated that millions of workers lose their lives annually due to work-related accidents and illnesses, which cost families and the global economy an estimated at US$1.25 trillion.

He said this then called for more focus on health and safety in the workplace. He added that the signing of the MoU was therefore a timely and welcome intervention that would help reduce liabilities on the employers, and improve health and wellbeing of all employees in the country.

Botswana Chamber of Mines Chief Executive Officer, Mr Charles Siwawa in his vote of thanks said it was their hope in the mining industry that the programme would help fill the existing shortage of skills in the field.

He also said it was good that most of the few available professionals in occupational hygiene were in the mining industry as it was one of the most hazardous industries.

“Organisations should take the safety of their employees as priority, with compensation coming in only as a last resort. This can only be achieved by an occupational hygiene programme like the one we are here for,” he said.

Mr Siwawa also said there was a need to totally eliminate occupational diseases, something he said could only be achieved by putting the right measures in place. ENDS