Workers bear brunt of poor safety

Soot-covered faces. Bare feet. Blistering heat. Workers crawling inside hot industrial boilers.

This is the daily reality for some employees at Haroon Company in Blantyre, where concerns over workplace safety have raised questions about how effectively Malawi’s labour laws are being enforced.

Inside the factory, soot, ash and debris cover working areas. Some workers handle hazardous materials without adequate protective equipment, while others spend hours working around industrial boilers.

One worker emerged from a boiler covered in soot and ash.

“It is like this daily. But what can we do? We don’t have the right to complain; otherwise, if I am are fired, who is going to take care of my children?” he said.

For many workers, the fear of unemployment outweighs concerns about their safety.

Some have worked for years on temporary contracts and say they know little about their rights or where to seek help when conditions become unsafe.

“We don’t and can’t remember what we agreed with the employer. We just work because we didn’t know that this is required. No one has his contract at home,” one worker said.

Another added: “We are forced into these conditions because we don’t have anywhere else to go.”

The 39-year-old, who did not want to be named, said he has a wife and two children, the eldest aged 12.

The working conditions have also raised concerns about the long-term health of employees exposed to soot, fumes and excessive heat.

Kamuzu University of Health Sciences professor of public health Adamson Muula warned that prolonged exposure could have serious consequences.

“Continuous exposure to smoke, soot and fumes can affect the respiratory system, while excessive heat places additional stress on the body. The longer workers are exposed without adequate protection, the greater the concern,” Muula said.

Fine particles from soot can penetrate deep into the lungs, while prolonged exposure to polluted air may contribute to respiratory and cardiovascular problems.

Heat exposure presents another danger, with workers at risk of dehydration, heat exhaustion and, in severe cases, heatstroke. Fatigue can also reduce concentration and increase the risk of workplace accidents.

Malawi’s Occupational Safety, Health and Welfare Act requires employers to protect the safety, health and welfare of employees and provide working environments that are safe and without risks to health.

The law also requires employers to take measures where excessive heat is produced and provide suitable protective clothing and equipment where workers are exposed to heat or injurious substances. Employers must also take practicable measures to protect workers from harmful dust and fumes.

During a visit to Haroon Company last Thursday, Labour, Innovation and Skills Minister Joel Chigona gave management 15 days to rectify the safety concerns.

Failure to comply, he warned, could result in the closure of the company.

Haroon general manager Muhamad Hadi acknowledged that workers had been exposed to harm, blaming some of the shortcomings on the absence of a dedicated human resources officer.

“We don’t have the human resources. We have managers to manage all the attendance and the papers and all things. But as a proper one person who can manage all the things called human resource, we don’t have right now, which we think is making us overlook some of these basic things,” he said.

Employers Consultative Association of Malawi executive director George Khaki said the situation was unacceptable.

“This is a minimum standard that all employers, without fail, need to abide by. These are laws that must be followed,” he said.

Khaki called for tougher penalties and stronger enforcement against employers who breach workplace safety regulations.

He said employers must understand that protecting workers is not only a legal obligation but also essential to productivity and business continuity.

The safety concerns, however, extend beyond Haroon.

At GM Plastics, workers were found handling hot moulded plastic without gloves. Some had no protective shoes, while electrical wires ran across the factory floor.

The findings came about a month after three people died and 21 others were injured at the company.

GM Plastics founder Anjum Gulzar said the company provides protective equipment but acknowledged that some workers sell the gear provided to them.

“But we will address the issues as said,” he said.

Established in 2008, GM Plastics manufactures buckets, basins, crates and other plastic products and employs about 420 workers, according to Gulzar.

Chigona ordered operations to stop after finding continued labour and safety violations despite an earlier inspection and instructions to rectify the problems.

The inspections formed part of similar exercises Chigona conducted in Lilongwe and Mzuzu last month.

He also ordered the closure of Herley Furniture and Interiors in Lilongwe over labour-related concerns.

“This should never be tolerated. We are going for every company neglecting the regulations according to the law. There is no excuse for not giving the employees safety,” Chigona said.

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