labour.gov.fj : National Occupational Health & Safety Service Fiji
Organization : Ministry of Employment, Productivity and Industrial Relations
Facility : National Occupational Health & Safety Service
Country : Fiji
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Website : http://www.labour.gov.fj/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=72&Itemid=210
Health & Safety Service :
The successful OHS Reform model in Fiji has been internationally recognized and promoted by ILO over the years.
Related : Blood Donation Fiji Ministry of Health & Medical Services : www.statusin.org/27828.html
Lately, under the auspices of the ILO South Pacific Office, Fiji’s model has been adopted in PNG where the Ministry has been successful completed PNG’s draft OHS bill last year.
The National Occupational Health and Safety Service is responsible for the promotion of OHS and enforcement of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1996 and its subsidiary legislations and the Workmen’s Compensation Act (Cap. 98).
The activities of the NOHSS are based on the concept of ‘duty of care’ principles and promotes a proactive OHS risk management culture emphasizing the creed that ‘those who create the risks in the workplace and those who work with them have the primary responsibility to solve them’, rather than relying on OHS Inspectors to prescribe the remedies as encouraged in the former statutory and administrative arrangements under the former Factories Act.
The Service aims to promote and maintain a working environment, which is healthy and safe to both workers and employers and directly contributes to improved productivity.
This is achieved by improved OHS awareness through the training of OHS Committees and OHS Representatives, joint OHS partnership projects, development of OHS Regulations and Codes of Practice, OHS audits, investigations and enforcement initiatives.
The Service also processes Workers Compensation claims for work-related injuries and deaths.
The Service comprises of the following three (3) specialised units :
(i) Training, Accreditation, Chemical and Hygiene (TACH)
The TACH Unit is responsible for occupational health and safety training which is an integral part of the OHS management strategy and the implementation of its policies and procedures.
It is also responsible for the administration and delivery of specialized OHS Training and Promotion for OHS Committees and Representatives in workplaces around the country.
The Unit is also responsible for Chemical Assessment and Control and Occupational Hygiene services, and administers Part IX of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1996, which stipulates the assessment and control of chemicals including pesticides that are used in Fiji’s workplaces.
The Unit also conducts occupational hygiene audits of workplaces as part of its duties, which predominantly undertakes the supervision of asbestos removal in affected buildings around the country.
In view of the high risks involved with this specific activity, the Unit is also responsible for the training of workers involved in the actual asbestos removal and disposal processes.
Within the TACH unit is HIV and AIDS unit which operates under the Health and Safety at Work Act, 1996, National code of practice for HIV and AIDS in the Workplace 2007 and the Employment Relations Promulgations 2007.