The Federation of Employers Association of Seychelles (FEAS) will be holding a three-day seminar which will focus on factors impeding productivity at work, especially Occupational Health & Safety (OHS).

Around 40 participants from various organisations will meet at the Belle Vue d'Or  Restaurant at La Louise as from Wednesday September 11, to assess the working conditions at various working places in the country and come up with an action plan to ensure that all organisations are committed to implementing the Occupational Health & Safety practices.

The seminar entitled "Occupational Health & Safety and Enhanced Productivity," is being organised in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment and will be launched by Minister Dolor Ernesta.

While agreeing that OHS and productivity had been much talked about in the past, the executive secretary of FEAS, Mr Gilbert Sultan-Beaudoin, said that safety practices were being poorly implemented thus contributing to a drop in productivity in certain companies. Besides absenteeism and punctuality, one of the biggest problems affecting the working environment to date, he said, was the lack of commitment on behalf of certain management to implement the OHS practices at work places.

He told Business Nation that while some organisations were not encouraging safe and healthy practices, others were doing so on a selective basis. 

For instance, he said, while the management of an organisation would ensure that their secretaries get the best care, such as comfortable chairs and monitor filters, this is not the case for the support staff such as the gardeners or maintenance staff, who are not provided with sufficient protective gears.

It is important for all companies to start developing a culture of safe and healthy practices at all levels of their departments, because without a safe and hygienic working environment, workers' health are affected and productivity drops, Mr Beaudoin said.

These days, he added, there had been an increase in the number of accidents in several work places caused by negligence, and some of the common areas are manufacturing, construction and in the maritime sector, especially among the stevedores.

"We need to remind our social partners that they can only achieve enhanced productivity if they create the proper working environment for their workers," he told Business Nation.

During the three days, the participants will present and debate on topics such as work-related diseases, risks management, the implementation of Industrial Relations Act 1993, overview of OHS in the country, welfare facilities, the impact of HIV/AIDS, productivity through active management participation, chemical safety, labour productivity, costs of accidents and pre-employment tests.

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