Assistant Minister for Employment, Alvick Maharaj says COVID-19 and other potential workplace biological hazards will no longer be classified as emerging but prevailing health risks and employers are required to formulate workplace policies and action plans to ensure Fiji’s workplaces are better prepared for any similar epidemic or pandemic in the future.
He says the Ministry will also formulate a Code of Practice towards combating COVID-19 or similar workplace biological hazards and diseases which will provide practical and technical guidance on preventative measures to combat these types of risks in the workplace.
Maharaj highlighted this during the opening of the World Day of Safety and Health Celebration and Workshop.
More than 70 members from different sectors are taking part in the workshop that will enable the Ministry of Employment to implement a national policy to prevent negative effects of the pandemic in the workplace in the future.
He further says the Ministry conducted COVID-19 compliance audit of 17,070 workplaces in the formal and informal sectors last year and noted 99.75% of the total workforce were vaccinated for the first dose of COVID-19 vaccination and 99.72% were fully vaccinated by 30th November last year.
Participants in the one day workshop include representatives from the agriculture, fisheries, forestry, communications, wholesale, retail, hotel and tourism, manufacturing, transport and construction sectors as well as from government and statutory organisations.
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