The Women on Farms Project (WFP), with its head office in Stellenbosch, is one of several unions and civil organisations that have called on the National Labour Department to implement more rigorous protocols on farm owners aimed at protecting the health of workers, who are exposed to hazardous chemicals agents often in the form of pesticides.
WFP and its partners, such as the Africa Centre for Biodiversity, the Commercial Stevedoring and the Agricultural Allied Workers Union, claim that several farm employers continue to disregard regulations pertaining to usage of hazardous chemicals agents, exposing farmworkers to an array of health complications.
WFP’s Kara Grace said the group remain in a state of disbelief over hazardous chemicals that have not yet been banned in South Africa.
“The European Union has placed very strict regulations and, in some instances, even a total ban on the use of hazardous chemical agents. If these are considered harmful for people on that side of the world, then that should be the case in SA as well.
“Quite often we would find that on many farms in the Western and Eastern Cape employers simply ignore protocol and regulation in place. Workers are left to use these chemicals on farms without proper personal protective equipment.
“They are exposed to the chemicals on the farm, are not provided with the means to disinfect themselves and often take those chemicals home where children and elderly are also exposed.”
She added WFP has rejected the Department of Employment and Labour’s draft Regulations on Hazardous Chemical Agents (RHCA), which are found under the Health and Safety Act.
Former Minister of Employment and Labour Thulas Nxesi published the draft for public comment on Friday 5 April.
According to Grace farmworkers were never consulted when the regulations were drafted.
“These are the people who are directly affected and exposed because they work with the chemical agents to earn a living. They live on these farms where the pesticides are used. They were never consulted.”
Teboho Thejane, spokesperson for the Department of Labour and Employment, confirmed a total of 32 interested and affected parties had commented on the draft regulations. “Some of these parties are indeed from the agricultural sector. Others are industrial associations, NGOs, medical practitioners, state-owned entities and private companies and individuals,” he related
“These comments are now being consolidated in preparation for tabling to the Technical Committee for consideration.”
He said these draft regulations will have to follow due process before promulgation and implementation.
“Pesticides used in agriculture are, by design, hazardous for the purpose of their application. All pesticides and agricultural remedies have to be registered with the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development before it is released to the market,” Thejane explained.
“All hazardous chemical agents must be classified by the manufacturers and the health hazards identified and disclosed. This information is provided to users via the safety data sheet and label.”
All regulations under the Occupational Health and Safety Act are enforced through the inspectorate in the department, which can serve notices and recommend transgressions for prosecution. The Act and RHCA place a responsibility on the employer to identify and assess all hazards employees may be exposed to.
Farmworkers’ unions recently held a picket outside Parliament calling for a total ban on hazardous pesticides usage on farms.
