Company fined R30 000
September 18th, 2009A company based in Tzaneen, Limpopo, has been slapped with a R30 000 fine for failing to comply with health and safety regulations.
According to Albert Tshidavhu, the provincial labour department’s executive manager, labour inspectors had, during an on-site inspection, issued Klinkert Enterprises with a prohibition notice.
The crackdown brought the company’s owner, known only as Mr Klinkert, to book for contravening the law. This effectively ordered Klinkert to stop work until the prescribed health and safety standards were met.
In terms of the notice, the employer was ordered to notify the Department of Labour of intended construction work in writing before commencement. The company must also conduct a risk assessment and provide an inspector with a safety record.
The employer was also given time to comply before resuming work but defied an order and resumed work on site, forcing the department to take the drastic action.
Klinkert appeared in the Tzaneen magistrate’s court and pleaded guilty to contravening Section 30 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act, 85 of 1993, and its regulations.
Tshidavhu yesterday welcomed the judgment.
“Although we wished for the court to impose the maximum fine permissible, we are happy with the sentence meted out to the employer. This sentence will serve as a deterrent to employers who are hellbent on contravening the law with impunity,” he said.
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