Zero occupational health,safety and Casual worker abuse at ZAFFICO

By Musyani Siame

Forestry is a dangerous occupation. It is a so called “3D” job (dirty, difficult and dangerous) sometimes a fourth D is added, for deadly. Unfortunately, there is completely lack of occupational health and safety at ZAFFICO posing a high risk of accidents for casual workers and workers abuse in the field.

Zambia Forestry and Forest Industries Company (ZAFFICO) is among the big parastatal industries owned by the Government of the Republic of Zambia through Industrial Development Cooperation until that time when the transition to float almost half of the company shares to the public through the Lusaka Stock Exchange reaches the fruition stage.

ZAFFICO is specialized in large industrial plantations of exotic tree species mainly pine and eucalyptus which are commonly used in the mines as well as in the construction industry. Geographically, ZAFFICO plantations are situated on the Copperbelt Province until recently when the company expanded massively in the last 7 years to Northern, Northwestern and Western provinces to include the growing of tea and Jatropha in Kawambwa and Mongu respectively. Moreover, ZAFFICO started processing poles for various uses in the mines and electric power transmission infrastructure. Also, ZAFFICO is a major supplier of raw logs to large and small scale saw-millers and boasts of little or no competition in that aspect. In addition, ZAFFICO’s motto ‘Timber is our business’ cannot be over emphasized.

As we may all know, ZAFFICO demands a huge workforce to operate. Forestry operations are labour intensive and very risky to field workers. Therefore, there is need to have effective and efficient health and safety system going by International Labor Organization (ILO) guidelines. However, the case is different with ZAFFICO. It completely has zero occupational health and safety system. Worse-off, the company does not have the health and safety department which in fact, is supposed to be the priority and sensitive depart to handle accidents and reduce health hazards of workers.

ZAFFICO’s Forest Management is a cycle of forest operations. Firstly. The operations begin with land preparation which involves cutting down of trees and uprooting the stumps from the ground so to kill the root system of the unwanted trees. Secondly, there is pilling which involves putting together of debris and burn them. Thirdly, there is pitting which is simply the digging of pits where to plant seedlings. Fourthly, there is planting of seedling in the compartments. Fifthly, there is heavy weeding in younglings and pruning. All these operations are labour intensive and demand high levels of safety.

These operations may last weeks and even months to complete. This means that workers need to finish the given tasks within stipulated time in order to see a pay check at the end of the month whilst field supervisors aim to finish tasks with a view of meeting work targets and avoid a warning letter, get promoted and or get a longer 1-year contract in case of supervisor casual workers.

However, at this point, poor casual workers abuse begin to kick in. Field workers are given abnormal tasks and they have no option but to work while being subjected to risky activities and inhuman conditions without protection posing a huge threat to their health and safety.
The fact is that a large number of people who constitute casual workforce in the field are poor and live in the villages near ZAFFICO plantations. So, they are paid below normal rates of K46 per person per day for the abnormal piece work.

Example 1: On average, during uprooting of trees (stumping operations), one person is expected to cut, dig and uproot at least 4 big trees of about 1 meters underground and more than 30 centimeters in diameter which is way too much and tantamount to worker abuse and inhuman activity as shown in the picture below. These people are poor and they aim to complete tasks daily just to make sure they earn K46 per day for a living. If one does not finish the task, the supervisor cannot tick his or her ticket for that particular day and women are mostly the victims. These poor people are also humans who deserve better benefits, health and safety for the hard work they provide to ZAFFICO.

Example 2: During weeding, a casual worker is expected to line weed 120 spots of trees of about 3 meters apart which is equivalent to about 0.4 hectares per person per day just to earn K46. One must agree with me that such are inhuman working conditions which qualifies the issue to attain a human right and worker abuse status other than lack of occupational health and safety. I can only urge human rights commission and labour office to take keen interest in this workmanship at ZAFFICO’s casual workers. I wish I can go on and on to give more examples.
I urge labour officers to arrange for regular inspections of field operations at ZAFFICO and confirm these facts at random intervals. I believe working has to be in accordance with relevant regulations, requirements or codes of practice. ZAFFICO management of safety and health should be considered as a high priority management task and must lead by example to other parastatals.

Example 3: During piling, field workers are forced to lift heavy logs which in my view are supposed to be lifted by machines. These logs are so huge and heavy such that they cause accidents to the workers. On many occasions, accidents occur during the operations because workers are forced to do works beyond human capacities and without safety and protection. In some instances, the logs have broken the bones of some workers including backbones leaving them physically incapacitated to earn a living. See the picture below. These people are not machines. They need some dignity, protection and safety.

Sadly, cases of accidents often go unreported and unanswered because everybody is scared to report due to fear of being relieved off the piece work. Casual workers are scared of speaking out against the unsafe and unhealthy working environment they are subjected to because they are poor and since they are poor they cannot speak out as they are scared of losing their one-month contractual job at ZAFFICO. It is sad that the company takes advantage of such pro-poor people.

Technically, we should be asking a big question of why a big parastatal company like ZAFFICO does not have a health and safety department? especially that the nature of its operations are so hazardous and risky to the casual workers. We really demand more answers to this effect.

Another big risk is the transportation of field workers to and from the sites which is a risk and unsafe and pose a grave danger to workers. Workers are transported to and from the fields using big trucks which get over-loaded with both workers, handy tools and firewood. Surely, the manner in which these trucks are overloaded is a jaw breaking issue. It is very unsafe and dangerous because these trucks are meant to transport materials and not people. Moreover, working tools such as axes, hoes, picks, etc. are loaded in the same truck as people and pose a danger to them.
What is even more sad is that the Traffic Police on the roads allow overloaded ZAFFICO trucks to pass freely without doing anything to stop them simply because the trucks belong to ZAFFICO. This is uncalled for. These people cannot even sit properly in the trucks. They instead stand and battle with inertia exerted on them by the speed. Everyday body injuries are common in the trucks. Others jump off the truck and get injured due speed and lack of space. This is not normal and must be treated as lack of safety and protection to worker by ZAFFICO.

It is very sad also to note that ZAFFICO does not provide protective gear to its workers. Workers go to work in the plantation without any protective clothing which is against health and safety laws. Nevertheless, when there is an accident and needing medical attention, it is surprising how the company is quick to provide the protective gear (work suite) to the victims before reaching the hospital so as to portray a picture that there is safety on the ground yet there is zero safety. I realized that the company is not only obliged to provide safety gear but also safe environment where these poor people can work from. The company lays its interests on workers meeting the daily targets and not the health and safety part of them. there is total zero safety at ZAFFICO. It is heart breaking to learn that once a casual worker gets injured, or have a funeral, that is the end of the contract for that worker.

Moreover, the company has neither a medical team nor accident rescue team on both site and office yet the forestry operations demand that such are prerequisite for health and safety of field workers. The truth of the matter is that accidents occur almost every day in the field and there is little or no action taken by ZAFFICO. Why is there zero safety is the question that needs further probing by all well-meaning foresters and Zambians at large before many field workers become physically disabled.

As I conclude therefore, I propose the following recommends to ZAFFICO management

1. To put up a serious health and safety department to reduce the occupational accidents in the field among casual workers. This is necessary because the rate of accidents is high and workers do not have freedom and audacity to report accidents to relevant authorities.Since using manual labor is cheaper than machinery, there is need to review the daily rate of field casual workers at ZAFFICO. The K46 is too little and abusive compared to the hard work they do. The company must not take advantage of the poor people. Let the rate be adjusted upward. Moreover, the work targets must be reduced from abnormal to normal sizes of all operations.
2. ZAFFICO must provide personal protective equipment and protective clothing as stipulated and prescribed by ILO’s safety guidelines, laws and regulations without cost to the workers. Therefore, going by ILO’s guidelines, ZAFFICO must ensure that it provides protective safety clothing such as overalls, safety shoes, respiratory masks and helmets. This must be priority number one and it can be effectively achieved by establishing occupational health and safety department.
3. ZAFFICO must establish and start to maintain records on occupational accidents which goes unreported as prescribed by labour laws and regulations and ensure that all documents, records and other relevant information of safety which relate to casual worker’s activities are kept readily available for the information of workers or their representatives, labour inspectors, the workers’ compensation authority and other stakeholders concerned.
4. Also, there is need to put in place emergency procedures and policy. ZAFFICO should ensure that first aid, accident rescue teams and medical care personnel are available and provided for as required in the field. It is funny how the company has an effective emergency policy and procedures for fires and not for accidents. There is need for humility.
5. As a basis for safety and health management, ZAFFICO should, prepare and maintain a policy which clearly describes the nature of the hazards associated with forestry operations and the steps they intend to take to prevent the effects of such hazards and occupational accidents to the field workers.

   The author is a water resources and environmental consultant. For comments email: musyanisiame2ATgmailDOTcom. twitter: musyani.siame