Home  IROSH&WP  Occupational Safety & Health

Occupational Safety & Health (OSH)

WHAT IS OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY & HEALTH (OSH)?

Occupational Safety & Health is concerned with promoting the highest degree of protection for the safety, health and welfare of workers in their occupations. OSH is also designed to protect other members of the public who are impacted by the workplace environment.

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) have shared a common definition of occupational health since 1950.

WHY IS OSH SO IMPORTANT?

The reasons for implementing Occupational Safety & Health laws and standards are many. The major factors include:

• The basic principle that a person should not have to risk their lives or risk injury at their place of employment
• The establishment of solid OSH laws saves both the government and businesses from costs resulting from workplace injury; such as compensation payments, medical costs, loss of production, legal costs, damages, and loss of consumer trust
• Enforcing OSH requirements by application of the law will result in most employers adopting standards in their workplace which they may not otherwise have done

• Enhance the productivity, morale and welfare of people at work, and of the people affected by work activity
• Secure the safety, health and welfare of employees at their places of work
• Foster a co-operative consultation between government, employers and employees on safety, health and welfare of employees at work
• Protecting persons at or near places of work, and protecting the environment, from risks to safety arising out of activities of employees at work

To ensure that employers are in complience with Occupational Safety & Health laws, OSH Inspectors are required to perform duties to ensure these laws are being upheld. These duties and responsibilities include, and are not limited to, the following:

• Conduct routine inspections to ensure the safety and health of employees at their workplaces
• Receive, Register and Investigate work accidents and advise on preventative measures
• Receive and attend to OSH enquiries
• Conduct OSH training and workshops for both employers and employees
• Conduct Awareness programmes on Occupational Safety & Health for employers, workers and the general public
• Take legal actions to enforce compliance

Employers are responsible for the general wellbeing of their employees and are therefore required to provide a safe and healthy working environment. As such, it is the duty and responsibility of all employers to:

• Protect the safety, health and welfare of employees at the places of employment
• Maintain a safe and healthy working environment
• Identify existing and potential hazards to employees in the workplace
• Control hazards which are identified as posing threats to the safety, health and welfare of employees
• Provide, in the appropriate languages, the information, instruction, training and supervision of employees
• Provide, maintain and make accessible to employees protective clothing and equipment to avoid injury or harm to their health
• Keep and maintain a Register of every accident that causes death, serious injury or illness to any person, whether employed in the workplace, or lawfully on the premises
• Notify the Ministry within 48 hours of any accident that causes death, serious injury or illness

Employees have a duty of care and responsibility for their own wellbeing, and the wellbeing of those around them, and as such have certain duties to fulfill. These duties include:

• Take reasonable care to protect his/her safety and health at work, fellows workers, and persons in the vacinity
• Use protetive clothing and equipment which has been supplied for the purpose intended
• Not to use the protective clothing and equipment for any purpose other than that for which it was provided

The Mandates for Occupational Safety & Health are listed below.
Click on the title to view the complete Act on the Samoa Parliament website.

• Labour & Employment Act 1972
• Labour & Employment Regulations 1973
• Occupational Safety & Health (OSH) Act 2002

FORMS

To view or print our forms, you will require PDF viewing software, such as  Adobe Acrobat Reader.
For more information on installing Acrobat Reader, please see the  Site Information section of this website.

 

 Register a Work Accident Form

File details:
Name: register_work_accident[FORM9].pdf
Size: 24KB

 Employers Written Notice of Accident

File details:
Name: employers_written_notice_accident[FORM8].pdf
Size: 67KB

 Occupational Safety & Health (OSH) Routine Checklist

File details:
Name: osh_routine_checklist.pdf
Size: 26KB

FURTHER INFORMATION

Should you require further information concerning Occupational Safety & Health, please contact:

Ministry of Commerce, Industry & Labour
Industrial Relations, Occupational Safety & Health and Work Permits Division
4th Floor
ACC House
Apia SAMOA

Ministry of Commerce, Industry & Labour
Industrial Relations, Occupational Safety & Health and Work Permits Division
P.O. Box 862
Apia SAMOA

Telephone: (+685) 20441
Facsimile: (+685) 20443
Email: mpal@mcil.gov.ws

Or please feel free to see our  Contact Us page.