Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif has accorded principle approval to the draft legislation regarding occupational safety and health to secure the industrial workers who remain exposed to respire able dust, particularly silicon which causes dangerous lungs disorder "silicosis". The new law after its formal approval from the provincial cabinet will be placed before the Punjab Assembly without undue delay.
This was disclosed by Additional Chief Secretary Punjab Shamail Ahmad Khawaja while presiding over a meeting of subject core-committee regarding directions of the law and justice commission of Pakistan to prepare consensus implementation plan for the orders of Supreme Court of Pakistan to chalk out action plan regarding control, rescue and treatment of the victims of silicosis. The committee reviewed the proposed action plan in detail and decided to send it to the law and justice commission of Pakistan.
The implementation status of this action plan includes the introduction of new law on occupational safety and health (OSH). According to this proposed law, mandatory health screening of the industrial workers of stone crushers, ceramics industry and marble grinding industry along with nomination of certified surgeons to treat the workers suffering from silicosis and another plan meant for capacity-building of labour inspectors at district level through an ADP Scheme came under discussion. The meeting was told that silicosis has been included in the check list of occupational hazards.
The additional chief secretary directed to provide occupational safety and health kits to the inspecting staff of provincial labour and human resource department working in 18 districts of the province. The PC-II for training programme of labour inspectors will be prepared by the Punjab Bureau of Statistics while the data of mine workers will also be submitted to the law and justice commission of Pakistan within a week. The labour department has fixed a toll free universal access number 0800-73774 for registering complaints regarding occupational hazards by the vulnerable industrial workers.
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