There is no end in sight to solving the safety concerns at the Medfontein Building in St Andrew Street, Bloemfontein, utilised by the Free State Department of Community Safety, Roads and Transport (CSRT). Serving as the headquarters of the department, the building has been closed for about two months.
It was shut down in May after an inspection by the provincial Department of Employment and Labour (DEL) found the conditions not compliant with Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) regulations, despite the building being in use by another sphere of government at the time.
While service is being rendered from another facility, members of the public have expressed their dismay regarding the inconvenience caused by the prolonged closure, as well as the department’s apparent lack of communication regarding the matter.
Initially, it was envisioned the building would remain closed for about 30 days, awaiting a detailed report from the DEL on the factors that require immediate attention to ensure compliance to health and safety rules.
Cebisa Siyobi, spokesperson for the DEL, said the inspection team had found a lack of adherence to basic prescribed OHS conditions, leading to immediate closure.
“An OHS report found that conditions were too risky for the workers to continue rendering services to the public,” stated Siyobi.
“The employer contravened the OHS legislation and its general safety and environmental regulations.
“The building posed occupational health hazards and a safety risk to the employees due to the structure of the building. The ablution facilities were not working, and thus the employer was issued a prohibition to remove all employees from the premises,” said Siyobi.
Repeated efforts to get a response from the CSTR have been unsuccessful.
