For a Canadian visitng Tanzania, it is easy to spot the risks workers take. The safety precautions we enforce just do not exist here yet. When I worked for Alberta WH&S, seeing a man wearing no PPE, near the ledge of a building with no fall protection and jackhammering the very concrete floor he was standing on would have constituted an "imminent danger". That is not the case here.
Most urban buildings are constructed of concrete here. As they build a new storey, the fresh pads are supported by trees, not the steel scaffolds we would see back home. As Rob O'Neill might say, it could be argued that this kind of a scenario might not just be a workplace health concern, but moreso a public health matter. The rationale is that it is presumably unhealthy to have concrete fall on you while standing on the street below.
Occupational Health and Safety is on the radar here for EHOs. However, it will take a major cultural shift for the will of the public to choose safe worksites over urban development.
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