WORKERS KEY TO GROW ZAMBIA AGENDA

Luhanga says new safety rules must protect workers and keep Zambia’s economy moving

By Francis Maingaila ♥️

Lusaka, Zambia24 — 22-09-2026 — Government says Zambia’s economic ambitions will mean little if the people driving production are getting injured, falling sick or losing their lives at work.

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Labour and Social Security Zechariah Luhanga said new occupational health and safety regulations must protect workers in every sector while remaining practical enough to be followed by employers.

Mr. Luhanga said workers, employers and other stakeholders must be brought into the process from the start because those who live with workplace realities are best placed to point out what can work and what cannot.

He was speaking in Lusaka during a stakeholder engagement on the proposed Occupational Health and Safety Regulations.

Mr. Luhanga said the consultations were important following the enactment of the Occupational Health and Safety Act No. 16 of 2025, which repealed and replaced the Occupational Health and Safety Act No. 36 of 2010.

He said the new law had moved occupational health and safety beyond its traditional focus on mining and extended protection to workers across the economy.

“If you leave your stakeholders behind, you will just realise that you have wasted your time because when this reaches the legislative stage, you will be asked: Did you consult the stakeholders?” Mr. Luhanga said.

He said workers should be able to leave home for work in the morning with the confidence that they would return safely to their families.

WORKERS AT THE HEART OF ZAMBIA’S GROWTH

Mr. Luhanga said workers were behind virtually every economic activity, from agriculture and mining to energy, tourism and other sectors.

“Whatever you look at these figures, just know there is a worker behind,” he said.

He said protecting workers was therefore not simply about ticking boxes or enforcing safety rules.

“It is about making sure that the people who drive the economy remain healthy and able to work,” Mr. Luhanga said.

He summed up the basic expectation by saying workers should “go to the office vertically and come back”.

Mr. Luhanga said workplace safety should also take account of the psychological, social and emotional wellbeing of workers, not just physical injuries.

He said the new law had also opened up greater protection for workers in the informal sector, including artisanal miners.

Mr. Luhanga said a workplace did not become safe simply because it fell outside the formal economy.

He said the regulations must recognise that the dangers faced by a miner could be very different from those faced by a farmer, construction worker, factory employee or banker.

BRING SERVICES CLOSER TO WORKERS

Mr. Luhanga said Government was also expanding the Occupational Health and Safety Institute (OHSI) so workers could access occupational health services without travelling long distances.

He said OHSI currently had offices in Lusaka, Kitwe and Solwezi, while preparations were underway to open offices in Kabwe, Choma and Mansa.

He said Government was also pushing for joint inspections, better information sharing and stronger cooperation among institutions dealing with workplace safety.

Mr. Luhanga said accredited public health facilities could also be used to complement OHSI services.

He urged OHSI to move quickly on the proposed collaboration so that workers could get help closer to where they live and work.

CHAKULIMBA: SAFETY MUST GO BEYOND MINING

OHSI Director General Dr. Martha Chakulimba said Zambia must stop looking at occupational health and safety as a mining issue alone.

Dr. Chakulimba said mining had for many years dominated discussions on workplace safety, particularly because of diseases such as silicosis.

But she said serious hazards were also being found in manufacturing, agriculture, construction, banking and other workplaces.

She said OHSI was consulting employers and workers on regulations that would put the new law into practice.

Dr. Chakulimba said those directly affected by the regulations needed an opportunity to speak before the rules were finalised.

She said the Institute was, for example, finding workplace hazards and stress factors in the banking sector.

“In the banking sector, we are identifying hazards, stress factors that are causing disease, and they are seeing a number of strokes amongst their colleagues,” Dr. Chakulimba said.

She said OHSI had also been taking information about the new law to communities and workplaces through awareness meetings.

Dr. Chakulimba said one of the challenges with occupational diseases was that some illnesses took time to develop, making it difficult to immediately connect them to a person’s workplace.

She also raised concern about exposure to toxic substances, including mercury used in gold processing.

Dr. Chakulimba said Zambia had made progress in workplace safety, but more needed to be done, particularly in small-scale mining.

She said the new regulations must therefore respond to both existing and emerging dangers.

At the centre of the exercise, Dr. Chakulimba said, was the simple wish that every worker should go to work and return home safely and in good health.

MINES WANT PRACTICAL RULES

Zambia Chamber of Mines Chief Executive Officer Engineer Sokwani Chilembo said the mining industry wanted continued engagement with Government so that the proposed regulations were clear and workable.

Engineer Chilembo said the mining sector had continued to pursue the Government’s stretch target, which had encouraged investment in distressed operations and helped improve productivity.

He said employment in the sector had recovered to about 90,000 workers following the decline experienced before 2024.

Engineer Chilembo said the improved position of the mining industry was also allowing companies to invest in new technology and modern equipment.

He cited the commissioning of a new explosives factory in Chambishi as one example.

He said the stretch-target approach could also benefit other industries by encouraging investment and improving productivity.

Engineer Chilembo said mining remained an important part of Zambia’s growth and called for continued engagement with Government to address administrative uncertainties that could affect investment decisions.

He said the Chamber was working with OHSI on the proposed regulations to make sure the requirements were clear and realistic for companies already operating in Zambia and those considering investing in the country.

Engineer Chilembo said continued dialogue between Government and industry would help create certainty for businesses while allowing the mining sector to keep pursuing its growth targets.