Post Office used as a toilet with a roof that could collapse at any moment
Labour department inspectors declared the Modimolle post office’s lobby area unfit for use as its roof is caving in, and the space next door was used as an open toilet.
After condemning the area, Limpopo’s Department of Employment and Labour Inspectorate issued the South African Post Office with an Occupational Health and Safety violation notice.
It stated that the area is a health hazard and poses a danger to Post Office employees and the public.
Inspectors found that the area just outside the lobby was used for “open defecation and urination”.
This pollutes the environment and causes health problems and diseases to employees and the public, it said.
They also found that the whole building’s ceiling compartments are broken and falling, posing a danger to the health and safety of the employees and the general public using the lobby to access letters.
The whole area shows signs of roof leakage, which may lead to roofing structural failure.
“We have a duty to protect the health and safety of employees and other people who may be affected by the activities of the workplace,” said acting provincial chief inspector Reckson Tshitshivheli.
“The department has to be proactive and not reactive in our approach to prevent fatal and non-fatal incidents.”
Tshitshivheli said their Occupational Health and Safety inspectors would continue to close and prohibit buildings that pose an immediate danger to workers.
“Employers are urged to make sure that their buildings are well maintained,” he said.
According to the Inspectorate, the prohibited sections of the post office will remain closed until the employer corrects the noncompliance.
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