INDUSTRIAL INSPECTIONS
Inspections may be defined as a part of the labour administration system that is responsible for the supervision and enforcement of relevant labour legislation and policies in the workplaces.
It can also be defined as the physical checks on undertakings to ensure compliance with the set standards and legal requirements. It aims to have legislation applied, not to catch any offending party.
Types of inspections:
Regular visit
Ordinary statutory Inspections carried out by labour officers and Designated Agents. These inspections relate to conditions of service spelt out in the Labour Act (Chapter 28:01) and regulations made in terms of Collective Bargaining Agreements.
Specialised Inspection
Specialised Inspections relating to Occupational Health and Safety, generally a function of NSSA but labour Officers and Designated Agents exceptionally carry out these type of inspections as specified in S.I 53 0f 2003.
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Follow up Visit:
This kind of visit is undertaken to determine the extent to which the employer has complied with the directives of the earlier visit by the Designated Agent or Labour Officer.
Unplanned Visit:
This usually results as a result of being alerted to a situation prevailing either by a supervisor or workers or by any concerned person about the alleged anomalies or violations of the view of the law at a specific undertaking. This being a special visit will be unplanned.
Emergency Visit:
This is usually associated with Occupational Health and Safety Inspections determined by events that require inspections on the spot without delay, for instance, occupational accidents.
In some cases, the Labour Officers or Designated Agent is invited to a workplace to gather an eyewitness account of the dispute to settle a problem relating to the application of the law or to exercise the Trade Union Rights.