Towards a systemic policy for enhancing voluntary occupational, health and safety compliance in Tanzania

Occupational health and safety is crucial and relevant goals for business and employers who wish to have a safe and productive workforce, for reasons of business continuity and from the need to create good reputation to the general public and other stakeholders. Safe work enhances firm’s competitiveness and financial success. In Tanzania, occupational health and safety is a main concern, the activities are not given their due weight and non-compliance is becoming more or less a common practice. The industry is lacking occupational health and safety policy to guide the activities. It is the objective of this study is to recommend key issues that such a policy should take into account. In order to realize this objective the study was inspired by the philosophy and theory of system thinking and Total quality management. The two philosophies were heavily used to draw up key elements of the policy for enhancing a voluntary occupational health and safety compliance. The study focused in industries in Dar es Salaam region because about 75% of all large organizations and SMEs have their headquarters. The methodology used was direct interviews supported by structured questionnaires. The study has revealed that, there is a serious occupational health and safety non- compliance among stakeholders, and has proposed key issues to be considered in the formulation of a systematic based policy for enhancing voluntary occupational health and safety in Tanzania.