It would appear that the SA Post Office does not just need to sort out the general problem of poor service delivery, but also the condition of its buildings.
More than 80% of the SA Post Office buildings (618 of 755) were in a poor state such that they had been denied “occupational health and safety certificates, Postal Services Minister, Siyabonga Cwele, told parliament last week in a written response to a question posed to him.
The minister singled out the following problems as the main ones:
- Structural deficiencies” in interior and exterior walls, roofs and ceilings;
- Inadequate ventilation, lack of provision for emergency and escape routes;
- Inadequate “physical safety and security measures”;
- There was inadequate lighting; and
- Insufficient fire extinguishing equipment.
In order to deal with the ‘crisis’, the Minister revealed that steps were being taken to ensure compliance, which included the appointment of occupational health and safety representatives, and a special unit to monitor “the progress of mitigating process for the risks identified”.Top of Top of Form