Small businesses lead in workplace injuries: Singh

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) account for a disproportionate share of workplace accidents in Fiji, despite making up 70 per cent of all registered businesses and employing 60 per cent of the workforce.

This was highlighted by Employment Minister Agni Deo Singh in Parliament on Friday, responding to a question from Opposition MP Virendra Lal.

Mr Singh said SMEs are particularly vulnerable due to limited resources for safety infrastructure.

“They also represent a disproportionate number of workplace accidents due to limited resources for safety infrastructure,” he said.

To address this, the Ministry has moved beyond legal enforcement and carried out more than 9,000 statutory inspections of plants and machinery across all industries last year, including SMEs.

It also conducted around 3,300 general workplace inspections and audits.

Mr Singh said the Ministry had carried out 95 occupational health and safety trainings and more than 500 awareness sessions, with most targeting SMEs.

He said programmes are being taken directly to business premises to reduce costs for employers.

“We are taking the awareness programmes out to their facilities where we are able to reduce any cost that may be incurred in terms of attending workshops and seminars,” he said.

Opposition MP Jone Usamate asked whether accident trends in the sector were being tracked, including lost time injuries and workplace deaths over the past five years.

Mr Singh said he would provide the information separately.

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