P-071 Enhancing Occupational Health and Safety Training in Tanzania: Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities for a Safer Workforce

Introduction The rise of technology and small-medium enterprises (SMEs) in Tanzania calls for enhanced occupational health services while upholding safety standards. Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) training emerges as a vital strategy to counter occupational injuries and fatalities. Methodology The paper used both primary and secondary data for the identification of OHS training programs coordinated by the Occupational Safety and Health Authority (OSHA) in Tanzania, for the subsequent assessment of their trends, challenges, and opportunities. Results OSHA in Tanzania offers statutory and other OHS training programs. The study revealed a positive trend in trained employees, with 36,702 employees trained from 2016 to 2021, with a slight dip in 2020/21 due to COVID-19 pandemic. Discussion Challenges include inadequate coverage of OHS training to SMEs and limited resources. Opportunities lie in online training, specialized modules, ILO collaboration, and tailored regional programs. Threats include evolving technological hazards and economic costs of poor OHS. Conclusion OSHA’s diverse training, increased number of trained employees, strengths, and opportunities that counterbalance the weaknesses and challenges identified.