The Occupational Health and Safety Institute in Kitwe which was previously called Pneumoconiosis Medical and Research Bureau, was established in 1945 under the Silicosis Ordinance of the Laws of Northern Rhodesia for the purpose of conducting medical examinations and compensation of miners. 

The need to establish the Bureau in the Ministry of Labour and Mines arose after the first case of silicosis was confirmed on the Copperbelt in 1945. In 1950 the Silicosis Ordinance Act was enacted which was later renamed Pneumoconiosis Ordinance Act to cater for compensation of other Pneumoconiosis. 

The Ordinance Act established Pneumoconiosis Compensation Board which allowed for the certification and compensation of all forms of Pneumoconiosis occurring in miners. In 1964, the Pneumoconiosis Ordinance became the Pneumoconiosis Act Cap 326 of the Laws of Zambia and it was later renumbered Cap 217. 

In 1999, the Pneumoconiosis Act Cap 217 was merged with Workers’ Compensation Act Cap 271 to form Workers’ Compensation Act No. 10 of 1999, Cap 211 of the Laws of Zambia which established the Workers’ Compensation Fund Control Board. The purpose of merging the two Acts (i.e. Pneumoconiosis Act Cap 217 and Workers’ Compensation Act Cap 271) was to allow for the establishment of one compensation Board by merging Pneumoconiosis Compensation Board (miners) with Workers’ Compensation Board (non-miners). 

Part III of the Pneumoconiosis Act Cap 217 which dealt with medical examinations was renumbered Part IV in the Workers’ Compensation Act No. 10 of 1999 which provides for examination of miners and certification of compensable occupational diseases. In 1991, the Pneumoconiosis Medical and Research Bureau’s name was changed to Occupational Health, Safety and Research Bureau (OHSRB) to reflect the wider role the Bureau assumed when it opened its services to other industries and individuals other than miners. 

This widened the scope of occupational diseases from Pneumoconiosis and Pulmonary Tuberculosis (PTB) to other occupational diseases. The Bureau later changed its name to Occupational Health Management Board (OHMB) through a Statutory Instrument (SI) No. 107 of 1992 which operated under the Central Board of Health (CBoH). After the dissolution of the CBoH in 1998, the OHMB reverted to OHSRB under the Ministry of Health (MoH). In 2010, the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Act No. 36 of 2010 was enacted and this established the Occupational Health and Safety Institute (OHSI). The Institute assumed a broader mandate on health and safety covering all sectors. 

The Institute was later re-aligned to become one of the statutory bodies under the Ministry of Labour and Social Security (MLSS). Statutory Functions of the Institute The Occupational Health and Safety Institute (OHSI) draws its mandate from Part II Section VI of the Occupational Health and Safety Act No. 36 of 2010. The Institute is mandated to promote a healthy workforce and ensure employers maintain a safe and healthy work environment. 9 strategic plan Introduction 

The Act provides for the following functions: a) b) c) d) e) f) g) h) Develop and implement programmes to provide incentives for employers to implement measures to eliminate or reduce risks to health or safety or to improve occupational hygiene, occupational health and safety; Investigate and detect occupational diseases and injuries at workplaces; Conduct medical examinations for occupational health and safety purposes catering for all industries including agriculture, manufacturing and construction; Provide an occupational laboratory service; Promote studies and carry out investigations and research on occupational health and safety; Prepare and maintain statistics on employee morbidity and mortality; Conduct and encourage awareness educational programmes relating to the promotion of occupational health and safety; and Carry out such other functions as are necessary or incidental to the performance of its functions under this Act.