Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa, in his International Labor Day message to the nation, has stressed the need for employers and government to ensure safety at work places.

"The safety of workers must come first in our economic activities. Employers, including the government, need to be particularly sensitive to this demand," major newspapers on Sunday quoted Mwanawasa as saying.

"The government wants every employer to invest in the safety of his employees as you cannot separate profit from labor," he said.

Mwanawasa said Zambia as a country is deeply saddened by the recent disaster in the Copperbelt Province where over 40 people were killed in an explosive factory blast, adding that the fatalities and many others "necessitate the need to enforce safety laws and regulations."

His government, Mwanawasa said, through the labor law reform programs, is already working on strengthening the existing labor laws particularly the Factories Act CAP 144 of the Laws of Zambia so that the working environment is safe for both employers and employees.

The president also stressed the need to create a conductive environment for employment creation, the promotion of industrial harmony through dialogue between government, employers and labor union, and the development and enforcement of HIV/AIDS policy at work places.