Biteko made the statement on World Health and Safety at Work Day when he visited the GGML pavilion at the 2024 OSHA exhibition at the General Tyres premises in Arusha.
"Let me congratulate those who are exhibiting here, you have given me a great education and those who have visited, but we have learnt that there is still work to be done," he said.
"The death of one person is a big thing that should not happen. A call to all employers at all times: I want you to make sure that you have zero deaths in the workplace.
"To the workers, my call to you is that the first person to protect safety is you yourself, if you see a machine/plant that you are supposed to operate is defective and your employer forces you to operate it, be the first to say that this machine/plant is not safe and you should not be considered as a person who went on strike because you also have a duty to protect your safety," he said.