BTNSHA2: Sanitation, Safety, and Hygiene

• Sanitation Safety and Hygiene is covered in BTNSHA2

Occupational Health and Safety Act 1993

• The act provides for the health and safety of people at work
• It also protects people in connection with plants and machinery
• The Act also protects individuals from hazards to health and safety
• It establishes an advisory council for occupational health and safety

General Duties of Employers

• Employers must ensure a safe working environment
• They must provide and maintain safe plants and machinery without risks to health
• Decrease or eliminate hazards before using PPE
• Ensure the entire manufacturing process is safe

General Duties Continued

• Identify workplace hazards and determine necessary precautions
• Provide training and guidelines on safe conduct
• Allow individuals to work only when it is safe

Duties of Employees

• Use hard hats
• Wear steel toed boots
• Use safety vests
• Use eye guards
• Wear work gloves
• Use Hearing protection

Health and Safety Policy

• Employers may be ordered to display their health and safety policies
• Policies should be posted in accessible areas for all employees

Health and Safety Committees

• Each workplace should have 1-2 safety representatives
• Each workplace needs 1-2 safety committees to develop safety policy
• Safety representatives must be on the safety committee
• An employer may appoint more representatives
• A committee must meet once every three months at a minimum
• A health inspector can call additional meetings
• Advisors may be appointed for specialized advice
• An inspector increase committee numbers if necessary

Health and Safety Representatives

• Employers must facilitate the selection of a safety representative when there are 20 or more employees
• Selection must happen within four months, or arbitration will be required
• Representatives must be full-time employees
• There must be 1 representatives for every 50 (100) employees
• Representatives must be trained during normal working hours

Housekeeping

• Machinery users will keep machinery tidy, functional, and clear
• Employers must allow enough workspace around each machine
• Employers must allow sufficient working space for employees
• Keep workplaces clean and in good condition
• Maintain roofs and walls
• Ensure stairways and the like are safe
• Maintain fences to protect against falling objects

Fire Precautions and Exits

• Emergency exits should open to the outside
• Emergency exits will be kept clear
• All staircases will be kept safe and maintained
• Exits and staircases should be wide enough and have a reasonable pitch
• There must be a minimum of two exits, positioned far from each other
• Sufficient firefighting equipment must be present, well-placed, and properly maintained

Lighting

• Employers must ensure adequate lighting
• Glare and 'strobe effects' need to be minimized
• Emergency lighting must be available
• All walkways, passages and rooms must have enough lighting

Noise Levels

• Employers must pay attention to noise levels over 85dB
• Permits must be procured for employees working in noisy places
• Employers must work to lower noise levels as much as possible
• Employers must supply ear protection in noisy places
• Signs warning of noise must be posted
• Employees working in noisy places will be tested for hearing problems

How Loud is Loud?

• A typical conversation occurs at 60 dB - not loud enough to cause damage
• An idling bulldozer produces 85 dB and can cause permanent damage after 1 workday (8 hours)
• Listening to music on earphones at volume level 5 is about 100 dB and can cause permanent damage after 15 minutes
• Thunder (120 dB) and gunshots (140-190 dB) can both cause near-instant damage

Reporting Incidents and Occupational Diseases

• Employers must report serious work-related accidents to the government
• Doctors must report any patients being treated for a work-related disease
• Anyone can report on any incident

Accident Report Content

• Fill in name and address of injured person
• Fill in name and address of employer
• Provide names and addresses of witnesses
• Account for the details of the incident, include what, where, when, how, and why it happened

Recording and Investigation of Incidents

• Employers must keep accident records for a minimum of 3 years
• Every incident must be investigated by the employer, an appointed person, and a health and safety representative
• Findings must be logged into accident records
• The safety committee must examine accident reports at the next meeting
• The safety committee should recommend actions to prevent further incidents
• Actions must be implemented

General Safety Regulations

• First aid, emergency equipment and safety procedures.
• First aid must be available in case of accidents
• First aid boxes must be available when more than 5 people work in a place
• First aid boxes must have relevant equipment
• Certified first aid-trained personnel must be available for more than 10 employees
• Trained personnel must know how to handle special situations

First Aid Procedures

• A visible sign should be posted with info on first aid box, and the contact person
• All minor injuries (cuts) must be reported if the employee works with biohazards or chemicals
• Injuries must be treated
• Eyewash stations need to be available if there is a risk of eye exposure
• Safety showers need to be available if there is risk for skin exposure to chemicals

Duty to Inform

• All employees must be informed of associated risks and hazards
• Safety representatives must be informed of all inspections

Offences and Penalties

• Failure to comply with safety laws may lead to R1 000 fine and/or 6 months imprisonment