Feature
Rob Lambert | Unsplash
Common tasks in the industrial sector require ventilation control . These include welding , grinding , and sanding functions .
As you may be aware , at time of publishing , the South African high court had recently confirmed that good quality air is a constitutional right and the government continues to review standards . Soon we can expect to see enforcement of laws and bylaws as we too partake in the global drive to reduce carbon emissions , global warming potential activities and pollution in the most basic form of processes that generate
high concentrations of certain elements into the air that people , plants and animals rely on to exist , without it being detrimental to survival .
Considering then what the laws state in terms of labour and air quality , the following extracts have been taken to indicate the importance of employee health as well as environmental awareness that is further gaining a lot of traction locally and indeed across many other countries .
OHS Act This Act , known as the Occupational Health and Safety Act , 1993 ( Act 85 , 1993 ) consists of 50 sections approved by Parliament . The purpose of the Act is to provide for the health and safety of people at work or in connection with the use of plant and machinery . The Act further provides for the protection of people other than people at the place of work from hazards arising out of , or in connection with , the activities of these people at work – in other words the people and environment outside of any facility .
This Act provides a guide of the general duties that employers have towards workers as well as what the employer is required to do to ensure that the work environment is safe and without risk to the health of his or her workers .
To this end , the employer must :
• Provide and maintain the facility and all equipment that is necessary to complete the work in such a way that the environment and tasks required will not affect the health and safety of the worker .
• Before personal protective equipment may be used , the employer must first try to remove or reduce any danger to the health and safety of workers . Only when this is not practicable , should personal protective equipment be used . The employer must take measures to protect his or her workers ’ health and safety against hazards that may result from the production , processing , use , handling , storage or transportation of any articles or substances , in other words , anything that workers may come into contact with at work .
• To ensure compliance , the employer must : º Identify potential hazards which may be present while work is being done . º Establish the precautionary measures that are necessary to protect his or her workers against the identified hazards and provide the means to implement precautionary measures . º Provide necessary information , instructions , training and supervision while keeping the extent of workers ’ competence in mind . In other words , what they may do and may not do . º Not permit anyone to carry on with any task unless the necessary precautionary measures have been taken . º Take steps to ensure that every person under his or her control complies with the requirements of the Act . º Enforce the necessary control measures in the interest of health and safety . º See to it that the work being done and the equipment used , is under the general supervision of a worker who has been trained to understand the hazards associated with the work . º Such a worker must ensure that the precautionary measures are implemented and maintained .
Now many people may interpret this act as one only for the use of tools , heavy equipment and specialised machinery , and indeed it does fall into those categories , however when understanding the extent of the word “ hazard ” and read in conjunction with other acts and standards , air quality is definitely an element that must be taken under consideration when reading this portion . It is clearly evident that the responsibility of facility engineers and the owners are actually significant when one considers the implications and pending consequences of not effecting such requirements .
Here for example hazards may include fumes from chemicals or a process , dust particles , vapours , etc that can have an immediate effect on health or long-term effects such as seen in the past from lung diseases from asbestos or coal mining , and so on . The scope thus mandates employers to ensure air quality is of a level that does not affect any employee OR external party outside of the facility such as passers-by or local residents . Another well-known example is that of facilities that spray paint products without the necessary management – this results in overspray to co-located buildings and affects the general populous in the surrounding areas .
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RACA Journal I September 2022 www . refrigerationandaircon . co . za