Thermal conditions at work can lead to a strike!

It's officially winter and time to wrap-up and stay warm - if possible! Do you know that there are thermal requirements that you have to follow? This week's question is very interesting because our expert advises about PPE, appropriate temperature control, and strikes!

Question

A company  received a formal complaint from the union regarding the temperatures in the warehouse in the winter. The doors are only opened when they are loading parcels into the vehicles.

Can the company be held liable to install heaters in an area exceeding 1500 m2?

Must the company supply the employees with special protective clothing against the winter chill, or is it for their own account?

The employees are not working with or in refrigerated areas.

Can they call for a strike, because they get cold at work?

Answer


If the company needs to provide protective clothing, the company must carry the cost.


The company needs to do a risk assessment of the problem and determine what the actual ambient temperatures are where the employees are working. Then look at the Environmental Regulations for Workplaces Section 2(1) which deals with thermal requirements.

Essentially if the temperature goes below 6 degrees Celsius the employer must provide protective clothing. It is quite possible that the ambient temperature will be below 6 degrees at times.


What also needs to be taken into consideration is the fact that one of the first effects of being cold is the loss of muscle and grip strength. This could occur at temperatures above 6 degrees where people have been exposed to the cold for some time (the lower the temperature the shorter the time to experience this effect). The wind chill factor also needs to be taken into account.

Be prepared in an emergency situation

Emergency evacuation planning is an essential part of preventing injuries and ensuring the safety of your employees in emergency situations. Imagine what could happen if a fire extinguisher isn’t working when there’s a fire, or an emergency exit door is locked in an emergency.

 

It’s an employer’s duty to identify all possible emergency situations, prepare for dealing with emergencies and to make sure all employees know what to do by (OHSAct Section 8 Duty of the Employer to create and maintain a healthy and safe workplace):

• Providing clear instructions and information;
• Holding regular practice drills; and
• Conducting regular inspections of emergency equipment and escape routes.

 

Appoint competent employees to deal with emergencies

 

These appointments must include:

- An emergency controller: to take control and make sure the emergency plan is working.

 

- Evacuation wardens: to make sure everyone in the building is evacuated and moved to a safe place.

 

- First aiders: to help anyone that is injured and make sure disabled employees are evacuated and moved to a safe place.

 

- Fire fighters: to extinguish fires.

How to set up your workstation

Despite the availability and supply of adjustable workstation furniture and equipment, employees usually don’t use these very well. The following checklist is a step-by-step approach designed for employees to use when they’re located at a new workstation or whenever their tasks change.

When setting up the position of this furniture and equipment it’s important to try new positions to find the most comfortable arrangement for yourself. Give yourself a chance to get used to any changes, as it may take several hours or even days to determine the best position. Remember, it may take a few tries to get the best arrangement, but it is worth the effort – and if a change doesn’t work, you can always reset it.

Adjusting your chair

When adjusting your chair please refer to any instructions provided with the chair or have someone how you how to adjust it and use the controls. If there’s no one available to assist you, work through this checklist with someone else and observe each other’s postures and body positions.

Also, try avoiding sitting for long periods of time. Some form of break from sitting every 20 – 30 minutes is helpful. Even getting up for 20 to 30 seconds to go to a printer or standing while talking on the telephone will provide some relief.

Adjusting the seat

Height: Adjust chair height so:

• Feet are comfortably flat on the floor

• Thighs are approximately horizontal

• Lower legs approximately vertical

Low heeled shoes will improve comfort of the legs with the chair at this height.

Tilt (if available): Set to horizontal or slightly forward to suit your comfort.

Finding the correct back support

Height: Start by raising the backrest to its maximum height. Then sit in the chair and check the fit of the backrest to the curve of the lower back. If it’s not comfortable, lower the height by several centimeters and try this position.

Repeat this adjustment and try each new position until you find the most comfortable fit. Ensure the backrest supports the curve of your lower back and isn’t too low.

Forward/backward position: Adjust the position of the backrest until a comfortable pressure is exerted on the lower back area while seated in the usual working posture at the desk.

The backrest position shouldn’t feel as though it pushes you out of the seat, or that you have to lean back too far to reach it. There should be a two-finger clearance between the front of the chair and the back of the knee. Try a number of different positions until you achieve the best fit. A slight backward tilt is a preferred position as you reduce the force on the lower back. But, you might prefer to sit upright.

You can vary this angle to provide changes in posture from time to time.

Adjusting your armrests

Armrests aren’t usually recommended unless they’re:

• Short

• Fit under the desk

• Are adjustable

However, if your chair has armrests make sure that they don’t prevent you from getting as close to the desk as you require, or impinge on your elbows while you’re working. If this is the case, either remove them by unscrewing them, or replace them with a smaller or adjustable option.

Adjusting your desk

If you have a height-adjustable desk

Having first adjusted your chair to suit your body size, adjust the desk so the top surface is just below elbow height. To determine your elbow height, relax your shoulders and bend your elbows to about 90 degrees and check the elbow height against the desk height.

If you don’t have a height-adjustable desk

If the chair has been adjusted and the desk is higher or lower than the elbow, other forms of adjustment will be required. Start by measuring the height difference between the desk and your elbow.

If the desk is too high

Raise the chair by the measured difference and use a footrest. Set the footrest platform so that it is the same as the measured difference or lower the desk by cutting the legs down by the measured difference.

If the desk is too low

Raise the height of the desk by extending the leg length or sitting it on wooden blocks or something similar. Remember to ensure that any such changes are secure and stable.

Clearance under the desk

You shouldn’t store general items, like

• Computer hard disk drives

• Boxes of documents or files

• Rubbish bins and

• Mobile drawers

Under desks where they will decrease or interfere with the space required for the legs. This may force you to adopt a twisted or awkward posture of the spine.

Drawers

Place most commonly used items in the top desk drawer to improve access and reduce reaching and bending movements. Where drawers are fitted to the desk, arrange equipment such as the keyboard and computer screen on the desk so you can sit comfortably in the leg-well space.

General storage on the desk

In/out-trays

Place trays at the outer reach sector. In-trays shouldn’t be located above shoulder level.

Stationery

A variety of containers are available for mixed stationery items. These should also be stored at the outer reach sector or in the top desk drawer.

Reference books and folders

You should store large or heavy references such as telephone directories and manuals within close reach or in a nearby position where you need to stand to access them. Handling of these items shouldn’t be conducted at the limit of your reach capacity while sitting, as this can result in undue strain on the back, shoulder and arm muscles.

Keyboard angle

Tilt the keyboard using the feet at the back to suit your level of comfort. The common and preferred setting is where the feet are lowered so the keyboard sits flat on the desk. This assists in preventing awkward postures of the wrists.

Position on the desk

Place the keyboard as close to the front edge of the desk as is comfortable. Don’t place documents between the keyboard and the front edge of the desk while using the keyboard as this increases the reach distance to the keyboard and may result in excessive bending of the neck to look at the documents. Ensure that there is room to put the keyboard to one side when it is not in use.

Mouse

Place the mouse mat directly beside the end of the keyboard on your preferred side. Use the mouse in this position and always aim to keep the mouse on the mat during use.

If you frequently use the mouse in your work you may wish to:

• Learn to use it with both hands so that you can swap between the right and left sides for improved comfort

• Set the tracking speed of the mouse to a setting that suits you

• Maintain your mouse to keep it in good working order (for example, keeping it clean inside)

• Where possible, try and avoid holding on to the mouse when not in use

Computer screen

Position the screen once you’ve established the chair and desk heights.

Height

Position the screen so that the top of the screen is level with, or slightly lower than, your eyes when you are sitting upright. If the screen does not have a raising device such as a monitor stand, you may be able to use telephones books to raise the screen height on a temporary basis.

Distance from the eye

First place the screen so that it’s approximately an arm’s length away from your usual seated position. Try this position and if necessary move it further away or closer as required.

Positioning the screen

Place the screen so that it doesn’t face windows, catching reflections from the windows, or have a window directly behind it causing glare from the window.

Document holder

The position of the document holder depends on your need to view and reach the documents and the type of document holder you use. For continuous or frequent data entry where the source document is observed more than, or the same amount as, the screen:

Place the screen slightly to one side so that the document holder is directly in front of the user.

OR

Place the document holder in a similar position to the screen where it is slightly to one side and you look evenly between the two. An A-frame style book rest that sits on top of the desk is the most practical and can be set at different angles. It is usually best to place it so that it supports documents on an inclined angle between the keyboard and the screen.

A lever or swivel arm document holder suspends the document above the desk at eye level. Anchor it to the desk on either the left or right or the screen, according to your preference, and place it directly beside the screen.

Telephone

Place the telephone either within or at the limit of the optimum reach sector, depending on the amount of use. The placement should enable the user to operate the telephone without the need to move their trunk to grasp the handset or to operate the numeric and function buttons. When making a lot of calls, it may be best to place the telephone on the same side as the dominant hand so that this hand can comfortably operate the numeric and function buttons. When mostly receiving calls, it may be more comfortable to place it on the non-dominant side. Learn and utilise the functions of your phone, such as redial and the storage of commonly used phone numbers, to improve the efficiency of its use. Also, where the phone is used very often or for prolonged periods, a headset should be used.

Angled reading and writing surface

An angled board can improve neck comfort where a job involves a lot of reading and handwriting. It should be placed immediately in front of the user on top of the desk.

Stay safe

Be safe this Christmas

There is generally a lot of work that has to be done on time for Christmas, with pressure to get jobs finished before the break.

Whatever the situation, work has to be well-planned so safety is a priority.

There's not much difference between the incident that kills and the one from which people walk away saying, ‘that was close’.

Only this month, a man received dreadful burns when working on an advertising board, and another lost a finger and had two others badly cut while using a power saw.

It’s a busy time for everyone, but now is the time to ensure safe systems are in place for all your workers – new or old, experienced and beginners.

Getting on top of training and supervision issues, making sure shortcuts aren’t encouraged or taken, is important, so is making sure people have the right equipment to do their job safely.

Planning the work, letting someone know where you are and having some means of communication in case something happens could save your life.

Remember:

• plan your work and ensure workers are properly trained and supervised

• apply all safety measures, particularly if you’re working at height

• if you’re not sure, ask your Health and Safety representative

• understand the equipment you’re using and use it correctly – particularly if it has been hired and you are unfamiliar with it. Companies hiring equipment are required to provide training or instructions

• if you are working on your own, keep your phone on you in case you need to call for help

• make sure someone knows where you are and when you’ll be home.

9 ways to make sure your machinery is effectively guarded

1. Conduct a risk assessment to immediately make yourself aware of all the hazards and risks attached to the machines.

2. The machine operator must inspect all machine guards every day before he starts working.

3. Make all cleaning staff aware of the importance of obeying instructions regarding cleaning procedures/replacement of guards.

4. Correctly train and monitor all operators working on moving machinery, and record this training in writing. Often the machines come with a manual that includes the safe methods for using the machine. Use this to train the operators. Or draw up safe work procedures for the safe use of each dangerous machine. Have operators sign a simple “acknowledgement of training” form.

5. Display a notice warning of moving machinery in a prominent position. This should either be a sign stating “beware moving machinery” or alternatively a pictogram.

6. Develop safe work procedures for hazardous moving machinery and ensure you’ve trained relevant employees in these procedures.

7. Have all moving machinery and guards inspected on a monthly basis by the Health and Safety Representative. You must ensure that Machine Guarding is listed as an item for Health and Safety Representatives to inspect on a monthly basis.

8. Have a competent person inspect all moving machinery and guards on a monthly basis (this is someone who has the relevant knowledge and experience), or people nominated and deemed competent for this purpose.

9. Number each machine and record these numbers on the checklist/register.

Use these 3 documents to inspect your machine guards

• Health and Safety Representative checklist
• Safe work procedures
• "Competent Person” inspection checklist

22 ways to keep flammable liquids from incinerating your business

When I was younger I dated a gent who was too impatient to build a braai like every other person. His favourite method for preparing the fire was to pour turps or paraffin over the charcoal, light a match and toss it in. The resulting inferno meant we usually had to wait longer than usual to cook our meat because the flames were just too hot!

Now, this is an example of carelessness when it comes to flammable liquid, but the fact is some of us need to use it to do our jobs. Here are the 22 requirements you must fulfill to use flammable liquids.

1.Custom build the room, cabinet or enclosure where you use the substance with fire-resistant material (GSR 4(2), OHSA).

2.Don’t allow the creation of a fire or explosion hazard. You must extract flammable or explosive vapours from the room (GSR 4(2)(a), OHSA).

3.Effectively disperse or dilute the vapours from its use or application into the atmosphere by providing extraction fans (GSR 4(2)(b), OHSA).

4.Don’t contaminate any other part of your workplace with the vapour. The extraction’s outlet must lead into the atmosphere and not into another room in the workplace (GSR 4(2)(c), OHSA).

5.Provide effective intake and exhaust ventilators to remove all flammable vapours from the store, cabinet or enclosure (GSR 4(3), OHSA).

6.If the air supply and extraction is horizontal, the average air speed measured 1.5m above floor level must be at least 0.5 metres per second (GSR 4(4)(a), OHSA).

7.If the air supply is vertical and extraction is done through slits or a grill along the side wall at floor level, the average air speed measured 1.5m above floor level must be at least 0.4 metres per second (GSR 4(4)(b), OHSA).

8.If the air supply is vertical and extraction is done through a grill over the whole of the floor area, the average air speed measured 1.5m above floor level must be at least 0.3 metres per second (GSR 4(4)(c), OHSA).

9.Provide every employee spraying flammable liquid with a suitable respirator, mask or breathing apparatus.

10.All ducts trunks and enclosures must be of fire-resistant material, of a smooth interior finish and you must regularly clean these (GSR 6(a), OHSA).

11.Keep the ventilation system going during working hours and after hours for at least the period of time it takes to clear the vapour from the room’s atmosphere to below 25 % of the lower explosive limit of that vapour (GSR 6(b), OHSA).

12.Don’t obstruct the flow of air towards the intake of the ventilation and draw the spray or vapour away from any employee operating the equipment (GSR 6(c), OHSA). Do this by instructing the spray to be directed towards the extraction intake.

13.If the floor area exceeds 20 square metres, the room must have at least two separate entrances at two opposite sides of the room with doors opening outwards that can’t be locked (GSR 7(a), OHSA).

14.Fit the room with an inspection window of strengthened or shatterproof glass that no one can open (GSR 7(b), OHSA).

15.You and your employees may not take any fire, flame, naked light or static producing item into the room. Post “no smoking” and “no open flames” signs indicating such prohibitions at all the entrances to the room (GSR 8(a)(i), OHSA).

16.Don’t allow any smoking in such a room and you must post signs prohibiting smoking at all the entrances to the room (GSR 8(a)(ii), OHSA).

17.Employees may not conduct any process capable of sparks or fire or apply any application of heat to dry the sprayed items before the atmosphere has been cleared of all vapour (GSR 8(a)(iii), OHSA).

18.Clear and safely dispose of all waste from the room daily (GSR 9(a), OHSA).

19.You may only keep one day’s requirement of flammable liquid in the room (GSR 9(b), OHSA).

20.You must tightly close the containers in which you partially store flammables or where you also keep other stock when not in use and safely remove and dispose of empty containers daily (GSR 9(c), OHSA).

21.Keep the room, all fans, ducts, trunks and enclosures clean and in good working order (GSR 9(d), OHSA).

22.Use tools that don’t cause sparking to clean, scrape or scour (GSR 9(d), OHSA).

7de Laan: Our health and safety professionals have their eyes on you!

Question

My question may seem a bit silly as it’s based on a soapie, where things normally don’t work out the way they’re supposed to. But, I thought it’s an interesting situation and I want to know what we would have to do in reality. The soapie I was watching was 7de Laan. One of the characters injured himself walking up a staircase. He was trying to force past people, coming down the staircase, while lugging a heavy wardrobe! The accident happened when the railing he was pressing against broke, causing him to fall backwards and land on his back, breaking his hand in the process. It turned out the bolts on the staircase were rusted and brittle. Now, the interesting part of this scenario is the lawyer on the soapie claimed the owner of the block of flats was responsible, and could be sued.

1.    The person injured isn’t a tenant.

2.    The owner has an appointed maintenance person responsible for maintenance.

3.    The person injured had to force himself up against the railings as he wasn’t in a position to get past the people moving downwards, and surely they weren’t at fault for not letting him past?

4.    Would the court not suggest that the injured character should’ve waited to let the people come down first before going up the stairs with the wardrobe?

5.    We obviously don’t know whether the building has a sign up stating that people use the building at their own risk, but would that change the outcome?

6.    Can the injured actually sue the owner for damages, and where would the OHSA fit in as the owner is not employing this visitor? I would think that the only claim this person would have is against the owner’s insurance under liability cover?

7.    This is a reportable injury. Who reports this?

Answer

Interesting! The owner of the building is the Section 16.1 appointee, so is ultimately responsible. You have to find out whether he has a Section 37.2 mandatory agreement with the maintenance company. Does the public have access to the building? Are the stairs on a maintenance schedule? These are the types of questions the DoL will ask the owner. It’s the same as a situation where there’s oil on the supermarket floor and someone slips and hurts his back. He must have seen the oil, but keeps on walking. Now it’s his fault. Remember, the root cause of the injury was the rusted bolts and not squeezing by. If there’s a maintenance plan and the company or worker didn’t adhere to it, then the maintenance person will have to answer for the injury.

Amputations Related To The Workplace

Amputations are widespread in the workplace. Most of all workplace amputations occur in the manufacturing sector. The rest occur in construction, agriculture, wholesale, retail and service industries.

These injuries result from the use of machines such as presses, conveyors, shaping machines, saws, hand tools, forklifts, doors and trash compactors.

One must recognize contributing factors for amputations such as hazardous mechanical components and hazardous mechanical motions like rotating machinery.

Employees operating and caring for machinery perform activities that present potential amputation hazards. Most of these activities involve servicing and maintenance of machinery such as machine inspection, cleaning jams and cleaning of machines. Therefore understanding the mechanical components of machinery will help workers avoid injury.

The primary method for preventing amputations is to safeguard machines. Safeguarding of machines can be done by guards which provide physical barriers that prevent access to danger areas and by safeguarding devices to prevent operator contact with hazardous machine motion or if any part of an individual’s body is within the hazardous portion of the machine.

There are four types of machine guards:

1.Fixed machine guards are barriers that permit operators to reach the danger area and permanently enclose the hazard area.

2.Adjustable machine guards are barriers that adjust and can be constructed to suit many situations. It may however require frequent maintenance.

3.Interlocking machine guards shuts off power and prevents machine start-up when guard is open. It requires periodic maintenance.

4.Self-adjusting machine guards moves according to the size of the stock entering point of operation and is commercially available but does not provide maximum protection.

Risk indicators in the workplace to look for include:

•Unguarded moving parts of machinery;

•Machine guards which are loose, incomplete or allow people to put parts of their body through, or climb over, under or around;

•Machinery which is able to be started without the guard being in its correct position;

•Machinery which is not maintained in good working order;

•Machinery which is able to be inadvertently started;

•Moving parts or controls which are difficult to see due, possibly because of poor lighting;

•Untrained operators working with machinery;

•Cluttered or confined work areas at machines;

•Work practices which require employees to rush their work;

•Mobile machines and vehicles being operated outside of designated areas;

•Incorrect use of equipment.

Here are a few examples of what can be done to stop amputations from happening. Employers should, for example, make sure that:

•All moving parts of machinery are guarded and the guards cannot be readily removed;

•Guards are designed and constructed which prevent people (either whole body or parts of) coming in contact with moving parts during machine operation;

•Machine work areas are clearly defined, for example, by marking floor areas, and by limiting access to only those employees authorised to work with the machines;

•Safe working procedures are developed for all machinery and promoted in the workplace;

•All machinery is regularly inspected, services and tested by qualified persons;

•Controls are located within easy reach of the operator and cannot be unintentionally turned on;

•Work areas are well lit and uncluttered;

•Regular inspections of guarding integrity are carried out;

•Correct tools are used for the job.

Safeguards need to be properly designed, constructed, installed, used and maintained to ensure that the workers are protected.

How to influence worker OHS attitudes

We can all agree that the development and maintenance of good Health and Safety attitudes is an important aspect of workplace Health and Safety. The correct attitude will provide you with the foundation on which you will implement interventions that will minimize hazards, prevent incidents, and create a safer, healthier workplace.

Here is a list of 6 strategies that you can employ:

1. Talk about Health and Safety. The more you talk about the importance of Health and Safety, the more you encourage discussion at management level, supervisory level, and employee level. The more you talk about OHS, the more you generate interest, inclusion, and the sharing of information. Just talking about occupational safety and health, draws attention to it and makes it important.

2. Encourage Health & Safety suggestions. Who knows their jobs better than the workers who perform them? It is important to listen to them. Encourage workers to talk to you about their ideas for making their jobs and other workers’ jobs safer. This approach not only produces some excellent ways to improve safety conditions and performance, but it also involves employees in the improvement process. Involvement creates buy-in.

3. Act promptly to correct hazards and improve safety conditions. Whenever you identify hazards or employees bring them to your attention, act promptly to correct the situation. Then take it a step farther and try to create an even safer situation. If you don’t get in there and fix safety problems-even the minor ones-right away, employees will think you don’t care, so why should they. If you ignore safety problems, so will employees.

4. Provide excellent Safety and Health training and information. Make sure employees have the skills, knowledge, and understanding they need to work safely and avoid incidents. Well-trained employees quickly develop good Health and Safety attitudes and make safety a priority.

5. Reward safe performance. Catch workers doing something safe and make a big deal about. Praise safe performance loud and clear for all to hear. When workers who have bad or so-so attitudes see that others are getting recognition for their good attitudes, they’ll want to get in on that, too.

Make it clear to employees and supervisors that safety performance is a key part of employee performance appraisals. When employees realize that raises, promotions, and other rewards depend on having a good safety attitude, they’re going to take workplace safety more seriously.

6. Set a positive example. Make sure that managers and supervisors throughout your workplace set a positive example and always exhibit a good Health & Safety attitude. Workers will notice and emulate their behavior.

8 vehicles your driver will require a PrDP for

If your employees drive any of the following vehicles, they must hold a valid license card, endorsed with an appropriate PrDP:

1. Bus, vehicle or minibus seating more than 12 passengers (driver included), whether or not it has enough seats, and irrespective of its weight.
2. Any vehicle used to transport people for payment, e.g. a taxi or ambulance.
3. Goods vehicle, weighing over 3500kg
4. Breakdown vehicle e.g. a tow truck
5. Heavy goods vehicle, loaded or empty (codes: C1, C, EC1 and EC)
6. Goods vehicle carrying dangerous goods
7. Road tank vehicle for petroleum-based flammable liquids
8. People who drive these vehicles occasionally, such as truck salesmen, diesel mechanics (who need to test drive the vehicles) also need to have a PrDP

6 ways to manage contractors in your workplace

1. Make your contractors sign a contract.
2. The contractor must attend an induction course or training regarding the company’s health and safety rules. The company must provide such training.
3. Ensure compliance with legal requirements regarding acts and regulations.
4. The contractor must carry out a risk assessment before commencement of the actual work in terms of the contract..
5. Ensure that a Certificate of Good Standing is issued by the Workman’s Compensation Commissioner in the same month the work is to commence.
6. Conduct a site audit/inspection.

4 legal requirements when training your employees

When you train your employees, remember these four legal requirements…

4 legal requirements when training your employees

1. You must provide any information, instruction, training and supervision that may be necessary to ensure, as far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety at work of your employees (Section 8(e),OHSA)

2. You must ensure that your employees fully understand the hazards associated with the work they perform, and the plant or machinery they use. They must also have the authority to implement the precautionary measures you’ve taken (Section 8(i), OHSA)

3. You must inform all employees regarding the scope of their authority (as contemplated in Section 37( 1)(b) (Section 8)(j), OHSA)

4. You must instruct your employees on the proper use, maintenance and limitations of the safety equipment and facilities you’ve provided (Section 2.5, General Safety Regulations, OHSA). This means training them accordingly

3 basic steps to a lock-out procedure

There are three basic steps to a lock-out procedure: PRE, MID and POST. Make sure you include each in your procedure.

PRE-lock-out starts with the issue of a lock-out or work permit by the responsible person. This is followed by the drawing of locks and keys, de-activating the equipment or process through conventional or other means and the securing of the lock on the lock-out device. This is accompanied by the completion and hanging of the tag on the lock. This tag will show who is working on the machine and the date on which the lock-out was one. It also makes it easy to see if the lock-out is currently in use.

MID-lock-out continues by ensuring that the correct control has been locked, effectively disconnecting the power. Secure the key on the person who performed the lock-out and start the maintenance or other work. This stage continues until all work is complete.

Warning!

The removal of the lock by someone other than the one who placed it there should only be allowed under extreme circumstances, and then only with the express authority of the person who signed the permit, e.g. in the absence of the key holder. Once all activities are completed, get permission to remove the lock and tag and to restore the power supply.

POST-lock-out begins with a thorough inspection to remove all tools, loose parts and other maintenance equipment. Replace all the machine guards and other guards. Personnel must all be accounted for and be clear of all moving or hazardous mechanisms. Power is then restored and the necessary tests carried out before resuming normal operation.

Man's arm wedged inside machine

A man was injured on Thursday when his arm was caught in a mechanical steel-drum wrapping machine at a factory on Langeberg Road in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal paramedics said.

"It is thought that the man had been using the machine to wrap steel drums in heavy duty plastic prior to their being transported. While doing so, the man's arm was caught in the moving part of the machine," said Netcare 911 spokesperson Jeff Wicks.

Wicks said other workers in the factory shut down the power and the machine was immediately switched off.

"Officers of Netcare911's specialised rescue unit arrived at the factory to find the man's arm still firmly wedged inside the machine," said Wicks.

The rescue team used advanced rescue tools to free him. His arm was not amputated.

"The man was treated and stabilised at the scene by paramedics before he was transported to the hospital for the care he required," said Wicks.
- Sapa



Published on the Web by IOL on 2010-09-02 13:35:23

UPDATES TO NOTE
The following changes in Legislation were passed that could impact on Occupational Health and Safety Practitioners

Commencement of Amendments to the:
•Domestic Violence Act
•Magistrates' Court Act
•Maintenance Act

Amendments have been made to the Policies and Regulations published under the following Acts:
•Health Professions Act
•National Education Policy Act
•National Environmental Management Act

Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act and Regulations (130/1993)
•Standard Assessment Rate Changes 2009 and 2010

Health Professions Act and Regulations (56/1974)
• Amendment of Ethical Rules of Conduct for Practitioners Registered under the Health Professions Act, 1974
• Regulations relating to Fines which may be Imposed by a Committee of Enquiry against Practitioners found Guilty of Improper or Disgraceful Conduct under the Health Professions Act, 1974

7 ways to create a culture of reporting incidents

1. Create a safe and open style of communication. It is okay for the lowest ranked worker to talk openly with anyone, including the MD, on matters of health and safety.
2. Pay attention to reported incidents and acknowledge there is an underlying problem or issue.
3. Do something about hazardous situations that are reported.
4. Provide feedback to all staff about the incidents and what you’re doing to reduce risk or prevent a recurrence.
5. Don’t blame people for the incident.
6. Establish the underlying causes that led to the incident.
7. Take preventative action to make sure no further incidents occur.