Whether you’re an essential worker working during lockdown or worried about being protected when the lockdown is over and you need to go back to work, we’ve looked at the laws that apply to ensure your working environment is safe.
The Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHS Act) says the employer has a responsibility to provide and maintain a working environment that is safe and without risk to the health of employees as far as this is reasonable and practical. However, this doesn’t mean the employer is the only one responsible – employees also have a responsibility to work together with the employer to identify and manage health and safety risks.
With regard to Covid-19, the Department of Labour has advised employers to take a number of measures to ensure the safety of workers. Below is a basic summary of the guidelines. To view the full guidelines you can visit the Department of Labour’s website here.
- Engineering controls: For example, increasing ventilation.
- Administrative controls (for both the employer and the employee): For example, reducing contact among workers, minimising the number of workers on site at any given time, emergency communications plans, and education and training on Covid-19 risk factors and protective behaviours like cough etiquette and how to use personal protective equipment.
- Safe work practices: For example, the employer must provide resources that promote hygiene like no-touch bins, hand soap/hand sanitiser, disinfectant and disposable towels to dry their hands and wipe down surfaces.
- Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): For example, the employer must provide gloves, face shields/masks, overalls, and respiratory protection, where appropriate.
The Department of Labour has been conducting ‘inspection blitzes’ to make sure employers are complying with the Act, and a number of supermarkets who did not provide their staff with PPE have already gotten into trouble with the law. Workers who feel they are not being given adequate protection by their employer can report their employer to the Department of Labour. No telephone number has been provided, but the Department of Labour’s press release states that queries can be directed to the Provincial Chief Inspector of the Gauteng Province, Advocate Michael Msiza, on 082 900 8131.
Tips:
- There are a number of measures employers must put in place by law to protect workers against the risk of Covid-19 (coronavirus).
- Both employers and employees have a responsibility to help stop the spread of the virus.
Source:
Occupational Health and Safety Act (85 of 1993)
Department of Employment and Labour unveil guidelines to deal with Covid-19 at workplaces, 17 March 2020
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* This is only basic advice and cannot be relied on solely. The information is correct at the time of being sent to publishing. No liability can be accepted for any errors or omissions nor for any loss or damage arising from reliance upon any information herein.