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Basic Conditions of Employment Act, 1997 (Act No. 75 of 1997)

Codes of Good Practice

Code of Good Practice on the Arrangement of Working Time

10. Management Services

 

10.1 Employers should provide appropriate management services to employees working outside of ordinary hours. Depending on the nature of the business, some aspects of management services should be available at all times to nightshift employees.

 

10.2 Services that should be available at night include:
10.2.1 first aid services;
10.2.2 qualified safety supervision;
10.2.3 occupational health services, in particular counselling on nutrition and fatigue related-problems;
10.2.4 emergency services in case of accidents, including transportation to hospitals.

 

10.3 Employers who engage employees on night work should ensure that
10.3.1 there is adequate security for employees at the workplace;
10.3.2 employees are able to obtain safe, affordable transportation between their places of residence and their workplace;
10.3.3 there are adequate eating facilities;
10.3.4 there are adequate rest rooms and change-rooms.

 

10.4 Administrative services should be sufficient, so that employees working nights do not have to use their off-duty time to have contact with services such as the wages or personnel department. This could be achieved by making these services available at the start or end of shifts by introducing rosters that permit employees working at night to have contact during this time.

 

10.5 The need for and extent of administrative services will depend on the type of shift patterns. The need will be greatest if employees are working at night for long periods or permanently; there will be less of a need if employees change rapidly from day shift to night shift.

 

10.6 Employees working at night should not be disadvantaged in having access to education and training.

 

10.7 Collective bargaining, trade union activities and the activities of participative bodies such as workplace forums or health and safety committees should be arranged so as to allow employees who work at night to participate.

 

10.8 An agreement to reduce employees' meal intervals to 30 minutes in terms of section 14(5)(a) of the BCEA should not be concluded if it may have the effect of endangering the health and safety of employees.

 

10.9 Employers must ensure that employees receive adequate rest periods.

 

10.10 The number and duration of rest pauses during the shift and rotation should be adapted to the workload. Particular attention must be given to the scheduling of rest periods for employees who are engaged in—
10.10.1 physically and mentally strenuous work;
10.10.2 work involving manual lifting;
10.10.3 work involving repetitive movement;
10.10.4 monotonous work;
10.10.5 shifts of longer than eight hours.