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Occupational Health and Safety Act, 1993 (Act No. 85 of 1993)

Regulations

Explosives Regulations, 2024

8. Safeguarding of explosives workplace

 

(1) An employer, self-employed person or user must ensure that—
(a) an explosives workplace is established, erected, operated and maintained in such a manner as to prevent the exposure of persons to hazardous or potentially hazardous conditions or circumstances;
(b) no part of the explosives workplace is used for any other purpose not authorised by the explosives workplace licence;
(c) all materials used in the construction of a danger building are of a design approved by a professional engineer and acceptable to the chief inspector of occupational health and safety;
(d) in respect of explosives workplaces—
(i) there are escape routes;
(ii) work in confined spaces is done in accordance with regulation 5 of the General Safety Regulations made under the Act and published in Government Notice No. R. 1031 of 30 May 1986;
(iii) the safety of electrical machinery is as per SANS 10086-1: The installation, inspection and maintenance of equipment used in explosive atmospheres, Part 1: Installations including surface installations on mines;
(iv) the required lightning protectors are installed and are functional; and
(v) there is no explosives processing or storage of explosives is allowed in a building that is located directly under overhead power lines;
(e) all employees within the danger area are conversant with any applicable regulations, special rules and operating instructions and that copies of these are readily available to them; and
(f) a maintenance and inspection schedule is prepared and implemented by the explosives manager in respect of all danger buildings, fittings, plant and machinery in use in the danger area.

 

(2) An employer, self-employed person or user must—
(a) in the event of any abnormal conditions being discovered or any unusual occurrence taking place at an explosives workplace, cause operations to be stopped immediately: provided that where this is not possible, owing to the nature of the process, emergency procedures must be laid down and immediate action taken in terms of those procedures; and
(b) despite authorised licence limits, reduce the quantity of explosives, or raw materials, or the number of persons at any explosives workplace whenever this is reasonably practicable.