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Mine Health and Safety Act, 1996 (Act No. 29 of 1996)

Notices

Guidance Note for a Management and Control Programme for Tuberculosis in the South African Mining Industry

Part A : The Guideline

1. Foreword

 

1.1 This Guidance Note has been produced to assist in the diagnosis and treatment of TB in the South African mining industry. It is intended as a supplement to the NTBMG issued by the NDOH. Even though TB control, as an infectious disease, is primarily the responsibility of the NDOH, the mining industry has assumed a more active role to address the national problem of TB and to support the NTBMG.

 

1.2 Section 13 of the MHSA requires establishment of the system of the medical surveillance and the reporting of the results are done in terms of DMR form 164. TB is one of the diseases that need to be reported on. The employer’s system of medical surveillance should therefore include a TB control programme.

 

1.3 The following are the recognized risk factors that contribute in the epidemiology of TB in the mines: dust exposure, migrant labour system, in-house spread of TB facilitated by hostel accommodations, the development of informal housing and HIV. However, this document does not specifically address the management of these risks. Integration of TB, HIV and AIDS care is essential for any TB control programme. The management of TB cases on mines requires measures that are additional to those in the national guidelines. The reasons for this include the occupational risk of silica dust, the high TB incidence rates, the high prevalence of Non-tuberculosis mycobacteria (NTM) disease, the fact that TB and silico tuberculosis are potentially compensable diseases in terms of the ODMWA and COIDA.

 

1.4 This document aims to define these additional practice standards. The practice standards set out in this document should apply to all people working on mines, irrespective of employment category, and including contract workers. Employee representatives should be involved in all aspects of programme implementation that might directly affect them, either through health and safety committees, or through infectious diseases committees.

 

1.5 In the mining industry implementation of the NTBMG is facilitated through documents issued by the DMR. This Guidance Note is one of three such documents. The other two are the Guidelines for Tuberculosis Preventive Therapy among People Living with HIV and Silicosis In South Africa (Isoniazid Preventative Therapy (IPT) Policy) and the Guidance Note for Implementation of TB Preventative Therapy among People Living with HIV and Silicosis). All three of these documents should be consulted in compiling the employer’s TB control programme.