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

Notices

Guideline for the Compilation of a Mandatory Code of Practice for the Prevention, Mitigation and Management of COVID-19 outbreak

Part A: The Guideline

4. Definitions and acronyms
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4.1"CIOM"

means Chief Inspector of Mines.

 

4.2"Confirmed case"

means a person who has been diagnosed with COVID-19 by means of a laboratory diagnostic method approved by the DOH.

 

4.3"COP"

means Code of Practice in terms of section 9 of the MHSA.

 

4.4"COVID-19"

means Corona Virus Infection Disease 2019 caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

 

4.5"Disinfect"

means the process of cleaning using chemicals to destroy micro-organisms.

 

4.6"DMA"

means Disaster Management Act, 2002 (Act 57 of 2002).

 

4.7"DMRE"

means the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy.

 

4.8"DOH"

means the Department of Health.

 

4.9"EAP"

means Employee Assistance Programme.

 

4.10"Employee"

means any person who is employed or working at a mine (including the mine's contractors).

 

4.11"Exposure"

means the state of having no protection from something harmful. For the purposes of this guideline exposure is in reference to SARS-CoV-2.

 

4.12"Health care worker"

means all health care professionals primarily engaged to enhance health by providing preventative, curative, promotional or rehabilitative health care services.

 

4.13"Isolation"

means separating a sick individual with a contagious disease from healthy individuals that are not infected with such disease in a manner that aims to prevent the spreading of infection or contamination.

 

4.14"MHSA"

means Mine Health and Safety Act, 1996 (Act 29 of 1996) as amended.

 

4.15"MHSC"

means the Mine Health and Safety Council, established in terms of section 41(1) of the MHSA.

 

4.16"NDOH"

means National Department of Health.

 

4.17"NICD"

means National Institute for Communicable Diseases.

 

4.18"OMP"

means a medical practitioner who holds a qualification in occupational medicine or an equivalent qualification, recognised by the Health Professions Council of South Africa.

 

4.19"PPE"

means personal protective equipment.

 

4.20"PUI"

means person under investigation.

 

4.21"Quarantine"

means the restriction of activities or separation of a person, who was or may potentially have been exposed to COVID-19, and who could potentially spread the disease to other non-exposed persons, to prevent the possible spread of infection or contamination to healthy individuals with the objective of monitoring their symptoms and ensuring the early detection of cases.

 

4.22"Reasonably practicable"

means practicable having regard to:

(a)The severity and scope of the hazard or risk concerned;
(b)The state of knowledge reasonably available concerning that hazard or risk, and of any means of removing or mitigating that hazard or risk;
(c)The availability and suitability of means to remove or mitigate that hazard or risk; and
(d)The costs and the benefits of removing or mitigating that hazard or risk.

 

4.23"RTW"

means return to work.

 

4.24"Self-isolation"

means separating yourself from others to the greatest extent possible,when you are sick with signs of COVID-19 and you have been told by a health care provider to separate yourself from others.

 

4.25"Vulnerable employees"

means employees with known or disclosed health issues or co-morbidities such as or with any condition which may place such employees at a higher risk of complications or death if they are infected with SARS-CoV-2; also employees above the age of 60 who are at a higher risk of complications or death if they are infected with SARS-CoV-2 (or as defined by the DMA regulations and the DOH guidance note).

 

4.26"WHO"

means World Health Organization.