Occupational Health and Safety Act, 1993 (Act No. 85 of 1993)RegulationsElectrical Machinery Regulations, 20119. Electrical machinery in hazardous locations |
| (1) | Every employer or user shall identify all hazardous locations and classify them in accordance with the relevant health and safety standard incorporated into these Regulations under section 44 of the Act. |
| (2) | No person may use electrical machinery in locations where there is danger of fire or explosion owing to the presence, occurrence or development of explosive or flammable articles, or where explosive articles are manufactured, handled or stored, unless such electrical machinery, with regard to its construction relating to the classification of the hazardous locations in which it is to be used, meets the requirements of the safety standard incorporated for this purpose in these Regulations under section 44 of the Act. |
| (3) | Every employer or user referred to in subregulation (1) shall be in possession of a certificate in a form acceptable to the chief inspector, which has been issued by an approved inspection authority and in which it is certified that the electrical machinery referred to in subregulation (2) has been manufactured and tested for the groups of dangerous articles in accordance with the relevant health and safety standard incorporated into these Regulations under section 44 of the Act: Provided that in lieu of such certificate an inspector may approve permanent labelling on such machinery, which label shall contain all the relevant information. |
| (4) | When diverse items of electrical machinery such as motors, cables and control apparatus are used together to form a system, the employer or user shall ensure that the selection, arrangement, installation, protection, maintenance and working of the system results in no less a degree of safety than when the individual items of such machinery are used separately. |
| (5) | The employer or user shall use electrical machinery to which this regulation applies only under such conditions and in such surroundings as prescribed in the health and safety standard referred to in subregulation (2). |
| (6) | No employer or user shall effect repairs or adjustments to or otherwise work on electrical machinery under conditions envisaged by subregulation (2) unless such machinery has been rendered dead and effective measures have been taken to ensure that such machinery remains dead. |
| (7) | Wherever there is a possibility of the formation of static electricity under working conditions, the employer or user shall earth all metallic structures, machine parts, pneumatic conveyor ducts and pipelines conveying flammable articles and the like, or take such other measures as may be necessary to prevent the formation of electric sparks. |
| (8) | The employer or user shall cause all electrical machinery in a hazardous location to be visually inspected and tested at intervals not exceeding two years, or any other interval approved by the chief inspector after a risk assessment has been conducted by a person who is competent to express an opinion on the safety thereof: Provided that installed intrinsically safe equipment may in lieu of a test be verified in terms of the approved design. |
| (9) | The person carrying out the examination referred to in subregulation (8) shall enter, sign and date the results of each examination in a record book which shall be kept by the employer or user for this purpose. |