Occupational Health and Safety Act, 1993 (Act No. 85 of 1993) Regulations Environmental Regulations for Workplaces, 1987 1. Definitions

 

In these regulations "the Act" means the Machinery and Occupational Safety Act, 1983 (Act 6 of 1983), and any expression to which a meaning has been assigned in the Act shall have the meaning so assigned and, unless the context indicates otherwise—

 

"acclimatised"

means physiologically adapted to a particular thermal environment and work rate;

 

"attenuation"

means the proven capability of hearing protectors to reduce the equivalent noise level to which the wearer thereof is exposed;

 

"building work"

means work defined as such in regulation 1 of the General Administrative Regulations promulgated in terms of section 35 of the Act and published under Government Notice R. 2206 of 5 October 1984;

 

"dB (A)"

means a unit of measurement of sound pressure level as contemplated in SABS 083;

 

"directional luminaire"

means a luminaire from which the light radiation is confined to a well-defined narrow beam;

 

"equivalent sound pressure level"

is the value of the equivalent continuous sound level which would deliver the same amount of sound energy as the actual fluctuating sound, measured over the same time period, and "equivalent noise level" has a corresponding meaning;

[Definition substituted for "equivalent noise level" by regulation 2(b) of Notice No. R. 489 dated 18 March 1994]

 

"exposed"

means exposed whilst at work, and "exposure" has a corresponding meaning;

[Definition inserted by regulation 2(a) of Notice No. R. 489 dated 18 March 1994]

 

"exposure limit"

means a value as defined in the Asbestos Regulations, 1987, promulgated in terms of section 35 of the Act and published under Government Notice R. 773 of 10 April 1987;

 

"hearing protectors"

means ear muffs or ear plugs of a type approved by the chief inspector and in respect of which an efficiency test as prescribed by SABS 572 has been conducted by the South African Bureau of Standards or an approved inspection authority;

 

"heatstroke"

means a pathological condition arising form thermoregulatory failure of the human body;

 

"illuminance"

means the intensity of light falling on a surface, measured in lux;

 

"luminaire"

means a light fitting which supports a lamp and provides it with electrical connections;

 

"noise zone"

means an area where the equivalent noise level is equal to or exceeds 85 dB (A) when measured in accordance with SABS 083;

 

"regional director"

means the regional director as defined in regulation 1 of the General Administrative Regulations published under Government Notice No. R. 2206 of 5 October 1984 and amended by Government Notice No R. 2131 of 1990;

[Definition inserted by regulation 2(e) of Notice No. R. 489 dated 18 March 1994]

 

"respiratory protective equipment"

means a device as defined in the Asbestos Regulations, 1987, promulgated in terms of section 35 of the Act and published under Government Notice R. 773 of 10 April 1987;

 

"SABS 083"

means the South African Bureau of Standards’ Code of Practice for the Measurement and Assessment of Occupational Noise for Hearing Conservation Purposes, SABS 083;

 

"SABS 572"

[Definition deleted by regulation 2(c) of Notice No. r. 489 dated 18 March 1994]

 

"SABS 1451: Part I"

South Africa Standard. Standard Specification for Hearing Protectors, Part I: Ear muffs;

[Definition inserted by regulation 2(d) of Notice No. R. 489 dated 18 March 1994]

 

"SABS 1451: Part II"

South African Standard. Standard Specification for Hearing Protectors, Part II: Ear plugs;

[Definition inserted by regulation 2(d) of Notice No. R. 489 dated 18 March 1994]

 

"time-weighted average"

means the average of a number of representative measurements that are taken over a period of time and that are calculated as follows:

 

 

where x1, x2, etc., are the observed measurements during the corresponding periods t1, t2, etc., minutes, and t1, + t2 + t3 + …. + tn is the total time in minutes over which the measurements are taken;

 

"WBGT index"

means a number which characterises the thermal conditions in the environment to which that number applies; it is calculated by adding seven tenths of the reading in degrees Celsius obtained with a naturally ventilated wet-bulb thermometer to one fifth of the reading in degrees Celsius obtained with a globe thermometer and adding that sum to one tenth of the reading in degrees Celsius obtained with a dry-bulb thermometer; the index may also be obtained by using an electronically integrating direct-reading instrument which has been designed, built and calibrated for that particular purpose;

 

"working plane"

means a horizontal plane at the level where work is performed.