Occupational Health and Safety Act, 1993 (Act No. 85 of 1993)RegulationsExplosives Regulations, 20248. 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. |