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The Department of Labour in partnership with the University of South Africa (Unisa) is to host a day-long workshop to sensitise the explosives industry stakeholders on the explosives regulations amendments within the explosives workplace.

Department of Labour Deputy Director: Explosives in the Occupational Health & Safety (OHS) Directorate, Rudzani Ramabulana, said the process of amending the regulations was a response to a call by the industry that the 2003 regulations were outdated, and not on par with modern trends. Ramabulana said a lot of technological developments have occurred in the explosives environment and this necessitated the proposed change.

The explosives regulation amendment consultation workshop is held under the theme: “Building an ideal explosives environment for everyone”. The workshop will be held at the Unisa Florida Campus on 29 August 2016. It will be held from 9h00-14h00. It will be used to elicit inputs/comments on the review of explosives regulations. 

The explosive environments covers those areas that manufactures, stores, uses and handles explosives substances, and blasting enevironment.

Ramabulana said the decision to amend the regulations was taken back in 2009 and now has reached a momentum. He said the workshop at the end of the month would be used to canvass inputs to amending the explosives regulations.

He said in the current regulations, radio frequency is not allowed in the danger(ous) areas. However, changes in technology with explosives plants introducing automation through robotics and other equipment, the situation needed to change be in line changing trends.

The Department of Labour together with SAPS and the Department of Minerals and Energy are responsible for the regulation of the explosives environment.

Some of the industry players subjected to these regulation are in the explosives manufacturing sector and blasting. 

Ramabulana said a draft explosives regulation document had been approved by the Advisory Council on Occupational Health and Safety. He said the document has since been sent to the State Law Advisors and the National Language Services and was now awaiting the gazetting to facilitate the public comment stage. He said the department was also awaiting the signature of Labour Minister, Mildred Oliphant to invite the comments through gazette the review.

He said the gazetting of the draft regulations would enable stakeholders 90 days to make written inputs to the Technical committee comprised of Organised Labour, Organised Business and Government representatives.

During the workshop there will also be presentations on risk assessment; explosives manager qualifications; and on Radio frequency.

Issued by Department of Labour