OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH FAQs
National Social Security Authority of Zimbabwe (“NSSA”)
Accountability, Transparency, Honesty
This week we focus on frequently asked questions about Occupational Safety and Health.
Q.??? What is Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) and its purpose?
A.??? OSH is a disciple dealing with the prevention of work-related injuries and diseases as well as the protection and promotion of the health of workers. Thus, OSH aims to;
§? Promote and maintain the highest degree of physical, mental and social well-being of workers in all occupations.
§? Prevent adverse effects on health caused by working conditions among workers.
§? Place and maintain workers in an occupational environment adapted to the physical and mental needs as well as adaptation of work to the human capabilities.
INSPECTORATE
Q.? What law empowers the factory Inspector to enter our business premises and what is its purpose?
A. The Factories and Works Act, Ch 14:08, which has a set of 8 regulations
???? under it as follows:
Purpose:?To provide for the registration and control of factories, the regulation of conditions of work in factories, supervision of the use of machinery, precautions against accidents to persons employed on structural work.
Q. I do not manufacture anything, but my business is termed a factory, why?
A.??? The definition of Factory is taken from Section 3 of the Factories and Works Act. It is not manufacturing only but covers a whole lot of business activities in the economy, i.e., any premises on which any person performs work in connection with any business, undertaking or institution. There are, however, some premises listed in the definition which are not factories, e.g., mining locations, structural work, farming activities, private houses, hotels, etc.
Q?? What are the requirements for factory plans?
A. Plans are submitted to the inspector for any building which is intended to be used as a factory or for any building additions or alterations to existing factories.
b.????? Plans must be drawn to the scale of: Site plans: 1 to 500 and building plans: – 1 to 100.
c.????? Site plans to show position of all buildings on site and distances.
d.????? Building plans to show, in plan, elevation and cross-section, positions and dimensions of all doors, windows, openings, means of ventilation, sanitary conveniences, stairs and fire escapes.
e.????? Plans are submitted together with a completed Application for Approval of Plans Form, F.1
f.?????? Same plans submitted to the Factories Inspectorate are the once submitted to the Local Authority for further approval.
Q.??????? Can an Inspector come for inspection without appointment or at night?
A.??????? Yes. An Inspector may, without previous notice, at any reasonable time enter any factory, structural works premises, etc. for the purpose of ascertaining whether provisions of the Act are being complied with.
Q.??????? How do I know that a person is an Inspector?
A.??????? An Inspector is appointed in terms of Section 4 of the Act and is issued with a Certificate signed by the Chief Inspector of Factories which he should produce on demand during the course of his duties.
Q.??????? What protection is there, against victimisation, to employees who report their employers’ unsafe practices?
A.??????? Section 26 of the Act prohibits victimisation of any person who supplies information to the Inspector.
Q.??????? What are the requirements for obtaining and registering a new boiler?
A.??????? The user of boiler submits a written application on Form F.B.3, together with the appropriate fee:
For a new boiler, submit/attach:
a.????? Maker’s complete specification
b.????? Legible dimensioned drawings setting out the complete boiler and the plating and welding details.
c.????? Drawings showing the boiler house in plan and elevation and the position of the boiler.
d.????? Inspection certificate issued by an Inspection Authority approved by the Chief Inspector of Factories, which shall certify:
·???????? The standard specification (Code) to which the boiler was constructed
·???????? The standard to be approved by the Chief Inspector.
·???????? Results of physical tests and chemical analysis carried out on materials used.
·???????? Details of the hydraulic test
·???????? Details of any heat treatment – if required by the standard specification
·???????? Results of any X-ray examination- if required by the standard specification
·???????? Results of any weld specimen tests- if required by the
·???????? standard specification.
Q. How frequently must boilers be inspected?
A.? Boilers are inspected internally/externally and commissioned at least once a year and pressure tested once every 3 years or after repairs to pressure parts of the boiler.
Q.What are the requirements for acquiring a pressure vessel, like air receiver, autoclave, gas tank, etc.?
A.??? Pressure vessels must be designed and constructed according to a Standard/Code approved by the Chief inspector and supervised during manufacture by an Inspection Authority approved by the Chief Inspector. The user of pressure vessel must have a Certificate issued by the Inspection Authority which shows the Standard of manufacture and the supervision exercised during manufacture.
Q. How do you maintain an air receiver or any other pressure vessel safe from explosions?
A.??? A user of a pressure vessel must ensure the vessel is fitted with; a pressure gauge, a safety valve, a drain cock, a stop valve, a pressure-reducing valve (if required) and door interlocks (for those with removable/hinged doors or covers), which should be in good state of repair all the time. The vessel must be inspected by a competent and approved person at least once every 2 years and tested at least once every 4 years and records kept.
Q. How does an employer deal with incidents/accidents happening at the workplace?
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A.??? [i] At a factory or a structural work site, the employer must maintain a register to record all reportable accidents.
????????? [ii] The employer is required to report accidents at the workplace to OSH Inspectorate??in writing by completing ‘Report of Accident’ Form, F.G.2 and to NSSA APWCS Department on form WCIF 14.
Q. What are the requirements for registering an elevator/escalator?
A. [i] The User applies in writing to OSH Inspectorate on forms F.E.1 or F.E.7
??? [ii] Pay the prescribed registration fee.
??? [iii]For a new Elevator, submit.
·???????? Drawings of the machine room and hatchway in plan and elevation to a scale of 1 to 50
·???????? Dimensioned drawings showing the position of the installation in plan and elevation.
·???????? A diagram showing the complete electrical wiring installation.
·???????? Details of the number and size of the hoisting ropes, together with the maker’s specification and test certificate.
???? [iv]For a new Escalator, submit.
·???????? Specifications and legible dimensioned drawings showing the position of the installation in plan and elevation.
·???????? A diagram showing the complete electrical wiring of the installation.
Q. What are the requirements for safe maintenance and inspection of elevators?
A. [i]?? The user/owner appoints a competent and approved person or firm who shall?????????????????
??????????? examine the entire elevator/escalator installation including guides, ropes,?????
??????????? controllers, motor, drums, sheaves, and all safety appliances at least once every??
??????????? month.
??? [ii]?? ?On Statutory Inspections: Conducted at least once every year or after major repairs.
a. Inspector notifies the user of the proposed inspection date.
b. User/owner pays the inspection fees to NSSA.
c. User causes the elevator/escalator to be cleaned and prepared for inspection by??
?? the appointed competent person.
OSH PROMOTIONS AND TRAINING
Q. What OSH training programmes do you offer?
A.Basic Occupational Safety and Health Course (BOSHC), Safety, health and?
??? environmental (SHE) management representatives course, Teach-ins covering?
??? management and workers and the popular 8 week Occupational Safety, Health and
??? Environmental Management Representative Course (OSHEMAC).
Q. Which programme do you advise us to partake in?
A. It all depends on what an organisation can afford, but if the resources permit, SHE?
???? REPS course for two weeks or BOSHC for just one week are ideal courses to start??
???? with. Then if workers are to be allowed enough time of study, OSHEMAC will quite
???? ideal as it covers in detail many aspects of OSH.
Q. What promotional materials do you issue during training?
A. We offer soft copies of the presentations and any other supporting documents from?
??? the presentation only.
Q. Does NSSA wait for an accident to occur for them to come to conduct an inspection or training?
A. No, it does not. Inspections are ongoing.
Q. Who do we report an accident to and how do we go about it?
A. You report an accident to Factory inspectors by filling in an FG2 form and submitting
??? to your nearest NSSA office.
Q. Why does NSSA charge us for their services when we are contributors of NSSA?
A. Charges for various OSH services provided are just to recover administrative costs???
??? associated with delivering the service.
Q. How can I have access to NSSA safety and health posters?
A. Safety and Health Posters are found at either the library (4th floor NSSA house) or at the NSSA Willowvale office or the nearest NSSA offices in all the major cities in this country.
Q. How do we get to know about any safety and health events with which we are?involved as an organisation for example SHAW Conference?
A. You can request for the OSH Division?calendar of events?from our OSH department in various major cities across the country. Campaign letters for various events are also sent out to organisations and are published in the media and various social media platforms.
Contact us via our social media handles @nssazw: We are on Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, Google, LinkedIn, and Twitter (X).
You can also email us via WhatsApp at 0713556000; [email protected]