Tag: Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

According to all Acts that pertain to employment, Temporary Employment Service (TES) providers are regarded as the employer of any TES worker placed within a given organisation. However, according to the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Act, the TES provider is not regarded as the employer, which means the responsibility of the employees’ health and safety lies with the organisation itself.

Government's first duty is to protect the rights of citizens. Instead, ours has prioritised yet another bailout of R10.5 billion for the failed South African Airways (SAA), with a further R6.5 billion in the pipeline. This while citizens die in hospitals lacking basic personal protective equipment, staff and oxygen supplies, and there remains no vaccine on the horizon.

While some may have viewed 2020 as a write-off, the technology sector has seen a massive upswing. As a result of forced, mass digitisation, 2021 promises to be a fruitful – albeit challenging – year for technology. Globally, there are three key predictions that could shape success in the year to come.

Being a good corporate citizen means that businesses place people first, respective of their employees and the communities they operate in. Sulphur hexafluoride (SF6), routinely used in electrical switchgear poses a significant risk to both human health and the environment based on possible adverse operating conditions, possible leakage, and inappropriate disposal of the equipment at the end of its life cycle.

In a recent decision by the Advertising Regulatory Board against FlySafair, the board found that compliance with COVID-19 regulations extends to 'make-believe' marketing initiatives such as advertisements or commercials. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on many businesses, which have been irreparably harmed by the lockdown restrictions.

Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin infamously noted that while a single death is a tragedy, a million deaths is simply a statistic. That grim milestone has now been passed by the coronavirus. It has claimed more than a million lives worldwide.

At various stages during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa, various studies were released on the negative impact that COVID-19 will have on the construction sector. Some studies predicted that the sector could experience a total of 140,000 job losses.

COVID-19 cannot take all the blame for the disruptions taking place in the global economy. The pandemic and resultant lockdown simply provided a conduit for highlighting the failings across industries in South Africa, whether that is healthcare, public transport, education, or others.

COVID-19 introduces regulatory and ethical challenges to companies and employees returning to work. Stringent regulations and careful planning define the approaches of organisations and employees returning to the workplace in the pandemic.

As COVID-19 cases continue to rise sharply in South Africa, employers will be under increased pressure to ensure that their workers are operating under conditions of safety and protection. Companies are required to ensure their strict compliance with the various Acts and COVID-19 Regulations, including the Occupational Health & Safety Act, Labour Act, Consumer Protection Act, Disaster Management Act and more.