Key mine health, safety guidelines gazetted

Guidance notes on mine employee HIV counselling and testing were gazetted on Friday, together with guidelines on compiling three mandatory codes of practice affecting the health and safety of mine workers, says Pam Saxby for Legalbrief Policy Watch. The HIV self-testing and counselling and ‘conventional’ testing guidelines focus on strengthening ‘good practice’ across ‘legally acceptable workplace initiatives’ and should be read and interpreted in the context of the Constitution, 1998 Employment Equity Act and other relevant legislation. The code-of-practice compilation guidelines focus on the availability of portable oxygen sources for providing ‘breathable air in a closed circuit’; preventing flammable gas and coal dust explosions; and reducing the health and safety risks associated with ‘working in confined spaces’.