The Minister of Employment and Labour has published a “Code of Practice: Managing exposure to SARS-COV-2 in the Workplace 2022” which will come into force once the Declaration of a National State of Disaster has lapsed.
This code of practice is similar in part to the Consolidated Direction on Occupational Health and Safety Measures in Certain Workplaces published on the 11th June 2021. However, it should be noted that many provisions have been added, removed, re-written and or totally amended.
The code of practice applies to most workplaces across South Africa however “subject to the employer’s obligations under the OHSA to conduct a risk assessment, employers with less than 20 employees need only apply the measures set out in section 13” which provides specifically for small businesses
The code of practice provides for the following –
1. Introduction
2. Purpose
3. Interpretation
4. Application
5. Risk assessment and plan
6. Contents of risk assessment and plan
7. Notification of workers
8. Symptom reporting by workers
9. Isolation of workers
10. Ventilation
11. Specific personal protective equipment
12. Vaccination of employees
13. Small businesses
14. Worker obligations
15. Refusal to work
16. No deduction from employee’s remuneration
17. Monitoring and enforcing this Code
18. Limited application to mines, mining areas and works
19. Amendment of footnotes
To view the document, click here
