The Minister of Employment and Labour has re-published the “Code of Practice: Managing exposure to SARS-COV-2 in the Workplace 2022”. This code is exactly the same as the one gazetted on the 15th February 2022 and published on the 15th March 2022.
The original publication was documented in the FEDHASA weekly news roundup dated 18th March 2022.
The re-published code states that “for the sake of clarity, it is recorded that the Notice published in GN 1876 on 15 February 2022 in GG 46043 was made in error and is liable to be set aside. An application has been filed in the High Court to have it declared invalid”
It would appear therefore that the original document was invalid at the time of publication.
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 re-published Code, click below:
