LOADSHEDDING!! Not surprising South Africa’s word for the year, dominating our lives with schedules and apps. Powering computers down before darkness hits, powering up as soon as lights flicker back. Even night-time loadshedding is no relief. To avoid power surges we are told to switch off at the DB board during loadshedding, no matter day or night, leading to disturbed sleep night after night. And there seems no end to this never-ending disruptive cycle. For two years we lived under the strain of Covid-19, and have now moved onto living under the strain of unrelenting loadshedding and yoyoing stages. It is no surprise that mental health problems in South Africa are at an all-time low. With Mental Illness Awareness month celebrated now in October, businesses must see this as an opportunity to understand the mental strains among their workforce.
With the realisation that loadshedding is here to stay, has come the frenzy to find alternative energy sources, the most popular and effective being solar panels. Otto Botha reminds us that the installation of solar panels – whether in the home or industry – is governed by the National Building Regulations, Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Act, and the Construction Regulations.
Respirator fit testing post Covid
Besides having to deal with disruptions during Covid, the industry also had to deal with the deluge of counterfeit PPE, with OEMs struggling to raise awareness and educate the public how to tell the real from the counterfeit. Unscrupulous suppliers and manufacturers crawled out of the woodwork to satisfy the demand for N95 masks. Although most came with claims to be compliant, there was no control over their effectiveness. According to Rob Brauch, many were not capable of protecting the wearer against any transmission of SARS CoV-2. With masks being hailed as one of the most effective ways to curb the spread of Covid, this is frightening. According to him, the most effective way of determining whether it is actually protecting the wearer is by performing Fit Testing which he explains in his article.
Asbestos and the World Trade Centre bombing
On 09 September 2011, I struggled to pull myself away from the television as the horrors of the World Trade Centre bombing unfolded. But as the weeks moved on, so did my thoughts and my life, and soon I was only reminded about it annually on its anniversary. Unlike the first responders who rushed to help save lives, who breathed in the asbestos fibres and other toxins that choked the air, and who have never had the luxury of moving on. Now 21 years later they are still suffering. With a latency period of 10 – 50 years, respiratory diseases and cancers that started after 9/11 are continually being diagnosed. ADAO in its article criticises America for not banning asbestos like countries such as South Africa.
Food safety
Anyone wanting to know about dangerous bacteria such as campylobacter that lurk in chickens, read the article by Amy Gower. You will also learn why M&S started selling roast-in-the-bag chickens. Anyone wanting to learn about the vital role that the supply chain plays in food safety, from farming to eating, read Ehi Iden’s article. You will also read why eggs shouldn’t be washed.
Hearing protection
Dr Marinda Uys continues with her lessons in NIHL. If you want to “hear for life”, according to Delta Health and Safety, then both these articles in this issue should be read, studied, understood and filed for reference.
Click here to download: