(1)
Every employer must -
(a) identify the hazards to health or safety to
which employees may be exposed while they are at work;
(b) assess the risks to health or safety to which
employees may be exposed while they are at work;
(c) record the significant hazards identified and
risks assessed; and
(d) make those records available for inspection by
employees.
(2) Every employer, after consulting the health and
safety committee at the mine, must determine all measures, including changing
the organisation of work and the design of safety systems of work, necessary to
-
(a) eliminate any recorded risk;
(b) control the risk at source;
(c) minimize the risk; and
(d) in so far as the risk remains -
(i) provide for personal protective equipment; and
(ii) institute a programme to monitor the risk to
which employees may be exposed.
(3) Every employer must, as far as reasonably
practicable, implement the measures determined necessary in terms of subsection
(2) in the order in which the measures are listed in the paragraphs of that
subsection.
(4) Every employer must -
(a) periodically review the hazards identified and
risks assessed, including the results of occupational hygiene measurements and
medical surveillance, to determine whether further elimination, control and
minimisation of risk is possible; and
(b) consult with the health and safety committee on
the review.
(5) Every employer must -
(a) conduct an investigation into every -
(i) accident that must be reported in terms of this
Act;
(ii) serious illness; and
(iii) health-threatening occurrence;
(b) consult the health and safety committee on
investigations in terms of this section;
(c) conduct an investigation in co-operation with
the health and safety representative responsible for the working place in which
the investigation takes place;
(d) on completion of each investigation, prepare a
report that -
(i) whenever possible, identifies the causes and the
underlying causes of the accident, serious illness or health-threatening
occurrence;
(ii) identifies any unsafe conditions, acts, or
procedures that contributed in any manner to the accident, serious illness or
health-threatening occurrence; and
(iii) makes recommendations to prevent a similar
accident, serious illness or health-threatening occurrence; and
(e) deliver a copy of the report referred to in
paragraph (d) to the health and safety committee. If there is no health and
safety committee the employer must deliver a copy of the report to the health
and safety representative responsible for the working place.
(6) An investigation referred to in subsection
(5) may be held jointly with an investigation conducted by an inspector in terms
of section 60.
(7) If there is no health and safety committee at a
mine, the consultations required in this section must be held with -
(a) the health and safety representatives; or
(b) if there is no health and safety representative
at the mine, with the employees.