Editor-in-Chief: Gill Nelson, PhD (Occupational Health): University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
Assistant Editor: Ntombizodwa Ndlovu, PhD (Occupational Health): University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
e-ISSN: 2226-6097
ISSN: 1024-6274
Frequency: 6 issues per year
Occupational Health Southern Africa is on the Department of Higher Education and Training’s list of Approved South African Journals; authors of peer-reviewed papers thus qualify for subsidies for their affiliated tertiary institutions. It is also listed in African Index Medicus; and is
on the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) website list of journals following the ICMJE recommendations
for the conduct, reporting, editing and publication of scholarly work in medical journals.
Women's Month
Women in mining in 2022
Minerals Council South Africa
Original Research
Noise exposure abatement: a perspective from industry occupational health risk assessment reports
O Rikhotso, TJ Morodi, DM Masekameni
ABSTRACT
Background: Occupational health risk assessments are building blocks for occupational health programmes, allowing for the rating of identified risks and the continuous re-evaluation of the effectiveness of abatement measures. In South African industry, occupational health risk assessments are formally documented in reports, which can be presented as demonstration of legal compliance with legislation.
Objective: To identify noise abatement measures recorded in noise risk assessment reports of four manufacturing companies and to rate their effectiveness.
Methods: We analysed the occupational health risk assessment reports from 21 operational facilities in four South African companies from the manufacturing and utilities sectors to evaluate, through document analysis, the recorded noise abatement measures. Noise abatement measure effectiveness was rated using a preassigned effectiveness percentage scale.
Results: Administrative controls and hearing protection devices were the most commonly used noise exposure abatement measures, but hearing conservation programmes were generally poorly formulated. There were inter- and intra-company differences in the qualitative risk assessment approaches used for rating or ranking the noise risk, which led to different risk conclusions and prioritisation outcomes. The calculated control effectiveness of the abatement measures showed that noise exposure remained largely unacceptable: 16 of the 21 operational units had unacceptable noise exposures, four had tolerable exposures, and one had broadly acceptable exposures.
Conclusion: The four companies common noise abatement measures, as elements of formalised hearing conservation programmes, which included administrative controls and hearing protection devices, were not effective in reducing noise exposure to the broadly acceptable level, reflective of limited use of engineering controls.
Review Article
Water quality challenges in buildings during prolonged low or no occupancy: a cause for concern during COVID-19 lockdowns and related building closures
A Gomba, L Singh, T Singh
ABSTRACT
Introduction: In compliance with the COVID-19 lockdown restrictions, many nonessential workplaces and public spaces were closed or left sub-operational with no or low occupancy for several months. The abrupt and unprecedented long periods of building closures have raised concerns about the proliferation of opportunistic premise plumbing pathogens that may be a biohazard for returning occupants.
Objective: In this review paper, we discuss microbiological water quality concerns during periods of no or low occupancy, as experienced during the COVID-19 lockdowns.
Methods: PubMed and Google Scholar databases were searched for peer-reviewed articles using specific keywords. The literature search was extended to grey literature. The paper focuses on Legionella, as a pathogen of concern, in building water systems that are not well managed and the potential risks to workers and other occupants.
Results: Most articles suggest a positive relationship between stagnation or reduced water usage and compromised microbiological quality of building water systems, but the effects are site-specific and are associated with biofilm formation and disinfectant decline. Considerations for building water risk assessment are discussed as a decision-making framework for selecting appropriate responses to anticipated changes in water quality.
Conclusion: The unprecedented building closures due to COVID-19 lockdowns present a hazardous event likely to impact building water quality. Building owners and facility managers, especially in high-risk settings, should consider conducting risk assessments of water systems during low-occupancy periods to identify potential risks and apply appropriate corrective measures, where necessary.
Opinion
Should algorithmic pattern recognition be included in medical surveillance of noise-induced hearing loss?
A Thomson, W Delva
Reports
Community of practice on occupational health and safety – 2021 annual tuberculosis and occupational health and safety regional response progress report meeting
AUDA-NEPAD
Occupational health and safety challenges in workplace improvement in Africa
OSHAfrica
Occupational Health Legislation
Workplace vaccination policies: employers’ individual circumstances and proper procedures are still paramount
Bowmans
Asbestos Abatement Regulations, 2020 promulgated under the Occupational Health and Safety Act No. 85 of 1993 (as amended)
Department of Employment and Labour
Society Reports
News
Mine waste leaves toxic legacies
Mine Tailings Working Group
Rand Mutual Assurance launches its Prevention Programme
RMA
Positive industry turnout for A-OSH Expo, 2022
A-OSH
Award-winning occupational health audiometry enabling business to have faster, more efficient and affordable hearing testing procedures, on site
hearX Group