The Minister of Employment and Labour issued Notice No. R.4437, published in Government Gazette No. 50203 on 1 March 2024. The notice invites interested and affected parties to submit public comments/written representations on the Draft Lead Regulations.
The Draft Lead Regulations aim to repeal the Lead Regulations published under Notice No. R.236 of 28 February 2002, 18 months after the date of promulgation of the Draft Lead Regulations (such date will only be determined in future). They provide that subject to sub-regulation (2), these regulations must apply to every employer and the self-employed person at a workplace where lead work takes place and lead can be inhaled, ingested or absorbed by any person in that workplace.
The Draft Lead Regulations provide for, amongst others, the following:
- The classification of lead and lead-containing products;
- The identification of lead and lead work;
- Lead risk assessments to be carried out immediately by a competent person and thereafter at intervals not exceeding 24 months;
- Exposure monitoring based on such risk assessment in terms of air monitoring of lead and biological exposure monitoring;
- Control of exposure;
- Maintenance, examination and testing of control measures; and
- Disposal of lead waste.
Interested and affected parties must mark such representations for the attention of E Lourens, the Director-General of the Department of Employment and Labour within 90 (ninety) days, being on or before Thursday, 30 May 2024 to one of the following addresses:
- email: DraftComments.OHH@labour.gov.za
- hand-deliver: Laboria House, 215 Francis Baard Street, Pretoria, CBD
- post: Private Bag X117, Pretoria 0001
Click here to view a copy of the notice and the Draft Lead Regulations.
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