1. Institutional Statutory Obligations under Section 9
Tertiary education institutions - such as Tshwane University of Technology (TUT), University of Pretoria, and TVET colleges - operate as complex mini-cities. A single campus encompasses research laboratories, engineering workshops, sports facilities, commercial food cafeterias, and high-density student residences.
Under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (Act 85 of 1993), university leadership (Vice-Chancellors and Campus Rectors as Section 16(1) accounting officers) carries a dual legal duty. While Section 8 governs the safety of lecturers, researchers, and administrative personnel, Section 9 dictates that every employer must conduct their undertaking in such a manner as to ensure that persons other than employees (students, visitors, external contractors) are not exposed to hazards to their health or safety.
Failure to maintain safe physical infrastructure or enforce chemical and fire safety standards exposes university leadership to severe civil damages, Department of Employment and Labour shutdown notices, and reputational crises.
2. Campus Laboratory & Science Faculty Safety Checklist
- Chemical Inventory register updated with 16-point GHS Safety Data Sheets (SDS) accessible in all labs.
- Fume extraction hoods inspected annually with certified face velocity exceeding 0.5 metres per second.
- Emergency eye-wash stations and deluge showers plumbed, tagged, and tested weekly.
- Flammable chemical storage cabinets comply with SANS 10263 and feature grounding earth straps.
- Hazardous biological waste (HBW) segregated into SANS 10248 puncture-proof sharps containers.
- Compressed gas cylinders (Argon, Nitrogen, Acetylene) chained vertically and fitted with flashback arrestors.