An optimised model for the regulatory management of human-induced health and safety risks associated with hazardous facilities in South Africa
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Date
2016-11
Authors
Niemand, Alfonso
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of the Free State
Abstract
The society we live in is becoming more complex by the day as a result of a multitude of
factors, such as economic development, wars, terrorist attacks, technological innovation
and societal demands for wealth creation. Human populations are rapidly growing to
extremes, where the sustainable utilisation of natural and man-made resources is
stretched to the limit. The regulation of major hazard installations near densely populated
areas in South Africa and worldwide has consequently become critical.
South African legislation on the health and safety of people in and around hazardous
facilities does not cover an exogenous, outward-focused approach by which communities
around the hazardous installation are assessed to determine their vulnerability to a major
disastrous incident. This legislation is largely based on legislation developed in the United
Kingdom under the guidance of their Health and Safety Executive (HSE), and is
fragmented and spread across several government departments.
An optimised model was developed in this study for the regulatory management of
human-induced health and safety risks associated with hazardous facilities in South
Africa. The model is based on a systems approach, with three open and interactive
domains or spheres where the hazardous facility has an influence: environment,
community and the hazardous facility itself. The model further contains the concept of
disaster vulnerability, not only as regards the employees at the hazardous facility and the
communities around the facility, but also the organisation that houses the hazardous
facility. The concepts of the social and economic sustainability of communities at and
around the hazardous facility are also introduced in the model, as well as the
sustainability of the organisation and business continuity, as critical parts of the regulatory
management process.
The model has been verified against 21 critical success factors for effective legislation in
health and safety, three relevant case studies from South Africa, India and England, the
South African disaster regulatory framework as well as 14 local Acts and Regulations
relevant to the governance of the health and safety of people.
Description
Keywords
Business continuity, Community coping capacity, Community resilience, Community vulnerability, Critical success factors, Disaster management, Major hazard installations, Natural technological disasters, Regulations and control, Sustainable development, Systems, Technological disasters, Hazardous facilities, Industrial hygiene, Industrial safety, Health facilities -- Safety measures, Dissertation (M.Disaster Management (Disaster Management Training and Education))--University of the Free State, 2016