VN May 2022

Vetnuus | May 2022 28 Thisarticleisintendedtoprovideinformationandeducateveterinarians on relevant aspects of the law. It is not intended as personal legal advice. Neither SAVA nor Dr Trudie Prinsloo is responsible or liable for any advice or other information provided herein. SAVA was recently approached by a member whose practice was inspected by an Occupational Health and Safety (“OHS”) inspector. They subsequently received a notice to inform them that they were in contravention of the Occupational Health and Safety Act No. 85 of 1993 (“OHSA”). Unfortunately, SAVA cannot assist members with such matters other than to alert people of the necessity to comply with OHSA. Veterinary practices seem to have largely escaped the attention of the OHS inspectors in the past. However, there are considerable health and safety risks to employees that work in veterinary practices compared to many other forms of employment. Practice owners must know OHSA and their duties stipulated in this Act. The purpose of OHSA is to ensure the health and safety of people at their workplace. It also provides for the protection of other visitors fromhazards that result from the practice’s work activities. A hazard is any exposure to danger or a source of danger . A fewexamples of some hazards in veterinary practices are zoonotic diseases, radiation exposure, dangerous animals, and dangerous drugs. Updated “Hazardous Biological Agents Regulations” were published in March 2022, and practice owners need to take note of this. All microorganisms are regarded as biological agents. Organisms are classified according to the degree of the dangers they pose, and many diseases dealt with in veterinary practice fall within these classifications. It is beyond the scope of this article to deal with it, but practice owners should familiarize themselves with these regulations. Here are some of the responsibilities that employers have in terms of the OHSA: • All potential hazards and risks associated with it must be identified and documented. It must be reviewed annually. • Exposure to the hazards must be prevented as far as reasonably possible, but where it is not possible, the exposure must be minimized. SAVA Legal Column HOWPRACTICE OWNERS CAN AVOID PENALTIES INTERMS OF THE OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY ACT Dr Trudie Prinsloo, Legalvet Services; E-mail: trudie@legalvetservices.co.za >>> 29