MNO2603 Assignment 3 (ANSWERS) Semester 2 2024 - DISTINCTION GUARANTEED

Well-structured MNO2603 Assignment 3 (ANSWERS) Semester 2 2024 - DISTINCTION GUARANTEED. (DETAILED ANSWERS - DISTINCTION GUARANTEED!).... In Focus: What the Charlotte Maxeke fire tells us about health and safety in Gauteng hospitals Just weeks before a fire tore through parts of Charlotte Maxeke Hospital in Johannesburg on 16 April, a fire safety audit at the hospital was signed off and in March a hospital fire and safety team met, according to the Gauteng Department of Health. Yet Kwara Kekana, spokesperson for Gauteng Health also confirmed in responses to questions from Spotlight that “the smoke doors are not used as the magnetic system on the doors was no longer effective and they were recommissioned”. Smoke doors are used to prevent the spread of smoke in a building when there is a fire. She also confirmed that fire hydrant couplings were not compatible with the fire hoses on Johannesburg Fire Service fire engines because “some had been stolen”. Spotlight has requested, but not received a copy of the fire audit/ inspection report from the Gauteng Health Department, the Department of Infrastructure and Development, and the City of Joburg’s Fire Services. Fire compliance failures Two senior firefighters from the City of Johannesburg who spoke to Spotlight, say the two failings (mentioned by Kekana above) alone would sink a basic inspection or compliance audit. It was also not just the fire doors and the hydrant couplings that were faulty at Charlotte Maxeke. They say firefighters were not given building and floor plans of the hospital’s emergency exit plan when they arrived on the scene the day of the fire on April 16. The emergency exit plan is essential for those needing to enter a burning building. Smoke detection systems, fire alarms, sprinkler systems, and the mechanisms that would have triggered the magnetic smoke doors were also not in working condition. There was also water flow and low pressure to the hydrants besides non-compatible hose couplings. The two men asked to have their identities withheld. MNO2603 ASSESSMENT 3 2024 6 The fire at Charlotte Maxeke Hospital on 16 April marks the fourth in six years at public health facilities in Gauteng. In February this year, a fire broke out at Carletonville Hospital, in May 2019 there was a fire at Bheki Mlangeni Hospital in Soweto, and Tambo Memorial Hospital in Boksburg in May 2015. The fire in September 2018 devastated a provincial health department’s head office in the Bank of Lisbon building in the Joburg inner city. That blaze claimed the lives of three firefighters. “These are politicians, they are telling lies and doing cover-ups – they must show you that inspection report for Charlotte Maxeke because they are sending us into these places to die. “With fire doors, we call these lifesavers because they can help you trap a fire – these should have been there,” says *Nathi, who has been in the fire services for 14 years. Fire hazards in hospitals and other public buildings throughout the city are widespread. *Richard, who has been with the Joburg fire service for 22 years says it ranges from lifts that have not been serviced for years; fire escapes that are obstructed and regularly used for makeshift storage and dumping space; fire extinguishers gathering dust or used as door stops and facility health and safety committees who are slack on fire safety compliance if they meet at all. A fire service ‘in shambles’ Added to this, Nathi and Richard say their own department of the City of Joburg Fire Services is in shambles. There are only four working fire trucks for the entire city. There has also been an ongoing political blame game and court battles. Former Joburg mayor Herman Mashaba’s multi-million rand deal to procure specialised fire engines in 2019 was never delivered on. In April 2021, the deal was ruled unlawful by the South Gauteng High Court. Nana Radebe, spokesperson for Joburg Emergency Services, confirms that they currently have just over half of the equipment – 51 out of 92 items – needed to have the city’s fire service meet national fire safety standards (the SANS 10090). Radebe also says high levels of non-compliance to fire and safety bylaws within the city continue to be a headache for the 1 271 firefighters employed at the city’s 29 fire stations. The procurement process for new fire engines is now back at square one. MNO2603 ASSESSMENT 3 2024 7 Nathi says the bottom line is that their ageing, depleted fleet cannot cope. This was clear when the province’s flagship health asset – the Charlotte Maxeke Hospital started burning on the Parktown ridge that early autumn day and could not be brought under control swiftly enough. “One fire truck holds 4 500 litres of water. It’s not enough for a fire on even one floor of a building of that size [and] that’s why we need fire hydrants to be working. Water is our weapon; without water, we will die,” he says. When there are fires in hospitals, it is patients already in the most vulnerable state of being ill and who cannot be evacuated easily, who could die. Occupational health and safety crisis The Charlotte Maxeke Hospital fire adds to a long-standing and tightly knotted occupational health and safety crisis in the public health sector in the province. Craig Househam is a retired professor of paediatrics and child health and former head of the Western Cape Health Department. He was also part of Gauteng Premier David Makhura’s intervention team meant to devise a “recovery plan” for the province’s health department in 2018. Househam serves on the board of the Office of Health Standards Compliance (OHSC) and the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (Sahpra). He says in the provincial health department the problem is underpinned by accruals or spiralling cycles of unpaid debts that keep budgets constrained. “The tendency then is to look where the impact is not immediate and maintenance budgets and equipment budgets often suffer as a result.” Househam adds that in the case of Charlotte Maxeke, the building is also old. Built in 1979 the aging building has not had the benefit of routine maintenance to extend its lifespan. Working out a strategy to solve the health and safety problems in the province begins with recognising that the maintenance of health facilities is a highly specialised area, says Househam. “You need a strategy that puts the right people in the right places with the right expertise. They need to be given the powers and authority to do their job properly without interference. The solution lies in meritocracy,” he says. Laeticia Rispel, a professor of Public Health at the University of the Witwatersrand says what has been lost with the damage to Charlotte Maxeke Hospital goes beyond what went up in flames and the millions it will take to rebuild. MNO2603 ASSESSMENT 3 2024 8 “That day of the fire I felt a deep sense of loss because of the critical role that Charlotte Maxeke plays and was playing especially as the country has been preparing for a possible third wave of the Coronavirus. I was also thinking of the students who are not able to complete their training and of course the patients, many of whom don’t have an alternative other than Charlotte,” she says. The Wits Medical School flanks the hospital and Charlotte Maxeke is the academic training ground for many of the university’s students. For Rispel, the fire represents terrible gaps in oversight, leadership, and accountability at all levels in the health system. She says bloated bureaucracies are adding to the fracture in government departments and she calls out an entrenched culture of self-preservation in the public health sector – where people are “depressed and dysfunctional and doing just enough to stay under the radar”. Rispel also says there’s a fear of speaking out because of victimisation. It adds to a lack of transparency and the absence of sustainable change. “There are at least 29 senior posts at the hospital that need to be filled, so at the basic level, we have a leadership vacuum. Then there’s a fracture between the department of health and the department of infrastructure development that just creates bigger bureaucracies and less space for people like CEOs or HODs (when these positions are permanently filled) to make decisions and to implement change. And there’s a South African syndrome it seems of setting up yet another task team or another inquiry but no sustainable change or leadership management and governance,” she says. Impact on health services Democratic Alliance member of the provincial legislature Jack Bloom says the setback of damages and disruptions caused by the Charlotte Maxeke Hospital fire is just one of the latest blows to service delivery for the province. “Gauteng Health has estimated that it will cost about R6 billion to ensure health and safety compliance for all 32 public hospitals in Gauteng. This includes R394 million to fix Charlotte Maxeke Hospital, but little of this has been budgeted,” he says. He also notes that in 2019, former Gauteng Health MEC Dr Bandile Masuku, who was axed in October 2020, admitted that “no state health facility in Gauteng had been assessed as complying with the occupational health and safety act”. MNO2603 ASSESSMENT 3 2024 9 Bloom says this included general machinery regulations, electrical installation regulations, firefighting equipment, lift regulations, storage, exits, stairs, and aisles. “We need to see the SIU (Special Investigations Unit) reports on corruption and mismanagement, we need to push for the premier’s own call for lifestyle audits, and there should be prosecutions in light of the Life Esidemeni tragedy,” he says of the kind of overhaul that is needed in the province’s health department. “Things are movingly frustratingly slowly but I am hopeful that SARS and civil action will be able to close in on some of the big fish and that we even start seeing criminal charges,” Bloom says. By mid-May, Charlotte Maxeke has missed its initial target date to re-open some sections of the hospital. Question 1 [10] It is evident from the article above that there have been concerns about the occupational health and safety with regards to fires in buildings. Identify, with evidence from the article, the various issues surrounding the outbreak and control of fires in these buildings. (Remember to reference the sources you consult). Question 2 [10] We often read of many instances where fires have erupted in buildings and the occupants have to be evacuated as quickly as possible in an effort to prevent injury and loss of life via means of egress. Explain the means of egress when it is necessary to move people out of a building as quickly and safely as possible. (Remember to reference the sources you consult). Question 3 [20] Taking into account the information from the article above, what are the basic requirements for structures or buildings in terms of fire safety using the guidelines provided in the Life Safety Code of the National Fire Protection Agency? (Remember to reference the sources you consult). MNO2603 ASSESSMENT 3 2024 10 Read through the article below and use the information along with your study guide and the applicable chapters in your prescribed book to answer Question 4. Remember to reference all the sources you consult, even if it is the article, your study guide or your prescribed textbook. New regulations push South Africa towards an asbestos-free environment 29 November 2020 South Africa has now terminated the utilization of asbestos which will greatly improve the environment and lead to fewer health problems related to asbestos of and this development needs to be celebrated. This is the assertion of the Director General of the Department of Employment and Labour (DEL) Thobile Lamati which he expressed at the launch of the Asbestos Abatement Regulations on Friday (27 November 2020). "As is the case with many other countries, South Africa still has asbestos containing materials in many buildings and naturally occurring asbestos in areas where it was previously mined. The legislator has already developed appropriate legislation and policy, however, the prime focus is to manage and control asbestos sources thus ensuring that the health of workers and communities in general is not adversely affected," he said. The Asbestos Abatement Regulations promulgated on 10 November 2020 by the DEL Minister, gives duty to employers to provide and maintain, as far as is reasonably practicable, a working environment that is safe and without risks to the health of employees. The regulations give a clear duty on employers to identity asbestos in place and manage it properly. This duty is also extended to employees to take care of their health and safety and also look after others who may be affected by their acts or omissions; co-operate with the employer to enable him/her to comply with the Act; carry out any lawful order, and obey the health & safety rules; report any unsafe situation to the employer or to the health & safety rep - in order to ensure that their human dignity and safety is preserved.Although there is no national policy currently with a cut-off date when all buildings must be asbestos free, employers are encouraged to self-develop policy and procedure as to how they are going to be phasing out asbestos in their buildings. Regulation 3 and 20 gives employers an implementation time period of 18 months from the promulgation date, to develop written asbestos management plans as well as the labeling and signage to indicate materials or buildings containing asbestos. The new Asbestos Abatement MNO2603 ASSESSMENT 3 2024 11 Regulations 2020 replaces the Asbestos Regulations, 2001 and was done in partnership with National Institute for Occupational Health (NIOH). The launch was observed under the theme: "Moving towards an asbestos risk-free work environment and society". Also speaking at the launch was the department’s Senior Specialist: Occupational Health & Hygiene, Bulelwa Huna, who said there are some 270 million occupational accidents and 160 million occupational diseases reported annually across the globe including South Africa. Huna said the International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates that 4% of the world’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), was lost due to accidents and work-related diseases. This, she said, are issues that are preventable in the workplace where money could have been used for preventative measures. She said exposure to such accidents not only come with economic costs but they also come with immeasurable human suffering and intangible cost that is not fully recognized and lead to the community suffering. She said regulators across the world including South Africa, have never accepted the proposition that injury and diseases go with the job. Question 4 [20] In the industrial world, there has been a shift from being reactive to incidents and focus is placed on the prevention of incidents with more proactive safety-focused approaches. Engineering for safety plays a significant role in safety and health management within an organisation. A boiler-maker, for example, works extensively with asbestos and faces an increased risk of exposure to asbestos. Control measures are thus vital in the workplace and is therefore imperative that control measures be implemented in order to mitigate risk. Explain, with the use of examples, how safety control measures within an organsiation should be executed using the hierarchy of controls and the scenario of working with a hazardous substance such as asbestos. (Remember to reference the sources you consult.)