The Star reports that the SA Air Force (SAAF) temporarily shut down its headquarters building in Pretoria, on Tuesday due to the malfunctioning of its ventilation system, which has caused unsafe working conditions for employees.
According to defenceWeb, the building was shut down after an inspection by the Department of Employment and Labour (DEL) and was due to poor air quality and high temperatures in the building from 19 February until 23 February. In a report, the DEL deemed the headquarters to be in contravention of the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Act, and issued a Prohibition Notice to the Chief of the Air Force, prohibiting any areas where there were no means of natural ventilation and the mechanised ventilation system was not working. The SAAF building woes are not recent, but date back two years. City Press reported in January that the building got extremely hot, with temperatures over 40 degrees on warm days. The heat affects the computer servers resulting in them overheating frequently due to the failure of the building’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems. SAAF employees have been told to work from home between 26 February and 11 March. They must join a WhatsApp group call every morning to report for work. Anyone needing to visit the building will have to wear a mask, sanitise regularly and limit visit duration to a maximum of two hours, preferably in the morning. The SA National Defence Union’s (Sandu’s) Pikkie Greeff emphasised the importance of SAAF members working in a safe and healthy environment.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard at The Star
- Read too, SAAF shuts down HQ building due to ventilation problems, at defenceWeb
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page