On Friday, 28 March 2025, Notice 6053 was published in Government Gazette No. 52388, in terms of which the Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources, under section 98(1)(r) of the MOHS, published amendments to Chapter 22 of the Mine Health and Safety Regulations ("the Notice").
In terms of the Notice, Regulation 22.9(2)(a) of the Mine Health and Safety Regulations is amended by the substitution for the table on "Occupational Exposure Limits for Airborne Pollutants" with the table contained in pages 58 to 61 of the Notice ("the New Table").
A very large number of the substances referred to in the current table in Regulation 22.9(2)(a) have been deleted in the New Table, without any reason contained in an explanatory note. The provisions concerning the substances which have been omitted from the current table have therefore impliedly been repealed.
The Occupational Exposure Limit in respect of many substances have been reduced. These include the following:
- Aluminium metal respirable particulate
- Carbon monoxide
- Cement dust respirable
- Coal dust (respirable particulate)
- Lead, elemental and inorganic compounds [as Pb]
- Manganese, elemental, and inorganic compounds [as Mn]
- Silica, crystalline (respirable particulate) – Quartz.
The Notice specifies that the "amended regulations" come into operation 90 days from the date of publication in the Government Gazette (i.e. 26 June 2025).
Click here to view a copy of the Notice amending Regulations to Occupational Hygiene (Notice No. 6053).
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
