QUESTIONAIRES FOR
MANGEMENT REPRESENTATIVES ru~D
SHOPSTEWARDS.
Interview for employers:
Person interviewed Position
_____________________ 2 __________________ Tel ____________ __
2 ______________ __
Could you give me the total no. of employees in the foundry and a breakdown of employees .
Mold making Core making Furnace Pouring Shake-out Sand works Fettling Welding Maintenance Other Admin S.T.
TOTAL
E A C Black
2. Which are the three departments where most accidents happen?
List in order.
1 2 3
Dept Type of injuries
3.How many accidents has this factory had over the past 5 years?
Minor Temp Perm Fatal
E.A.C.
1982
Black E A C 1981
Black 1930 E A C Black 1979 E A C Black 1978 E A C
Black
(2)
4. What do you attribute accidents to?
a.
b.
c.
I d.
IS I~ 5. From which firms do you get your protective equipment from?
a. ___________________ b. c.
'-
d. e.6. How much have you spent on protectiveequit:ment : over the past 5 years?
1982 R 1981 1980 1979 1978
7. Who is responsible for choosing the equipmen:t?
8. Do you do a market survey of available equipment?
9. Do sales reps come and advertise their equipment?
10. What criteria do you use in selecting safety equipment?
l . 2.
3.
4.
11. How do you evaluate the above criteria?
1. ________________________________________________________ __
2. ________________________________________________________ __
3. ______________________________________________________ __
4.
12. What equipment do employees have to buy?
Equipment Price
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
13. For which reasons?
14. What happens if the equipment gets damaged?
15. What happens if the equipment is missing?
16. Where is the employee's equipment kept?
17. What is the disabling frequency rate for the foundry?
(over the past 5 years)
= no of inj xl 000 000
hrs of exposure 1982 1981 1980 1979 1978
18. How much do you spend/year on the maintenance of the factory?
1982 1981 1980 1979 1979
(4 )_
19, How much capital is invested in the factory?
Movable items Immovable items 20. What are your profits after tax (1982)?
21. How often is the clothing equipment changed in the factory?
22, Who is responsible for checking that the equipment is in good condition?
23. What kind of regulations does your factory have as regards the wearing of equipment?
1 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 2 ______________ ~ ______ _ 3
4 ________ ~ ______________ __
23a. Could I have a copy of any regulations?
24. What is the compliance rate by the employees?
- - - _ %
24a. Why is i t so?
25. Who enforces the regulations?
26. What are the penalties for non compliance? If Disciplenary proceedure, describe.
27. Is there a Loss Cbntrol/Hea1th,& Safety Officer?
28. Is there a LC/H&S committee?
29.' Are the members nominated or elected and by whom?
30. How ·often does i t meet?
NO
NO
Boots Shoulder Dept. Leather Rubber Spats Pads Aprons Mold
Makipg Core.
Furnace
Pouring
Shakeout
Fettling
I
Welding
Sandworks
Maintenance
~,.,
Body
Overall Top Pants Helmet Ji0...9..S!..ear re~.Jil.
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(6 )
33. Do you keep up with latest safety equipment designs?
33a. How? a ____________ ~b. ____ ~ ______ ~c. __________ ~ __ d. __ ~ __________ ~
34. What was your workmans compensation assessment for the year'or 3yr cycle?
this cycle/year pr~v: -cycle/year
"
35. Have you had any rebates over the last two cycles?
-YES/NOthis.,--_~ _ _ _ __
Prevo
~
36 What do you think of the NOSA ratings
., . ..,. ~
37. WheIi was your factory visited by a NOSA Inspector? 19 Factory Inspector 19 38. What kind of medical facilities do you have? , ' c
~
"' <
.. "
39. Do your employees undergo any health & Safety Programmes?
- -
"' , '
..
~O. i The Machinery and Occupational Safety Bill being debated in Parliment has 2 issues that will probably affect you. These are:
l . Health & Safety Representatives to be nominated by Management or elected by the employees.
2. Protective equipnent to be issued'free of charge ,
.l
'.
>- ..- .,.
What are your comments on this?
.
,
..
.
~ .-
,-
,. '-'
-yo ,~ ~ . ,
-
. <
41. What kind of X-Ray facilities does the foundry have?
42. How often do employees undergo X-Ray checks?
43. When was the last time employees have been checked?
44. Have the dust levels in the foundry been determined?
YES NO
45. Do employees undergo any Audiogram tests? YES NO
46. How often?
47. When was the last time employees underwent these tests?
48. Where are the drinking water points situated in the foundry?
49. How many water points are there?
50. Do any of the employees work on a rotational basis in the foundry?
YES NO
51. Which departments?
52. How often are they rotated?
53. Are there any other routine medical checks employees have to undergo?
(8)
54. Could you give me a ratio. of contract: local employees?
over the past 5 years? .
Miqrant/Contract Local 1982
1981 1980 1979 1978
55. What do you attribute these changes to?
56. What have been the effects as regards this?
57. What are your feelings as regards health and safety of the employees in your foundry?
SHOP - STEWARDS INTERVIEW
1. Which factory do you work in?
2. Which section?
3. What work do you do?
4. Do workers come and complain to you about their health?
ego Often sometimes rarely no
4a. What kind of complaints do they come up with
5. Do workers complain to you about conditions in the factory?
For example: too hot too cold too dark too noisy too dusty
have to lift heavy objects
have to work in areas without protection
J
I2
6. Have" you ever spok'en to management about "their complaints?
Yes No
If Yes describe what happened
7. Do workers complain to you about workmen's compensation?
Yes No
If yes what kind of complaints do you get?
.. ~ ! 1 ,~,
8. Do you know of anybody that has had an accident and his name never recorded in the Accident Register (Accident Book)
Yes No
How many people do you know of?
eg. 1 2 3 4 5
9a Describe what happened and the date ego October 1982
10. Are you still in contact with them?
Yes No
11. Do workers have medical check ups?
ego X-rays Ear testing Blood pressure General check up None
12. What do workers think of these tests?
Explain
II i
11
..:'1.,
I
I
I,~
4
13. Do you know of any ~orkers that have been fired after they were 'medically examined?
Yes No
If yes~ how many?
Are you s t i l l in contact with a few of them?
Yes "No' ,
.'
14. Are workers scared to report injuries?
If yes, explain why
15. Does the factory have medical facilities
16.
(E'or, e.xample, first ai,d box, ,nurse" doctor,. first aid room) Describe what the factory has:
What do workers think of them?
. ::
17.
18.
When workers are examined, does the doctor or nurse tell them what's wrong with them?
What do workers think of wearing goggles for their work?
ego don't mind uncomfortable sweaty can't see thrOU'ID
19. How often are the goggles changed in the factory?
(eg. twice a year, or when worn)
What do workers think of wearing nose bags / respirators?
Describe in detail
! I
"'1,
6
20. What complaints do workers have about their protective equipment?
21.' What equipment do workers have to buy?
,", Equipment Price paid 1
2 3 4
R R R R
How many times do they have to buy i t every year eg: once twice three times:
22. Which workers are given free boots and overalls?
Why?
23. How often is the other (free) equipment changed?
24. Are there any equipment?
ego gloves Describe
problems in changing broken
goggles hard hats aprons
25. Is there a health· and safety official in the factory?
Yes No
26. What does he do?
r:
8
27. Does he ever explain why protective equipment should be worn?
28. Is there anybody that makes people wear their safety equipment?
Who ?
29. What happens to people who don't wear their equipment?
30. Is there a health and safety committee in your factory?
Yes
31. Who sits on it 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
No
32. Are the members nominated by management or elected by the
workers?
,
.Nominated Elected t" . .
33. How does the committee work?
34. Does the union have anything to do with the health and safety committee?
Yes Explain
No
35. Do the shop stewards sit in the meetings of the health and safety committee ?
What matters are discussed ?
36. Has the union been approached by management on health and safety issues?
What did they say ?
What did you do?
I
- 37 -
LITERATURE CITED
1) NOSA was established in 1951 by major employers organisations in conjunction with funds from The Workman's Compensation Commissioner. National Occupational Safety Association, Questions and Answers on Industrial Safety. p. 3. 1978.
2) Department of Manpower Report, 1981
3) Nichols, P. and Armstrong, P. Safety or Profits?Industrial Accidents and the Conventional Wisdom. Falling Wall Press, Bristol 1973.
4) Webster, E.C. The Labour Process and Forms of Workplace organisation in South African Foundries. PhD Thesis, University of the
Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 1983.
5) Braveman, H. Labour and Monopoly Capital Monthly Review Press, N.Y. 1974.
6) Nichols, P. and Armstrong, P. (1973) p. 4-5
7) Marx, K. Capital Vol III pengui~ Harmondsworth, 1981.
See also
Rosengarten, D. Workers Compensation in South Africa - A Case Study. B.A. Honours Dissertation, University of the Witwatersrand. Published by DRG/Critical Healt~ Dissertation Series 3, Johannesburg. 1983.
8) Marx K. 1981
I? ..
l~l. 9) Kinnersley_, P . The Hazards of Work: How to Fight Them
Pluto Press. ~. 195,1975.
10) Bertinuson, J. and ,'Ieinstein, S. Occupational Health and, Safety - A Manual for Foundry Workers. Labour Occupational Health' progra~e. OSHA, U.S. Dept. of Labour 1976,
11) Cunningham, J., Floyd, E., et al Foundries, Health and Safety at Work I. Centre for Applied Legal Studies, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 1980.
12) National Safety Council, Accident Prevention Manual
for Industrial Operations 7th Ed, N.S.C. Press U,S.A, 1974.
13) Workmen's Compensation Act, 1941, Report of the Commissioner on the 1978 Statistics, Government Printer, Pretoria. 1983.
Table 9Al, 9A2,9A3,9A4,
14) National productivity Institute (N ,P ,I) Productivity of the Iron Foundry Industry in South Africa
Pretoria, 1973.
Durrant & Viljoen,
15) N.P.I. (1973) p. 179 16)
17) 18)
19)
Report of the Erasmus Commission of Enquiry on Occupational Health Republic of S.A. Govt. Printer, Pretoria. 1975.
Webster, E.C. 1983. p.313
Fox, A. "Management's Frame of Reference" in
Collective Bargaining, A. Flanders (ed) Ch. 18. penguin 1969, N.P.I. 1973 p.67
20) N.P.I. 1973, p.94
21) Adler, T "The Prevention of Occupational Diseases and Industrial Accidents in South African Industry". In Economics of Health in S.A. Vol II, by F. Wilson and G.
Westcott (eds) Ravan Press. Johannesburg p. 180 1980 22) Machinery and Occupational Safety Act 6 of 1983
p.28-30.
23) N.P.I. (1973) p.67
24) There is a vast number of texts and articles emphasizing this pOint, for example See U.S. Dept. of Health Education and Welfare, Criteria for a recommended standard: Occupational Exposure to Hot Environments. NIOSH, 1972.
.,
,'I ,I i"1
.i
I
I,
I
;'.
- 39 - Also see:
Ki.nnersley, P. The Hazards of Work: How to Fight Them.
Pluto Press 1973.
25) Kinnersley, 1973. p.175
26) De Kock,A, Industrial Laws of South Africa Vol II. p.41, 1981 27) A Mr J Shakespeare, engineer at Perkins in the U.K.,
quoted in Foundry Trade Journal Vol 144, June 8, 1978,
"Fewer Accidents Mean Higher Profits" by R. Douglas, p.43 28) MOSA, Act 6, p.10 1983.
29) Morgan, W.K.C. and Seaton, A. Occupational Lung Diseases, Saunders Press, London, 1975.
30) De Kock, A. 1981 p.92
31) Foundry Welding and Production Journal: "South African Foundry Log" p. 85-116. Nov. 1982.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The opportunity to undertake this study was encouraged by
the Technical Advice Group, Johannesburg who financed a research post in the Department of Sociology, University of the
Witwatersrand.
Acknowledgement is also made to the Carnegie Inquiry into Poverty, which paid for travelling expenses.
Furthermore, I am grateful to the following people whose ideas ~
and suggestions proved invaluable:
January 1984 HS/ah,vp.
Jackie Cock Jud Cornell Jean Leqer Jonny Myers Eddie Webster.