S&V Protect Magazine Vol13 No3 Third Quarter 2019
The only SA magazine aimed exclusively at the PPE end user.
This Magazine is sponsored by SAFLIA
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IN THIS ISSUE:
News
- National Regulator for Compulsory Standards seeks to regulate all categories of PPE, but says 'no new levies imminent'.
- SAPEMA KZN regional meeting: A-OSH, new forums dominate discussion.
- Fire protection services companies prosecuted for cartel conduct by Competition Commission.
Comment
- Compliant PPE vs Price: Deleane Luzzatto, chairperson of SAPEMA, says the true cost of cheap PPE can be very serious.
Working at Height
- Dylan Sutherland of Protekta Safety Africa the necessary culture of working at height.
Employee Issues
- Rhys Evans of ALCO-Safe says unmanned breathalysers safeguard security personnel from the threat of retaliatory violence.
Disaster Management
- Patricia Scotland, secretary-general of the Commonwealth, explains why disaster readiness is critical for Africa, and what the Commonwealth is doing about it.
NRCS Approvals
- NRCS-approved safety footwear - updates since April 2019.
- NRCS-approved respiratory protective devices - updates since June 2019.
Security
- Preventing manipulation of automated face recognition - research from the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft.
- European Commission launches warning app.
Products & Services
- ALCO-Safe partners with firm in Ghana to local supply and repair of breathalyser equipment.
- Bayer launches a new tool in the fight against malaria.
- Monitor water levels and flows from mobiles.
- Pro-Fit: We're confident in SA's future, and expanding to prove it.
- Sisi unveils fall arrest system for women.
- Wolverine SA gets NRCS approval for boots and enters SA safety market.
Buyers' Guide
- What's on offer.
Advertisers in this Issue
A+A Fair (2), Bar Global Trading/Wolverine/Buckmaster (13), BBF Safety Group/Bova Safety Wear (5), Claw Boot (15), Protekta Safety Gear (7), Rebel SafetyGear / (9), Selective International/Kaliber (11).
- A-OSH, new forums dominate discussion
SAPEMA KZN Regional Meeting, October 2Durban, KZN, SA - Foreign exhibitors at A-OSH were a major topic at SAPEMA's KZN regional meeting. Chaired by Clyde Beattie of Uvex, who is also SAPEMA's national vice-chairman, just 5 people, representing 4 of SAPEMA's 16 KZN members, attended. A-OSH SAPEMA is in discussions with Specialise ...moreFire protection services companies prosecuted for cartel conduct
Pretoria, Gauteng, SA (September 15, 2019) - The Commission has referred to the Competition Tribunal (Tribunal) for prosecution 18 fire protection companies for collusion. These companies are Automatic Sprinkler Inspection Bureau (Pty) Ltd, Belfa Solutions (Pty) Ltd, Bhubesi Fire Projects (Pty) Ltd, Centa KZN Sprinklers Cc, Na ...moreNRCS seeks to regulate all categories of PPE: 'No new levies imminent'
Pretoria, Gauteng, SA - The National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications (NRCS) has confirmed that it is "looking at the regulation of PPE as a whole", but it says that it is a process that will take time. "We will be having a lot of consultations with industry and key stakeholders," said Thomas Madzivhe, GM: ...moreCompliant PPE vs Price
Being responsible for ensuring that your work force has the correct and sufficient protection when it comes to PPE, can carry some serious weight, the reason being that you have your employee’s safety on one hand and the company's bottom line and PPE spend on the other. Balancing these two important factors has huge implicatio ...moreOpinion Piece: Unmanned breathalysers safeguard security personnel from the threat of retaliatory violence
Compulsory alcohol testing is often put into place in hazardous industries such as mining, manufacturing and transport as a safety measure. However, there are certain challenges with the typical approach of using a manned breathalyser. Security personnel administering the tests often live in the same communities as the workers they are be ...moreOpinion: Why disaster readiness is critical for Africa – and what the Commonwealth is doing about it
London, UK - (August 1, 2019) - Five months ago, Cyclone Idai ripped through the Southern African region, causing a massive humanitarian disaster that affected three million people. More than a thousand perished, while 200,000 lost their homes, many of whom are still to this day living in refugee camps. Economic losses were estimated at m ...moreImportant step towards European warning system: European Commission launches warning app
Munich, Germany (September 12, 2019) - EU Commission staff will soon be receiving location-based danger alerts on their mobile phones from an app that calls their attention to potential hazards such as a building fire, a suspicious package or the threat of an attack. Called EUWARN, this new warning system was launched in Brussels on Septe ...moreBayer launches a new tool in the fight against malaria
Johannesburg, Gauteng, SA – With nearly half of the world’s population at risk of contracting malaria, primarily in sub Saharan Africa, stepping up the fight against the disease has never been a more pressing challenge. Bayer is rising to this challenge as it launches a new Indoor Residual Spray (IRS), Fludora® Fusion whic ...moreMonitor water levels and flows from mobiles
Johannesburg, Gauteng, SA - A new water monitoring station that measures levels, flows, flumes and stage discharge via cloud networks has been launched to assist in the mitigation of the effects of floodwaters, stormwater, and protect against compromised irrigation systems. Distributed by local technology integrator, Euca Technologi ...moreProFit Safety Footwear remains very optimistic about South Africa’s future
Boksburg, Gauteng, SA - Regardless of whether you speak to retailers, wholesalers, end users or even manufacturers across all industrial sectors, at one time or another over the last 10 months – they’ve stated that it’s been a very rough-and-tough year of trading. A few patches of good business have made up for the quiet ...moreWork at heights cultureLeading edges, sharp edges, hot works & chemicals, UVAs a subject which is not solely found in Work at Heights, creating a ‘Safety Culture’ is one of the trickiest factors to handle. As this is a Work at Heights article we will use Fall Protection as examples. We often find ourselves providing clients with reports of their ...moreAI detects anomalies: Preventing manipulation in automated face recognitionThe Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft is the leading organization for applied research in Europe. Its research activities are conducted by 72 institutes and research units at locations throughout Germany. The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft employs a staff of more than 26,600, who work with an annual research budget totaling 2.6 billion euros. Of this sum, 2.2 billion euros is generated through contract research. Around 70 percent of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft’s contract research revenue is derived from contracts with industry and from publicly financed research projects. International collaborations with excellent research partners and innovative companies around the world ensure direct access to regions of the greatest importance to present and future scientific progress and economic development. ...moreALCO-Safe partners with Ultimate Resurgence to localise supply and repair of Lion breathalyser equipment in GhanaPretoria, Gauteng, SA (August 19, 2019) - ALCO-Safe, supplier of drug and alcohol testing equipment and accessories throughout Africa, has partnered with Ultimate Resurgence to localise the supply, calibration and repair of Lion breathalysers in Ghana. This partnership ensures organisations in Ghana have access to quality, cost effective ...moreSisi unveils Fall Arrest System for womenExtending its commitment and support to women in industry, Sisi unveils a new product range – fall arrest systems for women working at heights.Pinetown, KZN, SA - Sisi Safety Wear has taken yet another step in its effort to support women working in industry by unveiling a range of fall arrest systems (harnesses with permanently atta ...moreFootwear Industry Articles
- 2026 Comrades shoe count: Asics stays top, Adidas up, Nike slides into 4th place
Marathon shoe counts are among the few footwear statistics available in SA. The Sweat Shop’s Jax Snyman has extracted this year’s Comrades Marathon figures for comparison with last year.His assessment: “Asics up. Adidas properly up. New Balance steady although now 3rd largest. Nike down and drop in rankings to 4th. Sauco ...moreHow FootJoy’s superbly crafted shoes influenced my life
An Informative & Nostalgic Letter written in April 2025 to two executives at Acushnet (USA) – A leading golf corporation which includes FootJoy Shoes.RE: FootJoy & II recall the very first pair of FootJoy golf shoes my late father bought for me in July 1976. This wasn’t my first interaction with the brand that I had al ...moreHistorical highlights: How Rockshoes became Trailmix Trading
Rockshoes was one of the many successful footwear factories in Pinetown in the 1960s through to the early 2000s. Its successor, Trailmix Trading, has repeated that success, as an importer and wholesaler. Here’s how it unfolded. ...more
Leather Industry Articles
- Organic cotton at the crossroads: Ideology, evidence, and the road ahead
Washington, DC, U.S.A. (23 June 2026) — Organic cotton occupies one of the most contentious spaces in global agriculture. While praised by brands and consumers for its environmental ideals, it also faces persistent questions about yield stability, certification integrity, and scalability. The current edition of The ICAC Recorde ...moreLuxury or notWe hear from all sides that the leather industry is not doing too well and the conflict in the Middle East is definitely not improving the situation. The present wars have a huge impact on inflation and hence on the buying power of consumers with negative consequences for the luxury industry whose shares we have seen tumbling at the vario ...moreFifteen million sheep in the UK to share among shearersAccording to the UK government, its sheep population decreased over the past year by 1.7% but that still leaves a flock of over 30 million. For comparison, the domestic flock in South Africa numbers about 21 million and New Zealand has some 23 million. Australia, with more than 70 million, has a wool clip of approximately 325,000 tonnes. ...more
PPE Industry Articles
- Performance testing: Building credibility in the modern apparel and footwear market
The lines between protective wear, sportswear, outdoor apparel, wellness clothing and everyday fashion continue to blur. Consumers increasingly expect garments and footwear to deliver more than style alone. Whether purchasing workwear, running apparel, outdoor footwear, school shoes or everyday casual products, buyers now look for comfort ...moreFurther controls over the import of safety footwear are on the wayOn 03 August 2026, the Safety Footwear Working Group, led by SAFLIA, submitted a request to Minister Tau (dtic) for interim import control measures in respect of specified safety footwear. The request was strongly supported by organised labour and other industry stakeholders.The application was further strengthened by contributions f ...moreNew OHS regulations coming into force later this year mean PPE needs to be reviewed, too
In March 2025, the Physical Agents Regulations (and their guidelines) and the Noise Exposure Regulations (and their guidelines) of the OHSAct were published, with an 18-month time-period promulgation date to September 2026, allowing employers time to upgrade their Health & Safety requirements to comply with the new published regulatio ...more
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