S&V Protect Magazine Vol19 No3 Third Quarter 2025
The only SA magazine aimed exclusively at the PPE end user.
This Magazine is sponsored by SAFLIA
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IN THIS ISSUE:
02 Upfront
- Updated safety footwear standards: No clarity after marathon meeting.
- Fidelity Services Group acquires majority share in SSG Holdings to expand to over 69 000 staff.
05 OHS in Focus
- Selecting job task PPE isn’t so simple, explains Leighton Bennett, Benrisk Consulting, Johannesburg, Gauteng, SA.
09 Competence
- The Competency Dilemma: Determining Competency for Construction Health and Safety and Designations Outlined in the Construction Regulations, by Yaseen Francis, executive director of ACHASM.
11 Healthcare
- Not an afterthought – integrating healthcare technology at the very beginning is the correct way, writes Thabang Byl of Schneider Electric.
13 Noticeboard
- Humour: Surviving the safety footwear industry – a personal journey by Nick Bryant of ProFit Safety Footwear.
- Obituary: Ernie Wallis of Sheq Safety – a tribute by Billy Wilson, Redd Apparel.
19 Buyers' Guide
- What's on offer.
Advertisers in this Issue
BBF Safety/Maxeco (06), Claw Boot (04, 13), Hi-Tec Sports Distributors/Magnum Interceptor (OFC), Kaliber (12), ProFit Safety Footwear/Samson (08), Rainbow Group (18), Rebel SafetyGear (16), S&V Calendar (01), S&V Directory (10), SAFLEC (14).
The next issue
Will be out on 12 November 2025. Deadline for editorial submissions and advertising material is 05 November 2025.
- The Competency Dilemma: Determining Competency for Construction Health and Safety and Designations Outlined in the Construction Regulations (2014)
IntroductionThere are substantial ambiguities and debates about the definition of a “Competent Person” when assigning legal appointments and responsibilities for supervision, oversight, and management of key tasks. These are outlined in the Construction Regulations (2014) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act of (1993). Va ...moreNot an afterthought – integrating healthcare technology at the very beginning
Today’s modern healthcare facilities have, respectfully, moved beyond bricks, mortar and medical equipment to now include infrastructure that embeds intelligence and resilience, providing the foundation for safer, smarter and patient-centric healthcare environment.In fact, the medical industry is making truly remarkable gains when i ...moreSurviving the safety footwear industry: The Simpsons meet Armageddon
ProFit Safety Footwear national sales manager Nick Bryant was asked on his 45th birthday (20th of August) whether he still enjoys what he does for a living. “Absolutely. I love it. I live for it,” he replied. “And as for how… well, like most things in life, you need to have a serious passion for it… and an ...moreObituary: Ernie Wallis, Sheq Safety (14/07/1959 – 16/08/2025): In all things, hard, fair and respected
Cape Town, W. Cape, SA – Ernie was raised in a strong, principled household. Ernie’s father – a naval man with sharp business acumen and a steady temperament – and his mother, who was uncompromising in her pursuit of fairness, instilled in him the values of discipline, justice, and integrity that would define his l ...moreUpdated safety footwear standards: No clarity after marathon meetingPretoria, Gauteng, SA – South African safety footwear manufacturers and importers will have to wait until 08 October to get answers from the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications (NRCS) after a 3-hour, 30-minute Microsoft Teams ‘stakeholder meeting’ on 11September overran its timeslot – and that was afte ...moreFidelity acquires SSG Holdings to grow to nearly 70 000 staff over more than 250 locationsJohannesburg, Gauteng, SA (17 September 2025) – Fidelity Services Group has acquired a majority shareholding in SSG Holdings, following all requisite regulatory approvals. The acquisition will expand Fidelity’s footprint to more than 256 locations and grow its workforce to approximately 69 200 employees across Southern Africa. ...moreSELECTING JOB TASK PPEThe issue of ‘Selecting Job Task Personnel Protective Equipment (PPE)’ seems a simple undertaking, but at many levels, it is a fairly complex issue, because for each type of PPE there are usually various product variants available for the different risks and exposures related to specific job task work occurrences and events.To ...moreFootwear Industry Articles
- Lemaitre’s Robust Pro, ‘based on user feedback, is a gamechanger in safety footwear’
Lemaitre, a trusted leader in safety footwear, is proud to announce the launch of the New Robust Pro, a reimagined safety shoe designed to deliver unparalleled comfort, durability, and all-around protection for workers across industries. With the Robust Pro we set out to create a shoe that truly works as hard as the people who wear it by ...morePalm Footwear: ‘One family’Palm Footwear was founded in July 1966 by Kasie Pattundeen, with 18 staff, making slippers.60 years later, with over 800 staff, it is among the biggest employers in the SA footwear industry and among the biggest manufacturers by volume.It remains a family business, headed by Rajeev and Kiran Pattundeen, with their children, Srishti and Rt ...moreEffects of AI in developing the relationship between feet and footwear (part 1)
Historically, theoretically and practically, our feet have played a significant role in the connection of the body to mother earth. We know that the foot is a hardy, adaptable and biomechanically efficient part of the anatomy, such that little else is required to ensure maximum traction, propulsion, stability, cushioning, shock absorption ...more
Leather Industry Articles
- African leather businesses holding LWG and SLF ratingsAs African leather manufacturers strive to grow their exports, the number which have qualified for ratings by the Leather Working Group (LWG) and the Sustainable Leather Foundation (SLF) is growing.By country, LWG lists the following:Algeria: Sarl Tannerie Ain FakrounBurkina Faso: Mona Industry SARL.Egypt: El Montaza Tannery, Piel Color C ...moreRLSD International Student Design Competition 2026 open for entries
Global platform for emerging fashion talent builds on record-breaking momentum and industry success stories ...moreFMD: Government upbeat, little comment from industryPretoria, Gauteng, SA – The Department of Agriculture’s “strategic objective” is to vaccinate 80% of South Africa’s national cattle herd – which is around 14 million animals – against Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) by December this year, according to a media statement on 12 May.“The vaccinatio ...more
PPE Industry Articles
- RealPPE Marketplace: Where safety meets smarter procurement
RealPPE Marketplace is a 100% black women-owned B2B PPE marketplace built for South African industry. Founded after years of witnessing safety officers and procurement teams lose time to fragmented suppliers, inconsistent pricing, and missing documentation, RealPPE was created to bring structure and reliability to industrial PPE sourcing. ...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 ...moreStatistical shape modelling for population-specific respirator design: Addressing fit failure in South African populations
Respirators are widely regarded as the last line of defence against hazardous airborne exposures. Whether protecting healthcare workers from tuberculosis, laboratory personnel from infectious samples, or workers exposed to carcinogenic dusts and fumes, respirators are often relied upon when other controls cannot eliminate exposure. This r ...more
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