The rules around cooking, fire safety, and legislation on farms can be complex and different for each farm. One of the main hazards often identified is the use of gas bottles by occupants in agri-worker accommodation. While gas bottles and stoves are common in daily life, their use in housing carries serious risks and strict legal responsibilities for employers. This article aims to unpack the relevant legislation, the risks involved, and the practical steps farms can take to manage cooking more safely in worker accommodation.
Legislation and Standards
South African law places the responsibility for safe housing on the employer if and when it forms part of their workplace conditions, or ownership. The Occupational Health and Safety Act requires employers to protect employees from health and safety hazards, including fire and ventilation risks. The regulations further stipulate that the employer must ensure that the workplace and its conditions always adhere to the most stringent safety practices.
Fire safety standards under Part T of the South African National Standards (SANS) apply when housing is built or upgraded. Farms are strongly encouraged to involve their local fire inspector in the planning and approval stages, or even during upgrading, to ensure compliance. Part O of SANS covers ventilation and lighting requirements, ensuring safe use of combustible fuels indoors. Different types of occupancy classifications deal with fire risks differently. While dormitories, which are primarily supposed to be used for sleeping, do not allow cooking, dwelling units are built with a designated cooking area and various structural fire prevention measures, making cooking in the unit safer. Still, there are other risks to consider.
The Risks
Cooking is one of the leading causes of domestic fires. On farms, risks include:
- Open flames and faulty appliances (especially gas bottles and paraffin stoves).
- Cooking inside sleeping areas, where there is little ventilation.
- Poor maintenance of stoves, cylinders, and electrical connections.
- Inadequate firefighting equipment or lack of training for residents.
- Carbon monoxide poisoning from poorly ventilated gas or paraffin burners.
These risks make it essential to manage both where cooking takes place and how equipment is maintained.
Effective Management
To manage cooking safely in worker accommodation, farms can consider:
- Provide designated cooking areas that are separate from sleeping spaces, large enough for the number of residents, and compliant with fire protection standards.
- Ensure appliances are safe, serviced, and appropriate for use. Faulty or leaking cylinders must be replaced immediately.
- Provide fire extinguishers or sand buckets, and ensure residents are trained in basic fire response.
- Enforce a clear housing policy that specifies cooking rules, including where gas bottles may be used.
- Maintain proper ventilation and insulation, ensuring that windows are made of glass, open easily, and are not sealed.
- Communicate regularly with employees about the risks of cooking in non-designated spaces and the importance of safe practices.
Rules Regarding Gas Bottles in Rooms
The following rules and recommendations apply to gas bottles used in accommodation:
- Gas bottles should not be used inside sleeping areas. Cooking should only be done in kitchens, communal cooking spaces, or other designated areas with proper ventilation.
- If local authorities approve cooking within larger dormitory spaces, the room size must exceed the minimum requirements to allow for safe separation between cooking and sleeping areas.
- Cylinder size matters: small portable LPG bottles (usually not exceeding 9 kg) are generally allowed for domestic use in approved cooking areas. Larger cylinders must be stored outside in ventilated cages and connected safely.
- Gas bottles must always be stored and used upright with regulators and hoses in good condition.
- Adequate ventilation is compulsory. Windows and doors must allow airflow to prevent the buildup of fumes.
For more information, feel free to visit the SIZA Guidelines on Fire Safety, Accommodation Management and general Health and Safety Management on farms:
