In the South African maintenance and operation environment, you might have heard people talking about the "GMR 2.1 appointee needs to approve" a particular task, modification, design, or procedure.
You may also have heard conversations with peers about how the GMR 2.1 positions are high-paying in companies such as Sasol, ArcelorMittal, SAB, Coca-Cola, and Unilever.
You may have heard variations of the same role referred to as the GCC engineer, Maintenance Engineer, or Engineering Manager. Whatever the case, the positions are mostly GMR 2.1 appointments.
In the following sections, I will provide a simple definition of the GMR 2.1 appointee and help you understand:
the legal context of the position,
why the GMR 2.1 appointment is needed,
the requirements of the GMR 2.1 in South Africa,
the qualifications required to be a GMR 2.1 in South Africa,
the necessary experience to be a GMR 2.1 in South Africa,
the certification requirements for the GMR 2.1 position in South Africa,
who appoints the GMR 2.1, and
the roles and responsibilities of the GMR 2.1.
What is the GMR 2.1 appointment?
The GMR 2.1 is a legal appointment employers who use machinery at their workplace must make.
To understand why this is a legal appointment, we are going to have to take two steps back and explain two important legal documents:
Constitution of the Republic of South Africa: Section 24(a) of the constitution states that "everyone has the right to an environment that is not harmful to their health or wellbeing." To fulfill this constitutional requirement, we have laws such as the Acts of Parliament, and in particular, for workplaces, we have the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Act Section 8: Section 8(1) requires every employer to provide a safe working environment without risk to the health of his/her employees. One of the provisions that the employer needs to make to fulfill Section 8(2) is to ensure that plant or machinery is used under the general supervision of a person trained to understand the hazards associated with it and who has the authority to ensure that the employer takes precautionary measures are implemented (this is in terms of Section 8(2)(i).
OHS Act Section 43: Section 43 gives the Minister of Employment and Labour the power to promulgate regulations to fulfill the OHS Act's provisions. One such regulation is the General Machinery Regulations (GMR).
The General Machinery Regulations are intended to help ensure compliance with Section 8(2)(i) of the OHS Act. They provide the exact actions employers must take when selecting the person supervising machinery.
Employers are legally required to comply with the Constitution, the OHS Act, and, by extension, the General Machinery Regulations.
General Machinery Regulation 2(1) or GMR 2.1
GMR stands for General Machinery Regulations. The General Machinery Regulations consist of nine regulations that employers must comply with. Regulation 2(1) refers to the appointment of the person who needs to supervise the machinery to ensure compliance with Section 8(2)(i) of the OHS Act and that the requirements of the OHS Act are fulfilled.
So, whenever someone says GMR 2.1 appointee, they refer to the appointment required in General Machinery Regulation 2(1).
Who can be appointed as a GMR 2.1?
General Machinery Regulation 2(3) requires the GMR 2.1 to be a "competent person."
The competency of the GMR 2.1 appointee is a combination of qualifications, experience, and certification, and it depends on the size of the machinery the employer uses.
The table below summarises the GMR 2.1 competency requirements for the different scenarios. It's important to note that:
The qualification needs to be in mechanical or electrical engineering. The Department of Employment and Labour may consider other engineering fields on a case-by-case basis.
The experience needs to be in operation and maintenance to the class of machinery the appointee will need to supervise. Operation and maintenance experience includes various activities such as engineering, safety, environment, quality, and management in a factory environment. The class of machinery refers to the type and size of the machinery.
You will notice that the regulations state that you can be electrical or mechanical but must have appropriate experience in the class of machinery you will be supervising. This means that you can be an electrical engineering candidate and still supervise mechanical equipment, provided that you have experience in that equipment.
This is the information for the 1988 General Machinery Regulations (GMR). The GMR is being updated, and the values will change once it is approved.
The GCC Factories is only required when the sum of the power generated by the machinery is above 3000 kW. And in the case where the machinery is used for electricity generation, the GCC Factories is required when the maximum demand is above 10000 kVA.
Table 1: GMR 2.1 competency requirements in terms of GMR 2(4)
The sum of the Power Generated by machinery | Minimum Qualification | Minimum post-qualification Experience | Minimum Certification |
|---|---|---|---|
<1200 kW | Served engineering trade apprenticeship or no qualification with a minimum of 5 years of practical experience | One year | None |
1200 kW to 3000 kW | T3 or N5 in mechanical or electrical engineering | Two years | None |
>3000 kW | Option 1: Bachelors in mechanical or electrical engineering + passed GCC Factories OHS Act exam OR Option 2:Certificated Engineer | Two years for option 1. Not specified for option 2. | Not specified for option 2. GCC Factories for option 2. |
The table below summarises the GMR 2.1 competency requirements for the machinery used for electricity distribution.
Table 2: GMR 2.1 competency requirements in terms of GMR 2(4)
The maximum demand over 30 minutes | Minimum Qualification | Minimum post-qualification Experience | Minimum Certification |
|---|---|---|---|
<3000 kVA | Served engineering trade apprenticeship or no qualification with a minimum of 5 years of practical experience | One year | Wireman's License |
3000 kVA to 10000 kVA | T3 or N5 in mechanical or electrical engineering | Two years | None |
>10000 kVA | Option 1: Bachelors in mechanical or electrical engineering + passed GCC Factories OHS Act exam OR Option 2: Certificated Engineer | Two years for option 1. Not specified for option 2. | Not specified for option 2. GCC Factories for option 2. |
You can learn more about what is the GCC Factories and how to obtain it by visiting: https://www.palucraft-gccstudy.com/new-to-gcc-factories
What about the GMR 2.7(a)?
General Machinery Regulation 2.7(a) states that the employer or user of machinery may designate one or more competent persons to assist the GMR 2.1 appointee. Furthermore, General Machinery Regulation 2(7)(b) states that the inspector may direct the employer to designate one or more GMR 2.7(a) appointees.
It's important to note that the GMR 2.7(a) appointee needs to be competent. This means that the GMR 2.7(a) must meet the requirements stipulated in Tables 1 and 2 relative to the delegated section.
Who certifies the competency of the GMR 2.1?
The GMR 2.1's competency is in accordance with GMR 2(4) and GMR 2(5) are summarised in Tables 1 and 2.
What are the roles and responsibilities of the GMR 2.1 appointee?
At a high level, the role of GMR 2.1 is to ensure that the provisions of the OHS Act and the General Machinery Regulations are fulfilled. In specific terms, this means that:
Safety, Health, and Environment: Develop, implement, and maintain a safety management system that will ensure that the legal and other requirements are fulfilled. For example, ensuring safe work procedures are developed and complied with.
Section 43 Regulations: Your role and responsibility also include compliance with the other 20 OHS Act regulations, such as the Pressure Equipment Regulations, Electrical Machinery Regulations, Facilities Regulations, and others.
Section 44 Health and Safety Standards: Your role and responsibility also include compliance with the health and safety standards stipulated in the respective regulations and the South African Bureau of Standards. These include SANS 347, SANS 10142, and the like.
Engineering: Ensure that the machinery is designed and sized appropriately. Implement control measures when engineering changes are made. Keep technical records required by standard engineering practice or legal and other requirements. This may include ensuring that machinery is designed and fabricated according to standard engineering practice, implementing engineering controls to ensure the safe operation of machinery, and determining root causes of failures.
Operations: Ensure that the machinery is operated within its design specifications.
Maintenance: Develop, implement, and maintain maintenance management programmes and ensure the statutory machinery records are kept and maintained.
Quality: Develop, implement, and maintain a quality management system to ensure that work is done safely and complies with legal requirements.
Management and Leadership: Direct employees to meet safety, business, engineering, operations, and quality objectives. This will require substantial management and leadership skills.
The role of GMR 2.1 has more details, which we cover in our Accredited Short Course, 'Understanding and Fulfilling the Role of the GMR 2.1.'
I strongly suggest you complete the short course to gain the skills to ensure that you successfully fulfill your role as a GMR 2.1. You can learn more about the short course by visiting: https://www.palucraft-gccstudy.com/understanding-and-fulfilling-the-role-of-gmr-2-1-palucraft-course
Who appoints the GMR 2.1?
The employer or user of machinery appoints the GMR 2.1.
Who is the employer?
Employer means any person who employs or provides work for any person. In many organizations, the Chief Executive Officer (OHS Act 16.1 appointee) is the employer who may delegate his authority to another person (OHS Act 16.2 appointee).
Depending on the organization's corporate structure, the GMR 2.1 appointment can be made by the 16.1 or 16.2 appointees. This differs from organization to organization.
Conclusion
The GMR 2.1 is a legal appointment employers who use machinery at their workplace must make.
Its origin can be traced back to the Constitution of South Africa and the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
To be appointed as the GMR 2.1, you must have the appropriate competency level for the type and size of machinery you supervise.
You can be appointed as the GMR 2.1 without the GCC Factories, provided that the sum of the power generated by the machinery is less than 3000 kW.
Suppose the machinery is used for electricity distribution. In that case, you can be appointed as a GMR 2.1 without the GCC Factories if the maximum demand over a continuous 30-minute period is less than 10000 kVA.
You can learn more about the roles and responsibilities of GMR 2.1 by taking our accredited short course or getting a mentor to guide you through the journey.
You can learn more about the GCC Factories by visiting: https://www.palucraft-gccstudy.com/new-to-gcc-factories
Understanding and Fulfilling the Role of the GMR 2.1
Learn how to fulfill the role of the GMR 2.1 in our industry-leading short course. The course will ensure you gain the confidence and competency to be a successful GMR 2.1 or 2.7(a) appointee.
Comments