Civil Engineering December 2022 | Vol 30 No 11

36 December 2022 Civil Engineering RSR (Railway Safety Regulator) The RSR was established in terms of the National Railway Safety Regulator Act (No. 16 of 2002) (amended), to establish a national regulatory framework for South Africa and to monitor and enforce com- pliance in the rail sector. It provides safety assurance to all sec- tors of society interacting with the coun- try’s national railway system in a manner consistent with human and ecosystem health and wellbeing. In providing safety assurance, the RSR ensures that invest- ments in rail infrastructure, rolling stock and technologies are protected. The RSR’s functions include, inter alia, to: Q Q Issue safety permits to operators who demonstrate the existence of a comprehensive Safety Management System, in accordance with the provisions of the South African National Standard: Railway Safety Management, Part 1: General (SANS 3000-1/ RSR 001). Q Q Undertake planned audits and inspec- tions to verify the existence of an operator’s Safety Management System. Q Q Undertake ad hoc inspections where unsafe conditions or activities are reported. Q Q Issue notices and directives where un- safe conditions or activities are found. Q Q Undertake occurrence investigations, either by an independent board of inquiry or by RSR personnel. Q Q Develop regulations and standards to ensure consistency, efficiency and improved safety performance. RSR T: +27 10 495 5391 E: helpdesk@rsr.org.za, W: www.rsr.org.za Building 4, Waterfall Point Office Park, corner Waterfall Drive & Woodmead Drive, Waterfall City, Midrand SABS (South African Bureau of Standards) The SABS is the only entity in South Africa with the legislated mandate (Standards Act No. 24 of 1945) to develop, maintain and promote South African National Standards (SANS). The organisation exists in accordance with the Standards Act (No. 8 of 2008) to: Q Q Promote quality in connection with commodities, products and services. Q Q Render conformity assessment services and matters connected therewith. SABS offers the following services: Q Q Development, maintenance and pro- motion of standards for commodities. The standards are aligned to national priorities and should facilitate mean- ingful socio-economic impact in South Africa and the region. Q Q Assurance, through management system certification schemes, of a client’s management system(s) in terms of quality, environment, safety and good governance requirements. Q Q Third-party assurance of quality, safety and reliability of products, through product certification schemes (such as the SABS Mark), to the consumer. Products that have met re- quirements specified in South African National Standards (SANS) are awarded the SABS Mark, which can be used to support claims of conformity to standards. Q Q Testing of a wide spectrum of products across industry sectors and technologies at the SABS’s dedicated test laboratories, situated in Pretoria, and at various strategic locations throughout South Africa. These services remain the most comprehensive offered by any single organisation in the Southern African region. Q Q Third-party consignment inspec- tion services to external purchasing bodies. This assists in their purchasing operations, including the production of item descriptions, the preparation of tender documents, the adjudication of contracts and the inspection of deliverables. Q Q Developing and offering structured training courses for Standards and Specifications. Other services that the SABS provides to support socio-economic growth include: Q Q The promotion of the value of design and innovation as a route to growing competitiveness in the economy, through the dissemination of design knowledge and practice and the demonstration of success from the use of design-based methods and intervention. This function is par- ticularly focused on applying design tools to support the growth of the Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMME) sector and youth entrepre- neurship to create jobs. Q Q Appointment by government to con- duct local content verification services in accordance with Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Act (PPPFA) regulations. This supports government policy to encourage industrial development through increased preferential procurement of products and services designated to be constituted of a specified amount of local content. SABS Private Bag X191, Pretoria, 0001 T: +27 12 428 7911 / 0861 27 7227 E: info@sabs.co.za, W: www.sabs.co.za 1 Dr Lategan Road, Groenkloof, Pretoria NRCS (National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications) The NRCS was established by the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications Act (No. 5 of 2008), whereby the Regulatory Division of SABS and all regulatory functions of SABS were transferred to the NRCS. The NRCS is an autonomous institution of the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition that administers technical regulations (com- pulsory specifications) based on national standards in the interests of human health, safety and protection of the environment. The regulated products include cement and treated structural timber, and a wide range of automotive, electrical and food products. The NRCS also administers the Legal Metrology regulations governing measurements used in trade. Sections 4–7 of the National Building Regulations and Building Standards Act (No. 103 of 1977) empower local authori- ties to administer the National Building Regulations. Building control officers are empowered and required to review and approve building plans and designs, in- cluding rational designs. The Act requires the Board and CEO of NRCS to perform a number of statutory functions, including advising the Minister regarding building regulations, inspections, the appointment of building control officers, and acting as secretariat to a Review Board that provides a dispute settlement service for the benefit of owners, developers and local authorities. NRCS Private Bag X25, Brooklyn, 0075 T: +27 12 428 8700 E: info@nrcs.org.za, W: www.nrcs.org.za SABS Campus, 1 Dr Lategan Road, Groenkloof, Pretoria