The Menlyn Park Shopping Centre has been given 60 days to comply with safety regulations
Roshila Pillay
In the week that Makro in Woodmead, Johannesburg, was razed by a fire, the Menlyn Park Shopping Centre in Pretoria was found to be a fire hazard.
The R800-million complex, which sees an average of two million people walk through its doors a month, has contravened the Occupational Health and Safety Act by lacking the necessary fire precautions.
“I handed out a contravention and improvement notice that they have to comply with within 60 days. They did not comply with all the fire safety regulations,” says Pieter Roos, an inspector in the inspection and enforcement services division of the Gauteng Department of Labour.
At the centre, several fire extinguishers had no pressure, while only two inspected on three fire escape routes had proper fittings attached to the hosepipes.
Wayne Abegglen, the centre’s manager, puts this down to a spate of vandalism. “We are in the process of implementing fire extinguishing equipment cabinets to protect our equipment,” he says.
On the third floor of the centre, a security guard on duty could not point out the fire escape route but instead instructed people to “go up the escalator and use the fire escape on the next floor”.
“It is terribly disturbing the guards can’t tell us where the fire escapes are and they are not properly trained. It’s also all the more worrying considering they carry guns,” says one of 3 000 employees working at the shopping centre. The employee asked not to be identified.
“This concerns me. It is something I have to take up. Obviously the guard should have the common sense to point out the fire exits,” says Abegglen. He says that although the security guards should “possibly be more proactive in identifying safety exits”, they have received the necessary training.
On another floor in the shopping centre, there was a sign indicating where fire-fighting equipment should be, but no equipment. The fire exits are not clearly marked and there are no signs instructing people not to use the lifts in the case of a fire.
“If a fire started in that area it would be difficult for people to move out easily. Of course, if they are unable to leave the building, they will be affected by the fire,” says Jeremiah Mela, regional manager for the labour department’s labour centre in Pretoria.
A gate in one fire exit and gates are not allowed in fire escape passages opens on to a gas main. The exit routes at the shopping centre are often cluttered with metal pipes, ladders and other obstructions. On one route, a water pipe leads out on to the walkway hazardous if people are trying to escape a raging inferno.
Ironically, the automated call-holding system at the centre’s management office boasts: “Welcome to Menlyn Park Shopping Centre. Security is a top priority at our centre.”
An employee, who did not want to be named, alerted the centre’s management to the problem several months ago. The complaint was overlooked and an appointment by the Department of Labour’s inspection and enforcement services division to inspect the building was made only after the division was contacted by the Mail & Guardian.
Health and safety conditions in a place of employment are governed by several pieces of legislation. The South African Bureau of Standards makes provision for fire exits and equipment according to the design of a building in the Standards Building Act, while the Department of Labour sees to all occupational health and safety-related offences.
“We have focused a lot of energy on ensuring workplaces are safe and healthy environments through campaigns and an awareness programme. We also plan to conduct a blitz on employers,” says Mela.
‘The standards need to be adhered to and maintained it is not negotiable. It either has to be fixed or you suffer the wrath of the penalty imposed,” says Abegglen.
There can be disastrous consequences if there is a fire in a large building. Makro in Woodmead suffered R200-million in damages in last weekend’s fire.
Menlyn Park Shopping Centre was opened in 1979 by Old Mutual Properties. In 1998 R800-million was spent to transform the centre from a 60 000m2 mall to a 110 000m2 megamall with 6 000 parking bays.
The centre’s management failed to comply with legislation relating to occupational health and safety and building regulations.
The Department of Labour also asked its management to ensure that the sanitary facilities in the building are in accordance with national building regulations.
One women’s toilet has four cubicles only but serves 47 shops and customers. Employees at the centre complain of a long wait up to an hour when they need to use a toilet.
In terms of the labour department’s notice served on the centre, management must now ensure that all obstructions and gates in the fire escape passages are removed and that all fire-fighting equipment is maintained and in good working order.