PAIA Manual

1. Manual details

We review this manual at least once a year, and sooner if our details or the way we work change. Listing a category of record here doesn’t mean a particular record exists, or that it will be released.

2. Words used in this manual

• Data subject: the person the personal information is about.
• Personal information: information about an identifiable person, as defined in POPIA.
• Record: recorded information in any form that Floor Crew holds.
• Requester: the person asking for access to a record.
• Responsible party: the business that decides why and how personal information is processed.
• Information Regulator: the body that oversees PAIA and POPIA in South Africa.

3. Purpose of this manual

It explains how to ask Floor Crew for a record, which kinds of records we keep, what is available without a formal request, how we handle personal information, when we may refuse access, and what you can do if you disagree with a decision.

Under PAIA, a requester may have access to a record held by a private business if the record is needed to exercise or protect a right, the request follows the procedure in PAIA, and no ground for refusal applies.

4. About Floor Crew

Floor Crew restores old wooden floors and parquet, and supplies and installs new floors, for homes and businesses across Gauteng.

For the personal information of our clients, people who enquire, website visitors, staff and suppliers, Floor Crew is the responsible party under POPIA.

5. Contact details

Please send PAIA and POPIA requests to the Information Officer by email.

6. The Information Regulator’s guide

The Information Regulator publishes a guide on how to use PAIA and POPIA, and the official request forms. You can find them on the Regulator’s website, or ask our Information Officer for a copy.

The Information Regulator (South Africa)

Postal address: PO Box 31533, Braamfontein, Johannesburg, 2017

General enquiries: enquiries@inforegulator.org.za

POPIA complaints: POPIAComplaints@inforegulator.org.za

PAIA complaints: PAIAComplaints@inforegulator.org.za

Website: inforegulator.org.za

7. Records available without a request

The following are available on this website without a formal request: information about our services, floor ranges and projects, our Privacy Policy, our Website Terms and this manual.

Records about clients, staff, suppliers or the business itself are not automatically available. They can only be requested under this manual.

8. Records kept under other laws

Where they apply to Floor Crew, we keep records under laws including the following. Whether a record can be accessed depends on that law.

• Basic Conditions of Employment Act 75 of 1997
• Companies Act 71 of 2008
• Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act 130 of 1993
• Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008
• Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002
• Income Tax Act 58 of 1962 and Tax Administration Act 28 of 2011
• Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995
• Occupational Health and Safety Act 85 of 1993
• Promotion of Access to Information Act 2 of 2000
• Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013
• Unemployment Insurance Act 63 of 2001

9. Kinds of records we hold

• Business: registration documents, agreements, licences and insurance.
• Finance and tax: quotes, invoices, payments, bank and tax records.
• Clients and enquiries: contact details, enquiries, site details, photos of floors, quotes, job records, correspondence and reviews.
• Staff: employment contracts, payroll, leave and training records.
• Suppliers: supplier details, orders and agreements.
• Marketing: the email list (people who agreed to marketing emails) and their preferences.
• Website: form submissions and cookie choices.

This is a description of categories, not a list of files.

10. How we handle personal information (POPIA)

Why we process it:

• to reply to enquiries, quote, and do and follow up on the work;
• to send aftercare tips and, with consent, marketing emails;
• to run, protect and improve our website, with consent for analytics and advertising;
• to employ staff and pay suppliers;
• to meet our legal and tax obligations.

Whose information, and what kind:

• Clients and people who enquire: name, contact details, suburb and site address, business name (if any), details and photos of the floor, quotes, invoices, correspondence, reviews and marketing preferences.
• Website visitors: device and browser details, pages visited, how they arrived and cookie choices.
• Staff: identity, contact, bank, tax, payroll and employment details.
• Suppliers: contact person, business and bank details, orders and agreements.

Who may receive it: our team; service providers who host our website and send our emails; analytics and advertising platforms (only with consent); the room-visualiser provider when a visitor uses it; and authorities such as SARS when the law requires it.

Sent outside South Africa: some of our service providers process information in other countries, such as the European Union and the United States. We only use providers that protect personal information to a standard similar to POPIA.

How we protect it: an encrypted (https) website, password-protected systems with access only for people who need it, spam protection on our forms, private storage for files, and deleting information we no longer need. Retention periods are in our Privacy Policy.

11. How to request a record

• Use Form 2 (Request for Access to Record), available from the Information Regulator or our Information Officer.
• Describe the record clearly enough for us to find it.
• Say which right you want to exercise or protect, and why you need the record for it.
• Say how you’d like access: a copy by email, a printed copy, or inspection.
• Give your contact details, and attach a copy of your ID. If you’re asking for someone else, attach proof that you may act for them.
• Email the form to info@floorcrew.co.za.
• Wait for our fee notice before paying anything.

If something isn’t clear, we’ll contact you before we decide.

12. Fees

Fees are set by the PAIA Regulations and can change. The current amounts are in the Information Regulator’s fee schedule for private bodies.

• A request fee is payable, except when you ask for your own personal information.
• If finding and preparing the record will take a long time, we may ask for a deposit first. If access is then refused, the deposit is refunded.
• Access fees cover copying, preparing and sending the record. We’ll tell you the amount before we do the work, and release the record once it’s paid.

13. When we decide

We’ll decide within 30 days of receiving a complete request. In some cases PAIA allows us to extend this once, by up to another 30 days, and we’ll tell you why. If we don’t decide in time, the request is treated as refused.

Our notice will say whether access is granted, the fee, and the form of access. If we refuse, it will give the reasons and your options.

14. Grounds for refusal

PAIA allows or requires us to refuse access in some cases, including to protect:

• the privacy of other people;
• commercial information of Floor Crew or of third parties;
• confidential information and legally privileged records;
• the safety of people or property.

If only part of a record is protected, we’ll release the rest where we can. PAIA also requires access when the public interest in the record clearly outweighs the harm.

15. Records about other people or businesses

If a record contains information about a third party, we may have to tell them about the request and give them the chance to object. This can take longer, and we’ll keep you informed.

16. If you disagree with a decision

There’s no internal appeal. You can complain to the Information Regulator, generally within 180 days of the decision, or apply to court. We’d appreciate the chance to sort it out with you first.

17. Where to find this manual

This manual is on our website and can be emailed to you free of charge. A copy is also available from the Information Officer.

18. Updates

The Information Officer reviews this manual regularly. A new version replaces the previous one from its effective date.

19. Request checklist

• Use the current Form 2.
• Describe the record clearly.
• Explain the right you’re exercising or protecting.
• Choose how you want access.
• Include your contact details and a copy of your ID.
• If acting for someone else, include proof of authority.
• Email it to info@floorcrew.co.za.
• Wait for our fee notice before paying.

20. Official resources

• Information Regulator: the PAIA and POPIA guide, request and complaint forms.
• Fee schedule for private bodies
• Our Privacy Policy