Health and safety rules and regulations are a must-have for any company. The health and safety of your employees should always be at the forefront of your decision-making. Compliance to these safety, health, environmental and quality management systems is one of the most important functions of both employer and employee.
Implementing these measures may not always be the easiest of exercises, but considering the importance thereof, you need to do whatever it takes to ensure compliance.
Let’s have a look at the must-haves when it comes to your company’s health and safety compliance.
Access to the OHS Act
For employees to have access to the Occupational Health and Safety Act and the rights and requirements it sets out, you as employer must by law make a copy of the Act accessible to employees. They can then see for themselves the importance of the rules and regulations, as well as why compliance is so important.
Proper PPE
Wearing the proper PPE (personal protective equipment) can greatly reduce physical harm due to accidents. PPE includes gloves, protective clothing, safety goggles, face masks and such. PPE is also heavily regulated by law, and compliance should be strictly monitored.
Maintenance of and access to machinery
Machines that pose a threat to employee health and safety because they are dangerous to operate should be properly maintained and kept in perfect working condition. There should also be measures in place to ensure there is no accidental or unauthorised access to these machines, thereby limiting the chances for injuries and accidents to happen.
Safety training
You need to have at least one trained First Aid officer for every hundred employees, but it’s advisable to have a few employees who are trained to do basic first-aid – in fact, it’s not a bad idea to give all employees training in basic first aid. The more people able to help, the better the injured or ill employee’s chances of recovery.
You should also have a fire and safety procedure in place, and have designated people trained to remain calm, take control of the situation and get people out of the danger area in case of fire or other physical threats.
Health and safety officers
All health and safety officers, including first aid officers, should be appointed in accordance with the Occupational Health and Safety Act. The appointments should be formal and communicated in writing, with each officer’s responsibilities and duties clearly set out. The onus rests on the employer to ensure that each officer has the relevant abilities and training to execute these responsibilities.
Injury on duty (IOD) reports
Should an employee be injured while on duty, it’s imperative that he or she complete an IOD form as soon as possible. These reports help to assess threats and risks in the workplace environment, which can lead to the prevention of similar injuries in future. IOD reports are strongly regulated by law.
Health and safety policy
This statement covers all the goals and principles of the company regarding health and safety. It is a formal statement of the company’s commitment to keep employees safe and free from harm. The policy should be available to all employees at any given time, and be reviewed on a regular basis to keep it current.
Regular inspections
The entire work environment should regularly by monitored and inspected to identify potential hazards and determine the effectiveness of current safety measures. Subsequently, a needs analysis can be made and suggestions to improve the safety and health measures to protect employees can be made.
Keep employees informed
What you don’t know can hurt you, so keep all employees up to speed with the latest health and safety rules and regulations by placing information boards where it is nice and visible, and in places where employees are most likely to see them. You can also use these boards to communicate new measures that might be implemented as well as any changes to legislation.
Safe Work Procedure Plan
Also known as a Safe Operating Procedure Plan, this working document describes the best and safest manner of performing relevant tasks. This protects the employee as well as safeguards the tools, machinery and equipment. It also ensures a quality service or product.
Occupational hygiene surveys
You should have regular inspections on the hygiene of the environment in which your employees have to work to ensure it is not hazardous or harmful to their health. You need to prevent occupational diseases as you can be held liable if you neglect this.
Regular toolbox talks
Toolbox talks are small discussion forums where any particular safety issue is addressed and discussed within the group. Having these toolbox talks helps to promote safety, keep employees informed and can serve as discussion forums where employees can give their feedback and feel empowered.
Formal committee meetings
By law, there should be regular scheduled meetings between health and safety representatives and employer representatives at least every three months. During these meetings, all relevant matters regarding the health and safety regulations at the company should be discussed and resolved to the benefit of the employees.
Risks assessments
In this process, you need to identify all potential hazards, analyse these risks and find out how you can eliminate or control each hazard. This is the most important part of the health and safety programme and is a requirement for a company to be compliant to the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
Keeping track of all these must-haves can seem a challenge, and that’s why Strategix developed our SHEQX management solution.
