Health and Safety Contractors Management

Health and safety inspections for employers and contractors forms a vital part of a proper health and safety management system. Inspections such as these allow the employer and contractor to ensure that the workplace and work activities are health and safe. They also work to reduce and prevent incidents, injuries, illnesses, and even death.

Small and medium business entities (SMEs) in South Africa face numerous challenges, with the compilation of the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) file as one of these challenges. This file is one which is compiled by trained and competent OHS practitioners or a team of professionals who have the correct skills, knowledge, experience, and qualifications.

Leadership plays a crucial role in promoting organisational values as well as behaviours towards the transformation of health and safety performance and overall protection of employees along with service providers, contractors, and members of the public.

In numerous industries it is not always possible to reduce or eliminate safety and health hazards and risks. For this reason, there must be permitted to work (PTW) systems which form part of the task risk assessment process. The purpose of the sections below is to provide a guidance for employers and contractors on Permit to Work (PTW) Systems, what they are, when they are required, the essentials needed for such systems, and how roles can be harmonised with permit to work systems.

The purpose of the permit to work is that it helps to reduce the risk of safety incidents. This is done by ensuring that people involved with certain high-risk tasks are aware of the specific hazards, that they take the necessary precautions and that they are competent to conduct the task.

As per the Occupational Health and Safety Act 85 of 1993, the employer is legally bound to provide and maintain, as far as reasonably practicable, a working environment which is safe and without risk to the health and safety of workers.