Health and Safety Support

Ensuring health and safety in the workplace is an unending challenge and now, with the advent of Covid-19, it requires a thorough understanding of all relevant legislation. With the support of a specialist online Health and Safety Support programme from SafetyWallet, employers can reduce the stress, additional workload and responsibility of complying with OHS Act requirements.

This SafetyWallet tool allows business owners to get on with the job while leaving the tedium of occupational compliance in the hands of dedicated online professionals. With SafetyWallet, employers receive support and are rewarded in their journey through an imposing list of OHS requirements. These include:

• Covid-19 workplace preparedness and readiness
• Occupational Health and Safety Compliance audits
• Occupational Health and Safety risk assessments
• Department of Employment and Labour (DoEL) enquiries

Here we discuss in more detail just some of the online health and safety support that are rewarded to SafetyWallet members.

Risk Assessment and Control Measures

Identifying hazards and assessing the risks they pose to employees form part of the risk assessment process involved with controlling illness, injuries and fatalities in the workplace. Working according to well-defined protocols, assessors identify risks and categorise these as High, Medium or Low. They then suggest control measures to best maintain workplaces injuries to the lowest possible risk category.

Working in partnership with OHS consultants, MAKROSAFE, risk assessors continuously hone their skills and keep close tabs on health and safety trends and developments in the industry. The risk controls, as well as the success of control measures, is monitored and re-evaluated every three months.

OHS Online Management System

The SafetyWallet OHS online health and management system provides industry with root-cause analysis. It promotes effective health and safety management by fast-tracking compliance and simplifies processes to improve the overall OHS of the working environment.

It enables industries to conduct customised in-house inspections and to access critical documents such as employee training records and equipment maintenance history. This management system enables employers to focus on prevention rather than individual blame.

DoEL Incident Investigation (OHS Act Section 24 Investigation)

Reporting a workplace accident is an integral part of the occupational health and safety programme. It highlights existing workplace OHS hazards, risks and dangers. The purpose of a Department of Employment and Labour (DoEL) investigation is to identify the cause of the incident.

With the help of the SafetyWallet, employers can identify hazards and introduce appropriate controls to prevent the likelihood of further accidents. According to the OHS Act, employers or users of machinery must undertake a formal investigation where more medical treatment, other than the normal first aid, is required.

Section 24 incidents involving employees that must be investigated and reported include:

• Fatalities
• When an employee is rendered unconscious
• Loss (whole or partial) of a limb
• Injury or illness where an employee could die or suffer permanent injury
• Inability to work for two weeks or more because of a work-related incident
• When a ''major incident'' occurs

Injuries on Duty Management

Managing injuries while on duty is another critical aspect of the overall OHS support system. Armed with the SafetyWallet, employers are given clear guidelines on how to handle injuries on duty. This action forms part of the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act (Act 130 of 1993) which governs occupational injuries and diseases. COIDA aims to provide compensation when an employee is disabled or dies in the workplace.

Emergency Evacuations and Preparedness

Being prepared ahead of time to handle an emergency evacuation procedure is the emphasis of this SafetyWallet protocol. Employers are encouraged to hold regular evacuation drills so that their workers are kept up-to-date with the procedure.

Protocols involve:

• A clear chain of command
• Adopting specific evacuation procedures
• Procedures that assist visitors and employees to evacuate the premises timeously
• Identifying individual roles and responsibilities
• Identifying threats and hazards
• Putting protective actions into practice
• Notification, warning and communications procedures
• Emergency response procedures
• Evacuation, shelter and accountability procedures
• Positioning and use of workplace emergency equipment, such as fire extinguishers
• Emergency shutdown procedures

Dedicated OHS Professional

With SafetyWallet, employers have their very own dedicated OHS professional at hand with the touch of an online button. It relieves them of the stress of maintaining OHS workplace demands that involve a myriad of administrative processes and dedicated follow-ups. The SafetyWallet helps employers to make impartial observations and to reach possible solutions to health and safety issues.

MAKROSAFE is a dedicated OHS professional whose employees are very experienced and committed to keeping abreast of all OHS trends and changes to legislation. SafetyWallet members have direct access to these MAKROSAFE professionals without having to spend additional funds on obtaining outside expert advice.

These dedicated OHS support professionals:

1. Ensure that all data is captured instantly and correctly
2. Oversee claims involving Injuries on Duty
3. Liaise with the Department of Labour or the Compensation Commissioner and secure Letters of Good Standing
4. Organise MAKROSAFE inspectors, compliance auditors and risk assessors to undertake regular workplace inspections
5. Suggest control measures that are required to reduce or nullify risks

Other SafetyWallet Benefits

The SafetyWallet Health and Safety Support membership also includes:

• COVID-19
• 80% discount on your Compliance Audit
• OHS Membership Certificate
• Monthly OHS Compliance Certificate
• OHS Online Cloud-Based Management System – Unlimited users
• SafetyWallet Dashboard - Unlimited Users
• Weekly Legislative Updates
• Department of Employment and Labour (DoEL) Enquiries
• Workmen's Compensation Assurance (WCA) & Rand Mutual Assurance (RMA)
• Injuries on Duty - WCA Doctor Payment
• WCA Employer Payments outstanding (Salaries, Wages)
• Annual Return of Earning WaS.8
• Letter of Good Standing
• Reduction in Annual Assessment Rates with WCA
• Hygiene Survey Recommendations
• Contractor Management - Site files
• Payment allocation with RMA / WCA
• Name change with WCA / RMA
• Change in nature of business with WCA
• New registrations with RMA / WCA
• Medical surveillance requirements
• Monthly Newsletter