How can Employers, Contractors and/or Suppliers obtain their Health and Safety Compliance Certificate?

Obtaining a Health and Safety Compliance Certificate

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.

For employers, contractors and/or suppliers to obtain their health and safety compliance certificate, it requires compliance with the Occupational Health and Safety Act 85 of 1993, and Regulations. However, as straightforward as this may sound, there is an entire process involved, focussed on various aspects and elements that, together, make a holistic safe working environment for all.

The employer has their own roles and responsibilities, apart from providing a working environment which is safe, healthy, and free of hazards and risks that could harm employees in those areas, much like employees and contractors also have a responsibility in health and safety.

Health and Safety Compliance Audit

Health and Safety Services

Workplace health and safety is a crucial factor which may hold severe legal penalties for those who do not implement and comply with the Occupational Health and Safety Act and Regulations.

The act requires that the employer brings about and maintains, as far as reasonably practicable, a work environment which is safe and without risk to the employees. This responsibility, as previously stated, is shared between the employer and employees.

For all your Health and Safety needs, Health and Safety Audit, Health and Safety Risk Assessment, Health and Safety Training, click on the image below:

 What are the benefits of following health and safety practices?

There are numerous benefits, with some of the main ones including:

  • Protecting employees
  • Reducing absenteeism
  • Improving productivity, and
  • Saving money.

Health and Safety Training

Employers must ensure that they are informed regarding the requirements of the Occupational Health and Safety Act 85 of 1993 of South Africa and associated Regulations. The health and safety of employees is paramount and one of the requirements is that employees be trained.

Why is training required?

New hires, contractors, employees who wear PPE, those working in high-risk areas, and numerous other employees will require training. The purpose thereof is to ensure that employees can perform their work safely and in accordance with procedures, policies, standards, and all other legal requirements.

Managers and supervisors must ensure that the importance of visibly supporting the health and safety program is clearly displayed by setting a good example. There must be effective policies and procedures in place, effective hazard detection and control, accident investigation, handling of emergencies, and procedures on how to effectively train and retrain employees.

What are the benefits of training?

With the right training, employees are empowered and encourage to create a safe working environment along with a safety culture. This produces numerous benefits such as helping them identify dangerous hazards and risks that threaten health and safety, and numerous others.

Contractor Management

All contractors are required by the Occupational Health and Safety Act 85 of 1993 to provide the employer with a health and safety file which is specific for the tasks that they will perform on the site. This information is prepared for the end-user as well as site personnel.

Once the project has been completed, the safety file must be handed over where it can serve as future reference for work to be conducted in the specific area, or for tasks to be conducted. The file must include site specific information along with set documents such as:

  • Summary of Occupational Health and Safety rules and specific requirements.
  • The Section 37(2) Agreement, OHS Agreement, employment contract form and a record of all persons on site.
  • Emergency control.
  • Environmental control, where applicable.
  • Fall Protection Plan (FPP), where applicable.
  • Work instructions as well as safe work procedures and guidelines.
  • Hazard identification.
  • Incident reporting.
  • Health and safety induction.
  • Health and safety inspections.
  • Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS).
  • Policies
  • Personal Protective Equipment.
  • Company Occupational Health and Safety Management Plan.
  • Health and Safety Committee Minutes.
  • Health and safety structure.

Why is a health and safety file required?

A contractor health and safety file is a record of information which focuses on the management of health and safety for contractors and subcontractors. It protects the employer from any criminal liability, and it proves compliance to the Occupational Health and Safety Act as well as associated Regulations.

What is the benefit of a health and safety file?

To ensure that all required information regarding hazards and risks can be collected and to provide a response which is developed to manage such appropriately, which must then be communicated to all who need to acknowledge and understand the hazards and risks.

Health and Safety Compliance Certificate

How can employers, contractors and/or suppliers obtain their health and safety compliance certificate?

When considering the sections discussed above and their relevance to ensure compliance with the Occupational Health and Safety Act 85 of 1993, a compliance certificate is only issued once compliance has been proven.

To evaluate the level of compliance, it is necessary for an external health and safety compliance audit to be conducted, such as that offered by SafetyWallet. These audits must be conducted yearly to measure and verify the level of compliance with OHSA, to highlight any key areas for improvement, strengths, weaknesses, and to provide recommendations for improvement.

Once the audit has been conducted, and the company (branch specific) has been found competent, they will receive their certificate of compliance, which is valid for one year.

How can SafetyWallet help Employers and Contractors’ Health and Safety Compliance?

SafetyWallet works to ensure that its subscribers are supported and assisted in all matters relating to health and safety, and through a partnership with MAKROSAFE and OHS Online, subscribers can ensure that they are a part in creating a safer, healthier, and more compliant working environment. To find out how you can ensure employer and contractor’s Health and Safety compliance, Contact Us.

 


Posted date: 24th May 2022
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