SafetyWallet – A Health and Safety Compliance boost for Employers

(Q&A with Leon van der Walt, Managing Director - ‎MAKROSAFE Holdings (Pty) Ltd)

What options do businesses have when joining SafetyWallet?

When joining SafetyWallet, depending on the size of the business and the number of employees present per branch, employers are slotted into one of the six circles, namely:

• Mini Circle - 1 to 10 employees per branch.
• Care Circle - 11 to 20 employees per branch.
• Friend Circle – 21 to 50 employees per branch.
• Family Circle – 51 to 100 employees per branch.
• Champion Circle – 101 to 300 employees per branch, and
• Pinnacle Club where there are more than 300 employees per branch.

What support can an employer expect from SafetyWallet in their Health and Safety Programme?

SafetyWallet offers employers with support and rewards according to the following four components comprised in Occupational Health and Safety in the Workplace, namely:

• Health and Safety Training
• Health and Safety Programme
• Health and Safety Compliance Audit, and
• Subscriber Advertising

What is the Health and Safety Programme solution provided on the SafetyWallet platform?

This is subjected to the level of commitment, risk exposure and the employers needs with regards to Health and Safety, and when determined, SafetyWallet offers the following solutions:

• Self Help – which motivates employers to take ownership of their own health and safety programme by making use of the OHS Online platform for the implementation and maintenance of the programme.
• Outsourcing Health and Safety Services – through the partnership between SafetyWallet and MAKROSAFE, employers are provided with assistance in their Health and Safety needs through the provision of further support.

Self Help

In taking ownership of their own Health and Safety Programme, employers are provided with access to OHS Online, which is a cloud-based Health and Safety Management System which is available to all Subscribers or SafetyWallet regardless of their circle.

This platform, along with the employer’s dedicated Support Manager assists employers in the following, and more:

• Health and Safety Organisation and Communication which includes policies, legal appointments, Safe Operating Procedures, and more.
• Policy and Procedure templates.
• Covid-19 information, guidance, and assistance.
• Risk Assessment templates.
• OHS Training, and more.

Outsourcing Health and Safety Services

When considering the obstacles and challenges employers face when making a commitment towards Health and Safety compliance, SafetyWallet, in partnership with MAKROSAFE provides extensive assistance towards Health and Safety needs of employers.

MAKROSAFE / SAFETYWALLET / MY SAFETY SHOP are in Partnership.

The following support is provided to employers who follow the full rewards discount programme in the following ways:

• The implementation and maintenance of the employer’s Health and Safety Programme which includes all aspects of OHSA, regulations, National Standards and Local Bylaws.
• Incident management.
• Health and Safety Registers.
• Monthly Health and Safety Compliance Certificates, and more.

What does the Health and Safety Compliance Audit entail?

This process involves an in-depth examination of the subscribers’s entire Health and Safety Management System with the focus on the management of Occupational Health and Safety in the workplace.

It also extensively entails the provision of a structured path towards continuous improvement in ensuring Health and Safety compliance according to the Best Practice status.

The audit process comprises of  key factors and it is hosted and driven by OHS Online in utilizing extensive worldwide industry experience and entails the following:

• The reviewing of all aspects surrounding the Health and Safety Programme of the subscriber against the requirements of OHSA and regulations along with other applicable legislation.
• The assessing of the effectiveness of the implementation of these arrangements
• Inspection of the subscriber’s premises.
• Sampling of operational activities.
• Interviewing of management, staff, and SafetyWallet Partners.
• Discussion of relevant participants’ roles and responsibilities.
• The provision and presentation of the audit report to the SafetyWallet subscriber arrangement team.
• Provision of observations and recommendations.
• Action planning for consideration.

In addition, the Audit process also entails a rewards programme where the results of the audit play a significant role in the rewards that the member will receive in addition to the standard member circle rewards discount and the contractor/supplier rewards.

There is an additional reward discount that subscribers can obtain based on their audit performance and result which has a significant impact on the total Return on Investment, or ROI of the Health and Safety Programme of the member.

The overall Health and Safety compliance is imperative when ranking on the contractor/supplier vendor database and subsequently the Contractor and Supplier Search Engine.

Should subscribers maintain their Health and Safety compliance above 89%, they are presented with a Grading Certificate which can be displayed at their reception and in addition, they receive a compliance badge which can be branded onto stationary.

The badge obtained can also be displayed on the subscriber’s website for any and all visitors to see. The SafetyWallet Compliance Grading Recognition can be broken down as follows:

• Compliance between 89% to 92% receives a Bronze ranking.
• Compliance between 93% to 96% receives a Silver ranking, and
• Compliance of 97% and above receives a Gold ranking.

How are rewards intended to boost Health and Safety Compliance?

Health and Safety compliance in the workplace is mandatory according to existing regulations which alone is motivation enough to obtain the highest standard, but SafetyWallet provides employers with even more reason to ‘reach for the stars’.

By implementing and providing a rewards programme that not only encourages compliance, but rewards it, SafetyWallet provides the perfect platform and support for employers to enforce and maintain the highest level of compliance while reaping the benefits of such.

How and when are rewards obtained?

Rewards are automatically allocated as soon as an employer becomes a member of the programme. These rewards are determined by the membership reward circles according to the number of employees the employer has per branch.

Furthermore, members are rewarded according to the number of contractors and/or suppliers they have and once the member has undergone the annual Health and Safety Compliance Audit, their SafetyWallet Compliance level rewards are activated.

These rewards are subjected to the member’s current compliance status which will be determined by the outcome of their Health and Safety Compliance Audit.

The audit is not only intended to evaluate the member’s current compliance, but also provides the steps which can be taken to increase the Health and Safety Compliance and subsequently, the rewards the member can obtain.

How do the reward discounts work?

Members qualify for rewards, and can further qualify for bigger rewards by understanding and improving their Health and Safety compliance through the following:

• Controlling, mitigating, and minimizing risks present in the workplace.
• Ensuring that all the administrative legal requirements are in place, and
• By providing and facilitating all training and having thorough and frequent inspections done.

The SafetyWallet Rewards are calculated by using the following:

• The Membership Status
• Compliance Level Rewards, and
• The number of contractors as members with SafetyWallet.

Despite the rewards, what other reasons are there to join SafetyWallet?

SafetyWallet offers comprehensive and extensive services and support to help employers and subsequently, members, boost their Health and Safety Compliance by having an all-encompassing package which caters for each aspect of the operational process.

There are numerous training packages and support on any matters relating to the member’s processes, despite the industry that they may be operating in and despite the circumstances, such as operations in the Covid-19 pandemic.

Final Thoughts

SafetyWallet offers employers the chance of boosting their compliance not only through dedicated and extensive support, but also by the provision of rewards for every level of compliance that the member obtains.

This not only boosts internal support and compliance to regulations, but it also provides employers and businesses with more exposure and the subsequent business which is drawn in as compliant businesses attract the most attention.