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14 Health and safety compliance must-haves Importance of Health and Safety Compliance Simply defined, health and safety compliance means abiding by the Occupational Health and Safety Act. A list of compliance must-haves ensures more employees' safety and their return to their loved ones at the end of each working day, under South African work environment. Health and Safety compliance serves the purpose of implementing, promoting, and maintaining the highest degree of physical, mental, and social well-being of all employees in the organisation. It also serves the purpose of preventing adverse health issues, illnesses, injuries, and death which can arise from working conditions and the work environment. There are numerous businesses that rely on internal processes to ensure health and safety compliance. However, the gold standard is to obtain assistance from health and safety consultants like MAKROSAFE in the meeting, and overcoming, the challenges which are faced to ensure an adequate health and safety management system is in place.  Once employer have taken the necessary steps to ensure that the workplace is both healthy and safety, they also have the duty of further promoting and maintaining these high health and safety standards that have been achieved. Workplace health and Safety compliance also serves the purpose of equipping employees in the workplace with the necessary skills and abilities to safeguard their own health and safety. Thus, it is imperative for employers to ensure that their employees receive the necessary training. Health and safety compliance are not optional, it is compulsory by law. It is for this reason that the Department of Labour enforces it through numerous Acts such as the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

The most common definition of health and safety compliance is that it means that one conforms to a rule. This can involve a specification, policy, a standard or a law. Regulatory compliance describes the goals that businesses aspire to achieve to ensure that they are not only aware of, but take steps to comply with various relevant laws, policies, and regulations.

Health and Safety Compliance Audits may not be a legal obligation but compliance with the Occupational Health and Safety Act is. The easiest way to ensure compliance is by having a health and safety audit conducted and backed by a consultancy company that is a partner of SafetyWallet.

When it comes to evaluating a business’ health and safety performance, health and safety compliance audits are fundamental. If your health and safety compliance audit consist of inspections, and interrogations, you’ve either had terrible experiences or you can expect the worst feedback and false health and safety report.

A SafetyWallet Health and Safety Audit may not be a legal obligation, but it is highly recommended that each company despite their industry, sector, size or nature of business conduct health and safety audits frequently and always keep the 7 steps to have an effective health and safety audit in mind.

Occupational Health and Safety Compliance, also known as OHS Compliance, is a standard involving compliance to all the required legal standards as they are stipulated in the Occupational Health and Safety Act 85 of 1993. These standards serve the purpose of safeguarding and protecting employees in the workplace from any hazards, risks, incidents or fatalities, or the possibility thereof. It also indicates how machinery and equipment must be used safely to prevent injury.

A health and safety audit identifies if a company complies to the OHS Act , Regulations and ByLaws

What is a SafetyWallet Health and Safety Audit about, and why should you have one? SafetyWallet helps employers understand their health and safety compliance by giving subscribers an 80% discount on their health and safety audit and provides them with the necessary tools and support to work toward and remain health and safety compliant. This ensures that employers can improve Health and Safety Compliance, while offering rewards as motivation along the way. SafetyWallet offers employers with a subscription programme which not only encourages employers in being compliant to the Occupational Health and Safety Act and all other legislation, but duly rewards them in doing so as well. In collaboration with its partners, SafetyWallet covers the following components which are comprised across the Health and Safety in Industry as well as Commerce:

Occupational Health and Safety Compliance, otherwise referred to as OHS Compliance, refers to one standard in meeting all the required legal requirements which are stipulated as according to the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA), Act 85 of 1993. In ensuring OHS compliance, employers’ risks associated with legal liability is minimised and protected.