Health and safety courses do come at an expense to the company and may often be put aside until the necessary courses can be afforded. But what is the true cost of doing this?
According to the Occupational Health and Safety Act (Act 85 of 1993), all employers must, where reasonably practicable, provide and maintain a safe, healthy working environment that is without risk to employees. (Based on Legislation in section 8, of the Occupational Health and Safety Act).
As an HR manager, you do your best to ensure that the environment is one that nurtures production and encourages motivated employees. But this is just not enough. How can you be sure that your workplace is OHS compliant if the necessary training has not been done?
The Occupational Health and Safety Act (Act 85 of 1993) also states that the primary responsibility for ensuring a safe and healthy work environment is placed on the Chief Executive Officer or person deemed to be the Chief Executive Officer of the organisation.
The OHS Act defines the Chief Executive Officer as follows:
“In relation to a body corporate or an enterprise conducted by the state, means the person who is responsible for the overall management and control of the business of such body corporate or enterprise.” (Based on Legislation in section 1, of the Occupational Health and Safety Act) Under Section 16 of the OHS Act, the Chief Executive Officer is charged with certain duties and responsibilities.
This means that the responsibility of OHS compliance sits entirely on the shoulders of the CEO. This is a heavy burden to carry and non-compliance can come with some serious legal implications.
Some measures of non-compliance may result in the following:
- Legal fees
- Fines or even jail time
- Compensatory damages
- Investigation time
- Loss of Production
The (possible) cost of a life when not investing in health and safety courses is the most dreaded. As an HR manager, people are your passion. Losing a life in any organisation has a massive impact on every employee, not just on their family and friends. All of this will result in a loss of goodwill from your employees, customers and even the wider community.
You know that investing in health and safety courses is basically non-negotiable, but how do you choose a great supplier?
Here are 5 questions to ask when choosing a supplier for health and safety courses:
What will the (total) cost be?
Your provider of health and safety courses needs to provide courses within your budget. Often these courses are not even budgeted for and may come as a surprise. It is important that these courses fit within your means. Have a look around and get competitive quotes before settling with just any supplier. A great supplier will be able to come to you, in order to minimise travel costs for your company.
Is the supplier accredited?
It is imperative that the providers of health and safety courses are accredited with the necessary training authorities such as:
- HWSETA (Health and Welfare Sector Education and Training Authority)
- ECSI (Emergency care and safety institute)
- Resuscitation Council of Southern Africa
- SAQCC Fire
- SABS
- DoL (Department of Labour)
Without this accreditation, they are unable to certify certain health and safety courses.
Do they have a good track record?
Has your chosen service provider for health and safety courses worked with big names in your industry? If the answer is yes, then you know that these industry giants have trusted the company and it is a very good indication that you should too.
Can they tailor health and safety courses to your specific needs?
Every company’s health and safety needs are different. Some companies require far more in-depth training and certifications than others. You’ll need a provider that will be able to assess your company and workplace, advise on how to become OHS compliant and then provide the necessary training and certifications to be OHS compliant.
Do they offer a holistic approach?
Over and above providing the necessary health and safety courses for your specific company, is your supplier assisting you to remain health and safety compliant? Are they able to provide the necessary equipment such as fire hoses and first aid kits? Do they offer a management service which will assist in inspecting your workplace often to ensure you remain OHS compliant? Remember that just because you have done the necessary health and safety courses, doesn’t mean that your OHS job stops there. Your workplace must consistently be checked to ensure compliance.
Do you need occupational health and safety services? Why not try out our Speedy Quote tool to get a quick and easy quote delivered straight to your inbox today!
About us: Absolute Health Services (AHS) offer accredited Health and Safety (H&S) training, ensuring that our clients receive current, professional and quality training. All our training instructors are paramedics registered with the Health Professions Council of South Africa and have extensive practical operational experience and have specialised in First Aid, Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), Firefighting and H&S training. Our training courses contain the latest theoretical course content and extensive practical content and scenario training, thereby ensuring both theoretical and practical exposure. Our intention is to establish a national Health and Safety training network and footprint, enabling our clients to access our training network anywhere in the country. We know that without the support of our clients our business would not exist, so we are committed to offering a professional, client-focused, high quality and cost-effective service.
We are accredited with the necessary training authorities such as:
- HWSETA (Health and Welfare Sector Education and Training Authority)
- ECSI (Emergency care and safety institute)
- Resuscitation Council of Southern Africa
- SAQCC Fire
- SABS
- DoL (Department of Labour)
Absolute Health Services has a team of Health and Safety graduates and practitioners that are able to assist organisations in implementing a holistic, logical and successful Health and Safety management service within their unique working environment. The Health and Safety management service consists of either a once-off compliance implementation service or a monthly recurring service offering, where one of our Health and Safety Specialists visits the organisation on a monthly basis to assist in ensuring that the implemented system is maintained and tailored to achieve a positive Health and Safety compliance status.
In addition, we supply tailored Health and Safety Files, conduct company Health and Safety Compliance Assessments as well as detailed Health and Safety Risk Assessments.
