Large Fashion Group Compliance
Absolute Health Services assisted a large South African fashion retailer to become compliant with the Department of Labour through our Management Solutions offering
Table of Contents
Client overview
They are a large fashion retail client in Cape Town that specialises in the manufacturing of garments using denim fabric, their products are very popular and shipped internationally as well as distributed by retail companies within South Africa and are also available on an e-commerce portal. The large fashion retail client has expanded with branches in Kwa-Zulu Natal and Johannesburg.
Challenges faced
The large fashion retail client had limited knowledge of Health and Safety laws, and due to COVID had only a small number of employees trained in firefighting, first aid or health and safety. Firefighting equipment had lapsed service records, and workplace risk assessments had not been done for some time.
Due to these non-compliances, the Department of Employment and Labour had issued citations against the company which put the company at risk of fines and even closure.
Client Goals
The large fashion retail clients most immediate goal was to appoint a health and safety company that could come and conduct risk assessments on all their properties and advise on the most immediate course of action to assist them once again becoming compliant.
How we assisted our client
Our sales team engaged with the large fashion retail client and proposed the following services and requirements that were needed:
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- A 6-month contract for a health and safety management solution was proposed. This included: Ensuring that all the offices / retail stores have representation in the correct OHS disciplines (OHS Supervisors, OHS Representatives, First Aiders, Fire Wardens and Evacuation Marshals).
- Reviewing and continuously developing the existing OHS policy documentation to ensure it is current and meets with industry trends and company requirements.
- Establishing an active “OHS Committee” which develops and drives OHS.
- Conduct the planning and coordination of the annual OHS risk assessments, for all the relevant offices / retail stores.
- Preparation of the annual emergency evacuation drills, once all the OHS training and equipment supply requirements have been checked and confirmed as in order and compliant.
- Advice with developing an effective OHS and EP communication mechanism to all company employees and all new employees.
Services provided
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- Health and Safety Training. This included first aid, firefighting, evacuation planning, H&S Supervisor, H&S Representative training.
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- Risk assessments.
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- Servicing of Fire Equipment.
Our Impact
In under 6-months, via the implementation of our Management Solutions and knowledge sharing, the large fashion retail client achieved the required Health and Safety regulations which satisfied the Department of Employment and Labour’s instruction.
The client opted to have more than the minimum required personnel trained in health and safety including first aid and firefighting training across all the three of their branches (Johannesburg, Cape Town, Kwa-Zulu Natal)
Through a collaborative effort with the large fashion retail client, Absolute Health Services successfully addressed the challenges they faced in maintaining a safe working environment. By delivering comprehensive first aid, firefighting and health and safety training we empowered the large fashion retail client’s employees to prioritise safety and respond effectively to emergencies. The enhanced safety culture, reduction in workplace risks and improved emergency response demonstrated the positive impact our services rendered.
