HEALTH AND SAFETY
What is health and safety in the workplace?
It is the combined efforts of both employer and employee to ensure a working environment that is free from risk as far as is reasonably practicable. Every employee has the right to work in an environment that is not detrimental to their safety or their health.
What is the health and safety act?
The Occupational Health & Safety Act 85 of 1993 is a legal document which outlines all the rules and responsibilities of both the employer and employee in regards to health and safety in the workplace.
What are the three basic health and safety rights?
The Right to Know - You have the right to know which hazards are in your workplace and be given the necessary information, training and equipment to safely deal with them. The Right to Participate - You have a right to participate in your workplace's safety. This means that you have the right to report incidents, accidents or near misses as well as being a Health & Safety Representative on the Health & Safety Committee if you wish. Right to Refuse - You may refuse work if it is usafe to you or your fellow employees. Just ensure that you follow the proper procedures when you refuse to work.
Who is responsible for safety at work?
The CEO is responsible for the overall safety in the workplace, however it is the responsibility of every employee to ensure that they take every step to ensure their own and everyone around them's safety.
How do you maintain a safe working environment?
By ensuring that every employee is aware of what is expected by them by the company and the OHS Act. The OHS policy must be implemented from a managerial position for it to be effective. All employees must continuously identify hazards in the workplace and mitigate against them.
What is a SHE Rep?
A SHE Rep or Health & Safety Representative plays an important role in the workplace to ensure that all employees are working in a safe environment that is free from unnecessary risk. This training is a requirement by the OHS Act for one employee in every group of 50 when a company employs more than 50 employees, or 100 employees in an office environment.
How long is a Health and safety certificate valid for?
All of our short course Health and Safety courses are valid for 2 years. However our Health & Safety Specialist course is a qualfication which does not expire.
What is OHS and why is it important?
OHS or Occupational Health and Safety refers to the health, safety and welfare of everyone that may enter a workplace. Improving a company's OHS standards, policies and procedures will ensure higher employee morale, increased profits, decreased losses to incidents and accidents as well as a better branding image. Every employee, contractor and visitor entering a workplace deserves to do so at no risk to their health or safety.
How do I become a Safety Officer?
When you complete our Health & Safety Specialist course you will be qualified as a Health & Safety Officer. You will also be able to register with SAIOSH as a Technical member.
What is an OHS policy?
An OHS policy is a document written by the employer to indicate the company's commitment to their employees, contractors and visitors regarding their health and safety.
FIRE FIGHTING
I want to become a professional firefighter which course do I choose?
Unfortunately the firefighting courses that we offer is for OHS Act compliance and is short courses to train people how to use fire extinguishers to quickly extinguish fires during the early stages of a fire. If you would like to become a Professional Firefighter at a Fire Station then our courses will unfortunately not be the right courses for you and we suggest that you go to your local Fire Department and enquire about where the closest accredited Professional Firefighter training college would be.
What makes a good firefighter?
To be a good fire fighter you need to be fit, have a lot of common sense and be prepared to fight a fire while other employees evacuate the building.
How do I get a firefighting certificate?
Attend either one of our accredited Fire Fighting courses. On succesful completion we will issue you with a firefighting certificate.
What is firefighting equipment?
Firefghting equipment in the workplace includes Fire Extinguishers, Fire Blankets, Hose Reels, Fire Hydrants, some companies also have fancy fire suppresions systems like water sprinlers or deluge systems. Please don't tamper with this equipment or use them if you are unsure of how they work. They are there for your protection.
What is advanced fire fighting?
Advanced Firefighting is a 2 day course and contains more theory and extra practicals using fire hydrants and hose reels. We recommend this training if you work in a very flammable environment where a Fire Extinguisher might not be enough to surpress a fire
How long is the fire fighting course?
Our Basic Firefighting course is a 1 day course and our Advanced Firefighting course is 2 days in duration.
First Aid
What is first aid training?
First Aid training prepares candidates to offer basic treatment to the sick and injured both in the workplace and at home. There are 3 Levels of First Aid and candidates will gain more knowledge and experience as they complete each level.
What is basic first aid?
Basic First Aid prepares you to be able to provide basic life-saving techniques to the sick and injured in emergency situations. Basic techniques are often the most effective treatment applied to patients.
How do you become first aid certified?
Simply complete a 2 day First Aid level 1 course! Ensure that your chosen First Aid Training provider is accredited with both the Department of Labour and SETA. If you do your training with a cheap unaccredited provider your certificate will not be valid and you would have wasted your money.
How long does it take to get first aid certified?
Depending on the Level of First Aid Level you are looking for training can take between 2 and 5 days to complete.
What is the difference between the different levels of First Aid?
First Aid level 1 cover all the basic of First Aid, it is the most popular of the 3 Levels, however there are a lot of interesting content that is not covered in this course and we would advise anyone who is passionate about First Aid to complete the additional levels. Level 2 on more medical emergencies, snakebites, spinal immobilisation techniques and drowning. Level 3 has even more content on various illnesses and injuries with normal childbirth being the highlight of the course!
is first aid training mandatory?
According to the OHS Act when a company employs more than 10 employees then a First Aider has to be trained by an accredited training provider. For general industry one person needs to be trained for every group of 50 employees, in an office environment the requirement is one person for every group of 100 employees. Please ensure that you always have enough First Aiders on duty if you are running day and night shifts or if your First Aiders takes their annual leave or become sick. You may therefore have to train additional First Aiders.
What skills does a first aider need?
A First Aider needs to be a compassionate and caring person willing to work with sick and injured people. Please don't volunteer to be your company's First Aider if you pass out when you see blood or if you will not be willing to assist someone who is sick
Do employers have to pay for first aid training?
According to the OHS Act employers have to train adequate numbers of First Aiders in the workplace, 1:50 for most working environments. If you fall under this group of employees that the employer sends on First Aid training he is obliged by law to pay for your training. If you are just a general employee who wishes to do a First Aid course for your own interest then the employer is under no obligation to pay for your training.
CPR, AED and Choking
What is cpr training?
When the heart goes into cardiac arrest there is two issues i.e. the heart not beating and the lungs not breathing. CPR is a combination of chest compressions and ventilations. The aim of CPR is to manually take over the beating of the heart and the breathing process in an attempt to get enough oxygen to the brain and other vital organs. In CPR training we teach you how to effectively and confidentially perform this procedure.
What is the basic cycle of cpr?
The basic cycle of CPR consists 30 compressions and 2 breaths for 1 rescuer CPR. CPR consists of 5 cycles of 30:2 which should take around 2 minutes to complete after which the pulse is checked. Continue with another 5 cycles of CPR if there is no pulse present.
How long is CPR training?
Depending on which course you choose the CPR training will be between 3 and 5 hours.
Is training required to use an AED?
The AED is extremely user friendly and instructs you step by step on how to use it. However it deosnt tell you how to effectively do CPR, or what to do when a victim's heart spontaneously starts to beat again. We therefore recommend training to anyone who might come into contact with an AED.
What is AED stand for?
AED stands for Automated External Defibrillator. An AED is used to give an electric shock to the heart when it is in a certain rhythm in an attempt to restart the normal heartbeat
When should you not use an AED?
An AED is a very safe machine and has been programmed to only defibrillate a victim of cardiac arrest in certain heart rhythms. However the AED pads can be costly so we would recommend that you do not use them on a patient that still has a pulse unless you are expecting the patient to be going into cardiac arrest.
What is BLS training?
BLS or Basic Life Support training teaches you how to administer basic treatment to a victim of cardiac arrest in an attempt to save their lives. BLS can be very effective if initiated quickly after the onset of cardiac arrest and if it is done properly.
What is the difference between BLS and CPR?
BLS or Basic Life Support is the service or treatment that you offer a patient in cardiac arrest. CPR or Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation is the process of manually taking over cardiac compressions when the heart has stopped beating for various reasons which forms part of BLS.
How do you recognise a person who is choking?
Most choking victims will grab at their necks, or try and push their fingers down their throats to induce vomiting in an attempt to dislodge the foreign object. These patients will be in obvious distress and their faces will go red before starting to turn blue if the object is not removed.
How does choking happen?
Choking is when a foreign object blocks the airway preventing oxygen to get to the lungs.Choking often happens when babies explore objects with their mouth or when adults don't chew their food properly before swallowing.
Specialised courses
What should employees do during an evacuation?
All employees who are not part of the emergency evacuation team should immediately evacuate the building when the fire alarm is raised. Employees should ensure that they aware of their primary and seconday evacuation points as well as their emergency evacuation assembly points. Attend roll call and do not enter the building again until the all clear has been given by your Evacuation Marshall.
Why is an evacuation plan important?
To prevent panic and confusion during an actual emergency it is important to have drawn up plans as to how the building should be evacuated under different emergencies. The evacuation plan for a building fire would be different to a hostage situation for example.
What is an emergency evacuation plan?
The emergency evacuation plan is the step by step procedure that has been decided on by your emergency team of how the premises should be evacuated during different emergencies.
What is a BAA course?
A Basic Ambulance Assistant or BAA is the entry level qualification to be a Paramedic. Please note that the actual BAA course has been discontinued by the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) and if you want to become a new Paramedic you will need to attend a course at an accredited University like Durban University of Technology, University of Johannesburg, Cape Peninsula University of Technology etc. Absolute Health Services only offers BAA Refresher training for already qualified BAA paramedics to get their required Continuing Professional Development (CPD) points.