How to Meet the Requirements of the Occupational Health and Safety Act
The South African Occupational Health and Safety Act, 85 of 1993 specifically exists to keep employees safe and healthy in the workplace and to protect the rights of workers against negligent or malicious actions of employees that might threaten their wellbeing in the workplace. In short, employees are required by the Occupational Health and Safety Act, 85 of 1993 to protect their employees and the immediate community by doing everything that can be considered reasonably practical to keep them from harm.
To meet this requirement of the Occupational Health and Safety Act, an employee should ideally assess the scope and severity of potential hazards and risks that people may be exposed to due to the activity and/or presence of their business or organisation.
The best way to determine whether your business meets these requirements in a “reasonably practical” way that will ensure that you are compliant with the act, is to perform a detailed risk assessment. While the nature of risks can differ significantly from one industry to another, such a risk assessment of the workplace typically includes the following steps:
- Identifying potential hazards: What poses a risk or can go wrong in the workplace that can lead to harm, and who could be harmed?
- Rate or prioritise the risks: Determine the potential impact of a hazard, and the chance of the scenario actually happening.
- Remove or control the risk: Implement systems and strategies that will remove people from harm or mitigate the risk.
- Review, monitor and improve control measures: Regular audits are necessary to ensure that the correct risk measurements are in place, adhered to, and sufficient.
IOH Solutions was founded in 2003 to provide a comprehensive, quality one-stop risk assessment service with innovative, cost-effective solutions to comply with local, national, international standards and legislation, such as the Occupational Health and Safety Act, 85 of 1993 in South Africa.
In fact, we are the go-to authority for a number of Africa’s largest companies in order to test, rate, and assist their workplaces in becoming compliant with legal requirements. We’re accredited with the South African National Accreditation System (SANAS) (Accreditation Number: OH0112) for Occupational Hygiene Inspection at workplaces, and registered with the Department of Labour (Registration Number: CI-015) as an Approved Inspection Authority (AIA) in terms of the Occupational Health and Safety Act, 85 of 1993.
Our Range of Services Covers a Number of Specialised Areas, Including:
- Asbestos Identification
- Hazardous Chemical Substances
- Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)
- Workplace Ergonomics
- Vibration (WBV & HAV)
- Chemical Compatibility
- Health Risk Assessments
- Noise Dosimetry
- Thermal Stress
- Water Sampling
- Hazardous Biological Sampling
- Illumination
- Noise Monitoring
- Ventilation
- Legionella Water Sampling
Protect Your Employees and Your Business
To ensure that you comply with the Occupational Health and Safety Act, 85 of 1993, get in touch with IOH Solutions for a free quotation. Our team of expert consultants and our highly efficient national network of correspondents, agents, and business associates, enables us to render services to clients at highly competitive rates.