OHSA Standards stands for the Occupational Health and Safety Act standards. It describes the minimum health and safety conditions employers should provide or guarantee for the workplace. The South African OHSA Standards are considered as being one of the best, hence the important role for health and safety consultants to ensure workplaces are compliant.

OHSA Standards came into effect in South Africa in 1994. The Act was compiled to improve the working conditions of employees by stipulating, amongst others, noise and air quality levels in the workplace. It also enforced the provision of basic services like adequate first aid training, safety procedures and guidance on the handling of machinery and equipment.

OHSA Standards

The Occupational Health and Safety Act, furthermore, introduced a framework regarding the employment of Health and Safety representatives, the conditions they should be employed in and the mandate they should receive.

Who is covered?

Almost every employee in South Africa is covered under the OHSA Act. The only exceptions are workers in mines and on ships.

As the OHSA Standards place responsibilities on both employers and employees it is important that compliance to the Act is verified regularly. The Act itself doesn’t change regularly. The last update was released in 2014 when new Machinery Regulations were added. But as technology and philosophy changes and updates every day, it is important to always follow the latest trends.

Health and Safety consultants are expected to be aware of these trends daily. They also have to assess their viability and additional consequences they bring with.

How to select a Health and Safety consultant

As the South African Occupational Health and Safety Act has the power to charge any person who can be regarded as being responsible for causing damages or dangers, introducing new interventions cannot be taken lightly.

Before a health and safety consultant can be appointed to verify whether a workplace is occupational health and safety compliant, a few things have to be considered:

•  Is the Health and Safety Consultant adequately certified?
•  Has he or she demonstrated having sufficient knowledge and understanding of health and safety in the workplace?
•  Does the consultant have an extensive health and safety portfolio?

Enforcing compliance according to OHSAct is the responsibility of the Department of Labour. But the Act itself is the result of input made and submissions received from unions, the government, employers, employees and researchers. It can be said that the Act is the product that has taken everybody’s input to heart.

Health and safety consultants will, therefore, always balance the input made, and consequences for all parties involved. While employers can easily opt for simply introducing and enforcing new standards, most health and safety consultants know from experience that this is the worst way to make a workplace compliant.

Employees don’t like change and certainly not when it is forced upon them. The introduction, therefore, should come with adequate training and well-written instructions and guidance. The process should also be monitored, evaluated and re-examined before it is accepted.

Being compliant according to the OHSA Standard, therefore, takes more than screening the rules.

Back in 1994 MAKROSAFE was one of the first to recognise the importance of the new OHSA Standards. Over the past 21 years many companies have benefited from the knowledge and experience acquired. Take advantage too, and contact us today!