Occupational health and safety
There are laws that govern any organization to ensure that employees and any other person who may be affected by the organization undertaking are safe at all times and this law is called the Health and Safety Act/Law.
“The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 is the primary piece of legislation covering health and safety in the workplace. This piece of legislation lays out the employer’s responsibilities for health and safety. Employers have a ‘duty of care’ over the health, safety and welfare of their staff in the workplace”. (www.labourguide.co.za/health-and-safety”)
The purposes of these laws are:
• To protect the ORG the employee from illness or injury in the workplace
• To ensure employees have their own responsibility for keeping themselves and others safe, for example they must follow the guidance in the health and safety training they are provided.
Taking care of your employees makes them more inclined to look after your organization interests. They will feel safer, more confident and valued. It makes good business sense to get equipped with the knowledge and skills to improve safety at work. In so doing the business itself is benefiting in this regard:
• A reduction in the number of working days lost due to illness and injury
• Retain your staff
• Motivate your workers and boost productivity
• Protect the reputation of your company
• Shield yourself from potential legal action and reduce your insurance premiums
An organization must ensure that it employs a Health and safety representative or have a health and safety committee that will:
• identify workplace hazards
• be consulted about workplace testing
• make recommendations to the employer
• investigate work refusals and serious accidents
This ensures that the organization employees and any other person affected by the organization undertaking remain safe at all times.
Health and safety law requires management to identify and manage risks. It is vital that you identify
“The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 is the primary piece of legislation covering health and safety in the workplace. This piece of legislation lays out the employer’s responsibilities for health and safety. Employers have a ‘duty of care’ over the health, safety and welfare of their staff in the workplace”. (www.labourguide.co.za/health-and-safety”)
The purposes of these laws are:
• To protect the ORG the employee from illness or injury in the workplace
• To ensure employees have their own responsibility for keeping themselves and others safe, for example they must follow the guidance in the health and safety training they are provided.
Taking care of your employees makes them more inclined to look after your organization interests. They will feel safer, more confident and valued. It makes good business sense to get equipped with the knowledge and skills to improve safety at work. In so doing the business itself is benefiting in this regard:
• A reduction in the number of working days lost due to illness and injury
• Retain your staff
• Motivate your workers and boost productivity
• Protect the reputation of your company
• Shield yourself from potential legal action and reduce your insurance premiums
An organization must ensure that it employs a Health and safety representative or have a health and safety committee that will:
• identify workplace hazards
• be consulted about workplace testing
• make recommendations to the employer
• investigate work refusals and serious accidents
This ensures that the organization employees and any other person affected by the organization undertaking remain safe at all times.
Health and safety law requires management to identify and manage risks. It is vital that you identify