Safety Officer Course: The Importance Of Safety Officers In South African Workplaces

Completing a safety officer course can open up a world of job opportunities. While the average person may not think about the importance of safety officers in the workplace, South African laws require strict compliance to ensure all employees are safe from harm while at work.

The role of the safety officer is to ensure the health, safety and well-being of both the workplace and the workforce. Contrary to popular belief, safety officers also do not work completely independently; the input and support of top management, human resources (HR) and the business' financial department all work together to support safety officers.

It is of high importance that if you are considering completing a safety officer course, you do so with an accredited training and certification provider. EMCARE is recognised by the Department Of Labour, as well as AgriSETA, among others. Keep reading to learn more about our safety officer training as well as why it is so important for South African workplaces.

Rules And Regulations

The Department of Labour has a number of legal compliances in place for businesses to adhere to the Occupational Health And Safety Act.

The regulations are as follows:

Department of Labour
REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA
Occupational Health and Safety Act No. 85 of 1993
ACT

To provide for the health and safety of persons at work and for the health and safety of persons in connection with the use of plant and machinery; the protection of persons other than persons at work against hazards to health and safety arising out of or in connection with the activities of persons at work;”

In short, this means the company or business' chief executive officer (CEO) may be too busy focusing on the overall health and well-being of all the company's operations to direct all their focus to health and safety responsibilities. This is where the safety officer steps in.

Safety officers are tasked with not only ensuring the entire workforce is healthy and safe while at work, but also working closely with top management.

Section 16.2 of the act states:

"Without derogating from his responsibility or liability in terms of subsection (1), a chief executive officer may assign any duty contemplated in the said subsection, to any person under his control, which person shall act subject to the control and directions of the chief executive officer."

This makes it of utmost importance that the company makes a good decision about the candidate they will choose to fulfil the role of safety officer. Upon completion of a safety officer course, you will have the necessary skills and training to enter the job force as a safety officer.

A safety officer course will allow you to discern exactly how to follow the directions of the CEO, while equipping you with the skills to work independently to create plans and provisions for any health and safety eventualities that may occur in the workplace.

The Benefits Of Having A Safety Officer In The Workplace

The benefits of having a health and safety officer to manage the organisations' Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) system effectively, and with keen attention to detail.

There are a number of benefits a company will experience once a safety officer course-accredited candidate has been hired. These benefits include the following.

Legal benefits: The organisation or company will benefit from being legally compliant with the OHS Act's regulations if the hired safety officer is diligent about remaining compliant.

In the instance where an inspector arrives and the company is not found in compliance with the Act's rules and regulations, it is standard procedure for a fine to be issued. In some cases, legal action can be pursued if the company is, for example, a clothing manufacturer that is found to violate human rights in their production plants.

Financial benefits: Upon completion of a safety officer course, a practising safety officer can expect to conduct staff safety training, identify hazards, and implement workplace safety procedures, among other duties.

These duties are all important in ensuring a company is able to operate at optimal capacity and ensure staff feel safe, protected and heard when at work. Research has shown that working in a non-compliant or unsafe work environment can cause productivity levels to drop by more than 10%.

Not only does this illustrate that workplace safety is something that companies should work hard to uphold, but something that ensures employee satisfaction.

Moral benefits: It is unacceptable to put the health of safety of people at risk in pursuit of profit. People have a moral right to health and safety at work. A health and safety-compliant workplace improves morale and increases performance and productivity. Ensuring that the safety officer candidate has completed a registered safety officer only serves to uphold these objectives.

The Responsibilities Of A Safety Officer In The Workplace

The weight of responsibility is heavy on the shoulders of an accredited safety officer, but with proper training, education and practice, you will have the tools to tackle any and all safety issues that may come up.

Upon completing a safety officer course, it is important to acknowledge how much collaboration plays in the daily role of a safety officer. The overall safety of all employees can only be achieved through collaboration with top management and the operational, financial and human resources departments.

Listed below are some key responsibilities of a safety officer who has completed a safety officer course:

• Create and review the OHS policy and outline clear objectives to be achieved within an agreed-upon period of time.
  
  
• Conduct thorough risk assessments of the entire workplace with the objective of reducing hazards and risk to an acceptable level.
  
  
• Create and manage a successful and functioning OHS committee with health and safety representation, to drive OHS within the organisation
  
  
• Arrange annual OHS training for the company in first aid, and firefighting, as well as select H&S representatives and supervisors.
  
  
• Create and review safe work procedures across the organisation’s operations and production and wherever necessary.
  
  
• Ensure regular (typically monthly) workplace H&S inspections to ensure OHS policy, objectives and safe work procedures are being adhered to.
  
  
• Monitor and review OHS and equipment performance to ensure compliance and continual improvement.