Early Warning Signs of Workplace Substance Abuse
November 20th, 2012Three of the last 5 sites I visited this month required me to do a breath alcohol test before I could enter the premises. With substance abuse such a widespread problem, it's important to recognize substance abuse on the job before it leads to an incident.
Safety Induction: First Chance to Shape Safe Behaviour
October 15th, 2012Not only is Health & Safety induction a legal requirement, but it may be your first and perhaps the best chance to influence a new employee’s attitude towards Health & Safety. It's an opportunity you can't afford to miss.
Visitor Health & Safety Checklist
September 14th, 2012In last month's article we looked at issues surrounding Visitor Safety. In this article, I'm going to provide you with a couple of questions surrounding the topic which I feel should be addressed should you wish to manage visitors and their health and safety.
How do you manage the Health and Safety of visitors on your site?
August 15th, 2012Using a policy or procedure is a good place to start when you address the issues surrounding the Occupational Health and Safety of visitors to your site. Such a policy will not only protect visitors but also positively contribute towards the Health and Safety of your employees and the workplace ...
How To Improve Your Hazard Communication
May 23rd, 2011A new research study from Belgium has made some very important findings about Chemical Safety in the workplace. The study, entitled "Workers' Perception of Chemical Risks: A Focus Group Study," was published in a recent issue of Risk Analysis, the journal of the Society for Risk Analysis. These are the key findings of this study:
Training Analysis Can Influence Incident Rates
April 13th, 2011If you want to use training to help employees work more safely and avoid incidents, you need to analyze your training from the start to ensure that it is an appropriate and effective tool. It must be appropriate to the hazards and risks and the people that need the training. To ...
6 Steps Towards a Safe & Healthy Workplace
March 16th, 2011Safe and healthy workers are productive, satisfied workers and by taking six steps one can make the workplace even safer.
Employee–driven Safety = A Safer Workplace
February 8th, 2011The more workers participate in the Occupational Health and Safety program, the safer the workplace. Using policies and procedures to address Health and Safety in the workplace has its advantages, but behaviour-based Safety will prove to be a growing component in successful Health & Safety management systems in years to come. Here ...
How to influence worker OHS attitudes
November 17th, 2010We can all agree that the development and maintenance of good Health and Safety attitudes is an important aspect of workplace Health and Safety. The correct attitude will provide you with the foundation on which you will implement interventions that will minimize hazards, prevent incidents, and create a safer, healthier ...
SAQA Cracks Whip in Registration Circus
October 15th, 2010SAQA's draft policy for professional bodies and designations, is out for comment before 15 October 2010. The policy aims to bring order to the current circus of self regulation, and would present major hurdles, perhaps even a dead end to self-appointed ‘registrars' like OHSAP. Some professional membership bodies and registrars have made ...
Hot Work Safety Recommendations
August 18th, 2010Hot Work includes operations such as electric arc and gas welding, brazing, torch cutting, grinding (large portable grinders on metal), and torch soldering with an open flame. These operations create heat, sparks, and/or hot slag that have the potential to ignite flammable and combustible materials in the work area. So, "Hot ...
Ben Fouche is a serial entrepreneur. He is a founder of Advantage ACT, Implex Legal Compliance Solutions as well as Sheqafrica.com.