Health and Safety Functions

The module Health and Safety functions aims to describe to identify, recognise and describe SHE requirements and responsibilities. It explains the specified requirements to conduct SHE Representative activities at the workplace. Learners are expected to understand how to participate in the actions to address SHE related issues. Lastly, they are also expected to understand how to participate in activities within SHE structures.

The Occupational Health and Safety Act, which was discussed extensively in the previous model will, once again, extensively be discussed. This time the general duties of the various parties involved, will be considered and explained, be it duties of an employer towards the employees or the duties of manufacturers and other regarding articles and substances for use at work.

The aim is to ensure that knowledge about health and safety in the workplace is available and made available as much as possible. This module, thereby, does not only consider the involvement of the future Health and Safety employee but also discusses the role of the CEO and other managers.

As health and safety in the workplace is something that affects all and requires the input of all employed, it is important to have the buy-in of as many people as possible. Generally speaking establishing a Health and Safety Committee is an easy and simple way to go. During this part of the MAKROSAFE Health and Safety certificate course it will be explained how health and safety practitioners can be establish and structure such committee. This to avoid that decision-making, ultimately, is delayed due to irrelevant issues or a chair-person without a mandate not being able to push things through.

In this module learners will, once again, be explained the procedures to report incidents and the line of command when action needs to be taken.

It will also look at less obvious, but certainly important matters, like simple but good housekeeping and the maintenance of the facility. Employees in these departments are often the first to take note of certain matters or are able to make a small, but very important, difference by simply act on what they do come across.

This module will also look at, and discuss the importance of personal protective equipment. Legislation stipulates to a certain extend what is required, but time will be taken to discuss if this is sufficient and what should be done to avoid reliance on the Act could lead to additional injuries.

Lastly, this section of the course also discusses the various assessments health and safety professionals are expected to conduct, and how often these assessments have to be conducted in order to notice or remain aware of certain developments that, ultimately, could lead to a health and safety issue.

As assessing is only the first step, it will also look at actions that can and should be taken, be it from a legal or simple common sense perspective. The latter might sound obvious, but should certainly not be underestimated. Health and safety boils often down to common sense. But as 'common sense' is written with two words, it opens the door already for more than one interpretation. Don't be fooled and don't allow multiple explanations to exist in the workplace.