Legal Compliance is not enough

Legal Compliance is not enough – The South African Occupational Health and Safety Act clearly lay down the foundation laws that companies should follow with regards to workplaces to be legal complaint. It has vast information, clear stipulations and indications about the protocol to be followed to ensure a safe workplace. However, just knowing what the Act states and acting according to its rules is not enough to maintain a healthy and safe workplace. The Act should be considered as a foundation while a lot more can be done in the health and safety aspect.

With the rapid changes that occur in the workplace, the act, which is often updated after numerous years, may prove to be outdated. Technological advancements are fast growing and the workplace is getting modified rapidly. This has seen companies and people in the workplace also changing gradually to adapt to the changes around them. This is the core time when training should be factored in to ensure a healthy and safe working environment along with being compliant.

The MAKROSAFE Health and Safety Certificate is the most important certificate one can get. What makes is unique is that, training towards this certificate is offered to anyone with a passion for health and safety regardless of their educational background or experience. MAKROSAFE grooms learners from grass-root levels without having a strict screening entrance requirements process which demands prior education whatsoever. It is their desire to see anybody achieve more in life by accommodating all in their training institute.

Training with MAKROSAFE for the Health and Safety Certificate helps learners achieve more than just being fed with information from the Act. The following are one of the reasons why the training institute should be given first preference when choosing a training provider for employees:

• The institute is accredited with the Health and Welfare Sector Education and Training Authority (HWSETA). Students are lectured according to legally acceptable protocols and certificates are recognised.

• Training material is a balance between theory and practical which gives learners experience on both levels which are important in executing their duties after the completion of training.

• Lecturers are highly informed, are up-to-date and are intensely involved in the health and safety industry hence; learners get to be updated on the latest trends and practices rather than rely only on the information that is in the act only which was put to together many years ago.

• Strategic methods of learning are used to stimulate excitement and participation in the classroom. Facilitation is one of them. Students are made to feel they are part of the learning experience and they are encouraged to participate. Debate and discussions are other tools for learning used at the institute.

• The classrooms incorporate people from all walks of life and integrate them into one learning environment. This ensures that vast knowledge is shared from different industries and the interaction levels are high.

The advantages and benefits of training with MAKROSAFE are, learners are moulded in the correct legal framework and will be confident when executing their duties as they know they are compliant. Besides being given knowledge learners get to have their interpersonal groomed and improved, which is essential in the health and safety industry. The fact that various people from various industries are integrated into one class opens network channels for learners so that they establish relations with various industries and share knowledge. Moreover, learners are equipped with life skills which will be essential in the workplace to maximise safety.

Anyone can read through the Act in the comfort of the homes and claim to understand it. But to be effective in the health and safety industry, much more is required hence; the importance of training. Train to be compliant but benefit more if you train with MAKROSAFE!