On-site and workplace health and safety accidents and injuries happen every day, with an approximate fatality rate of 20 per 100 000 workers in South Africa. Blue collar workers are the foundation of all construction and ensuring workers are properly trained and processes are in place to ensure their safety is essential.
Protecting workers from occupational health and safety hazards are essential to preventing fatalities, injuries, fines, and other legal fees. This is why there are international standards and standardised processes to ensure systems are in place that protect all the workers on-site and in offices.
Why Should Your Organisation Comply with International Standards?
By complying with international standards your organisation will be on-par with international organisations, this enables you to build trust and a reputation globally. You will not only be opening international markets, but you will also be ensuring your employees are safe on-site and in the workplace.
By prioritising international standards, you prioritise the safety and health of all your staff. This provides you with a good reputation, your staff will have trust in your ability to take care of them and this will in turn build trust.
Now, the real question is which international standards are relevant to your organisation? Here are two standards that ensure your organisation’s Occupational Health and Safety systems and procedures are up to par.
ISO 45001:2018 Occupational Health and Safety Management System
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) creates and publishes international standards aligned with over 160 countries. ISO 45001:2018 is the international standard for establishing, implementing and maintaining an Occupational Health and Safety Management System (OHSMS).
An OHSMS ensures your organisation does consistent and in-depth risk assessments and ensures the correct processes are in place to mitigate any potential risks in the workplace and on-site.
NEBOSH Training
The National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health (NEBOSH) qualification ensures that your dedicated team or safety officer can provide risk assessments and implement processes to mitigate and eliminate potential risks in the workplace and on-site.
NEBOSH training provides best practices international health and safety processes, and procedures. NEBOSH has an outstanding reputation and is not an easy qualification to complete. This ensures that your delegates or dedicated safety officer has the highest training available.
How ISO 45001:2018 and NEBOSH Work Together
ISO 45001:2018 and NEBOSH training work together to create a robust occupational health and safety framework. Think of an ISO 45001:2018 OHSMS as the foundational structure for your safety management system and provides you with the essential guidelines and requirements.
NEBOSH training, on the other hand, offers in-depth knowledge and practical skills, to enhance the foundation that an OHSMS has created. Together, they ensure a comprehensive approach to workplace safety—ISO 45001:2018 establishes the system, while NEBOSH training equips your team with the expertise to implement and maintain it effectively.
Common Accidents and Injuries On-Site That can be Prevented
On-site injuries are the most common injuries your staff may encounter. Both ISO 45001:2018 and NEBOSH training can support your teams in spotting and preventing accidents before they happen.
Some of the most common types of accidents on-site includes:
- Slips, trips and falls
- Collapsed scaffolding
- Falling or swinging objects
- Electricity hazards
- Caught in between objects
Most common injuries that can be easily mitigated with robust risk assessment processes in place:
- Head injuries, including skull fractures, traumatic subarachnoid haemorrhage, hematoma, lacerations, and concussions.
- Spinal cord injuries which could lead to partial or complete paralysis, and long-term disability.
- Although lacerations are easy to treat, they may lead to infections when not treated properly.
- Broken bones
- Potential loss of vision if staff are exposed to toxic gases and chemicals without proper PPE.
With the correct best practices, training and management systems in place most if not all occupational hazards can be caught before they cause injuries or accidents to unsuspecting workers.
Protecting Your Staff with WWISE Training
If your staff have had various accidents and injuries on-site now is the time to provide adequate training to workers and safety officers. All workers are entitled to a safe work environment and ensuring your safety officer has the correct training is essential for your organisation.
At WWISE, our Occupational Health and Safety experts are able to provide your staff with the training they need.
We provide:
- ISO 45001:2018 Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems training on our eLearning platform to ensure your organisation is able to implement a system and improve your health and safety statistics.
- Our on-site NEBOSH training is facilitated by experts who have decades of experience with implementing and providing NEBOSH training.
If your staff just need refresher courses or specific raining we also provide bite-sized Health and Safety training on our eLearning platform including:
- Determine the Root Cause
- OSHA – Electrical Safety
- Fire Safety and Emergency Evacuation
- Creating a Safe Industrial Workplace: Working Safely in Confined Spaces
- Creating a Safe Industrial Workplace: Slips, Trips & Falls
- Health & Safety: Building a Lasting Culture of Safety: Communicating the Importance of Safety
Get in touch today to discuss how an ISO 45001:2018 OHSMS can enhance your workplace safety. Call our experts today at 012 644 0142 or email us at admin@wwise.co.za.