1.
PURPOSE OF THE POLICY
The purpose of the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) of a
safenkosihaven is to ensure that all
stakeholders (all staff, patients , contractors, business partners, and
visitors) create, advocate, and sustain a healthy, safe, risk-free environment.
2. APPLICATION
This policy applies to all staff, and assistance of the people.
3. LEGAL REQUIREMENTS
The Occupational Health and Safety Act, of 1993, requires
the employer to bring about and maintain, as far as reasonably practicable, a
work environment that is safe and without risk to the health of the workers.
This means that the employer must ensure that the workplace is free of
hazardous substances, such as benzene, chlorine, micro-organisms, articles,
equipment, processes, etc. that may cause injury, damage, or disease. Where
this is not possible, the employer must inform workers of these dangers, how
they may be prevented, how to work safely and provide other protective measures
for a safe workplace.
4. GENERAL DUTIES OF THE EMPLOYER
The
Employer (Executive) shall appoint a responsible party, in terms of subsection
16(2) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act, the duties as contemplated in
subsection 16(1) of the said Act to the Executive Managers.
The
employer must provide and maintain all the equipment that is necessary to do
the work, and all the systems according to which work must be done, in a
condition that will not affect the health and safety of workers. Before
personal protective equipment may be used, the employer must first try to
remove or reduce any danger to the health and safety of his workers.
Only
when this is not practicable, should personal protective equipment be used. The
employer must take measures to protect his or her workers' health and safety
against hazards that may result from the production, processing, use, handling,
storage or transportation of articles or substances, in other words, anything
that workers may encounter at work.
The
employer must see to it that every worker is informed and clearly understands
the health and safety hazards of any work being done, anything being produced, processed,
used, stored, handled, or transported, and any equipment or machinery being
used. The employer must then provide information about precautionary measures
against these hazards.
The
employer must inform health and safety representatives when an inspector
notifies him or her of inspections and investigations, to be conducted at the
premises. The employer must also inform health and safety representatives of
any application for exemption made, or of any exemption granted to him or her
in terms of the Act. Exemption means being exempted from certain provisions of
the Act, regulations, notices, or instructions issued under the Act.
The
employer must, as soon as possible, inform the health and safety
representatives of the occurrence of an incident in the workplace. An incident
is an event that occurs at the workplace where a person is killed, injured, or
becomes ill. It is also the spillage of a hazardous chemical substance, for
example, when a tank leaks formaldehyde (a chemical
product used in industry) due to a faulty valve, or
when machinery runs out of control, without killing or injuring anyone.
To ensure that these duties are complied with,
Advanced Assessments and Training will: 
Identify potential hazards which may be
present while work is being done, something is being produced, processed, used,
stored, or transported, and any equipment is being used.
Establish
the precautionary measures that are necessary to protect workers against the
identified hazards and provide the means to implement these precautionary
measures. 
Provide the necessary information,
instructions, training, and supervision while keeping the extent of workers'
competence in mind. In other words, what they may do and may not do.
Not
permit anyone to carry on with any task unless the necessary precautionary
measures have been taken.
Take
steps to ensure that every person under Advanced Assessments and Training's
control complies with the requirements of the Act.
Enforce the
necessary control measures in the interest of health and safety.
See
to it that the work being done, and the equipment used, is under the general
supervision of a worker who has been trained to understand the hazards
associated with the work.
Such
a worker must ensure that the precautionary measures are implemented and
maintained.
5. GENERAL DUTIES OF THE EMPLOYEE
It is the duty of the worker to:
take care
of his or her own health and safety, as well as that of other persons who may
be affected by his or her actions or negligence to act.
where
the Act imposes a duty or requirements on the worker to cooperate with the
employer.
give
information to an inspector from the Department of Labour if he or she should
require it.
T•l:
carry
out any lawful instruction that the employer or authorized person prescribes
regarding health and safety.
comply
with the rules and procedures that the employer gives him/her.
wear
the prescribed safety clothing or use the prescribed safety equipment where it
is required.
report
unsafe or unhealthy conditions to the employer or health and safety
representative as soon as possible.
if
he or she is involved in an incident that may influence his or her health or
cause an injury, report that incident to the employer, an authorized person, or
the health and safety representative as soon as possible, but no later than by
the end of the shift.
6. RIGHTS OF THE EMPLOYEE
The Occupational
Health and Safety Act has extended workers' rights to include the following:
6.1 THE RIGHT TO INFORMATION
The worker must have access to —
• the
Occupational Health and Safety Act and regulations
• health
and safety rules and procedures of the workplace
• health
and safety standards that the employer must keep at the workplace.
The worker may request the employer to inform him or
her about — • health and safety hazards in the workplace
• the
precautionary measures which must be taken 
the procedures that must be followed if a
worker is exposed to substances hazardous to health.
The worker may request that his or her private medical
practitioner investigate his or her medical and exposure records. If the worker
is a health and safety representative, he or she may investigate and comment in
writing on exposure assessments and monitoring reports.
THE RIGHT
TO PARTICIPATE IN INSPECTIONS
If the worker is a health and safety representative, he or
she may accompany a health and safety inspector from the Department of Labour
during an inspection of the workplace and answer any questions the inspector may
ask.
6.2 THE RIGHT
TO COMMENT ON LEGISLATION AND MAKE REPRESENTATIONS
The worker may comment or make representations on any
regulation or safety standard published under the Occupational Health and
Safety Act.
6.3 THE RIGHT
TO REFUSE DANGEROUS WORK
You have the right to refuse to do work which you believe is
unusually dangerous. The unusual danger may be to you or to anyone else. An
unusual danger could include such things as:
• a
danger which is not normal for your occupation or the job.
• a
danger under which you would not normally carry out your job; and/or a
situation for which you are not properly trained, equipped, or experienced.
6.5 THE RIGHT NOT TO BE VICTIMISED
An employer may not dismiss a worker from his service,
reduce a worker's salary or reduce a worker's service conditions because —
1 . the worker supplied
information, which is required of him or her in terms of the Act, to someone
who is charged with the administration of the Occupational Health and Safety
Act
2. the
worker complied with a lawful notice, (e.g. a prohibition, contravention
notice, etc.)
3. the
worker did something which in terms of the Act should have been done
4. the
worker did not do something which in terms of the Act is prohibited
5. the
worker has given evidence before the Industrial Court or a court of law on
matters regarding health and safety.
7. ENVIRONMENTAL RISK MANAGEMENT
SAFEHaven is a committed education and training institute
that recognises the importance South Africa's environmental outlook. We are
committed to reducing our carbon footprint and have taken a conscience decision
in ensuring that we deliver quality service to all stakeholders whilst
maintaining environmental best practices. SAFEHaven is committed to the
protection of the environment for present and future generations. All employees
are responsible for incorporating into their planning and work the actions
necessary to fulfil this commitment.
A safenkosihaven will meet these responsibilities by
endeavouring to provide the resources for continuing to:
Design and manage
our operations to meet or surpass applicable environmental Laws and
regulations.
Work
in partnership with customers, suppliers, trade associations and government
agencies to promote the environmentally sound processes and decisions.
Acquire
knowledge and technologies to improve the environmentally safe efficient use of
our processes and products.
Formulate
and implement effective environmental emergency response systems.
Involve
our employees in our environmental programs and keep them informed of our
performance.
Promote
employee's awareness of this policy and enhance their capabilities to implement
this policy.
We
will operate in compliance with all relevant environmental legislation, and we
will strive to use pollution prevention and environmental best practices in all
we do.
integrate
the consideration of environmental concerns and impacts into our decision
making and activities, 
minimise our waste and then reuse or recycle
as much of it as is possible.
minimise
energy and water use within our buildings and processes to conserve supplies
and minimise the consumption of natural resources.
train,
educate and inform our employees about environmental issues that may affect
their work, 
promote environmental awareness among our
employees and encourage them to work in an environmentally responsible manner, 
communicate our environmental commitment to
clients, customers and the public and encourage them to support it.
8. INCIDENTS
8.1
ACCIDENT AND NEAR MISS REPORTING The following protocol must be followed.
All
employees must immediately report any occupational injury, accident or near
miss to the safety officer or their supervisor.
Supervisors
must immediately tend to injuries and then report them to the safety officer. 
Branch managers must immediately discuss the
incident with the safety officer and injured persons.
The purpose of this procedure is to comply with
Occupational Health & Safety Act, workers compensation board and to
determine the cause of the accident and make recommendations to prevent further
re-occurrence. All reports of injury must be filed.
If an injury occurs a record must be kept and include the
following:
a) name
of worker
b) name
and qualifications of person giving first aid
c) a
description of illness or injury
d) the
first aid given to the worker
e) the
date and time the illness or injury
the
date and time the illness or injury was reported
f) where
at the work side the incident occurred
g) the
work-related cause of the incident if any
The employer must retain the records kept for 3 years
from the date the incident is recorded. A person who has custody of records
must ensure that no person other than the worker has access to a worker's
records unless:
a) the
record is in a form that does not identify worker
b) the worker
has given written permission to the person
c) the
Director of Medical Services or a person authorized by the director requires to
be produced under the act.
An employer must give a worker a copy of
the records pertaining to the worker if the worker asks for it.
8.2
CRITICAL INJURY PROTOCOLS
First and foremost, always take whatever
measures are required to provide proper care of an injured worker.
If a critical injury has occurred and the worker has
been cared for, the executive manager, safety officer and human resources must
be notified. The appropriate report must be completed as soon as possible; this
is to ensure that important details are not forgotten.
A critical injury is an injury that.... 1) Places life in jeopardy
2) Produces
unconsciousness
3) Results
in substantial loss of blood
4) Involves
the fracture of a leg or arm, but not a finger or toe
5) Involves
the amputation of a leg, arm, hand, or foot, but not a finger or toe.
6) Consists
of burns to major portion of the body.
7) Causes loss
of sight in an eye.
8.3 INCIDENT INVESTIGATIONS
All accidents that result in injury or property damage or
that could have resulted in serious injury or property damage (near miss) must
be thoroughly investigated.
The investigation
must determine the cause of the incident so that appropriate action can be
taken to prevent recurrence.
The safety officer shall be responsible for
conducting the investigation. The investigation report shall be completed as
soon as possible after the incident and reported to the Executive Manager/
Human Resources. The safety officer and appropriate supervisor shall determine
what steps are to be taken to prevent recurrence.
Any disputes arising from the
investigation will be investigated and arbitrated by the branch manager.
9. HIV & AIDS
This section of the health and
safety policy is created to serve as a basis for dealing with concerns
regarding HIV/Aids in the workplace. The aim is to ensure a working environment
in which HIV employees are protected from unfair discrimination and
stigmatisation. We also wish to prevent fear and disruption among employees and
ensure maximum stability and productivity among employees.
SAFEHAVEN will ensure that employees living with
HIV/Aids are treated with compassion and understanding, as would employees with
any other lifethreatening disease. We recognise HIV/Aids is not transmitted
through casual contact but will ensure a safe working environment.
Safehaven does not oblige but encourages that
HIV-infected employees must report their status privately to Human Resources to
enable the organisation to respond appropriately to any occurrence of a mishap
due to this condition. We grant that HIV-infected employees have a right to not
disclose their status to other employees, unless an incident that could be of
risk to the health of everyone occurs. Safehaven will not terminate an employee
because of their HIV condition and will not refuse employment of anyone because
of their HIV or any other sickness. Employees who are sick will retain their
jobs as long they meet the job requirements; therefore, an employee who becomes
too ill to work will be treated in accordance with the incapacity provisions of
the
Labour Relations Act of
South Africa.
IO.APPOINTMENTS
All statutory appointments will be implemented in
accordance with the Act. Roles and responsibilities will be outlined as per the
appointment and requirements.
11. REVIEWS
This procedure is subject to annual review or whenever it
is necessary for safehaven to ensure that it is aligned to prevailing
resolutions, regulations, and market conditions.
12. MONITORING AND
EVALUATION
The Health and Safety Committee, through guidance
from Human Resources, will play monitoring and evaluation role to determine
whether the procedure provisions are put in place within safehaven sice the
primary foundation of our NGO is to give support to the mothers and children
with HIV
.
REPUTATION MANAGEMENT STRATEGY
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