Features | Health and Safety

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Health and Safety

Expert safety, health and environmental advisers key to ensuring risk management, compliance

By: Sabrina Jardim 26th May 2023 While South Africa’s legislative framework extensively covers various aspects of health and safety, companies could greatly benefit from expert safety, health and environmental (SHE) advisers to assist them to implement the necessary protocols, says KBC Risk Solutions GM Louise Woodburn. She... →

Expos to discuss safety, Industry 4.0

By: Sabrina Jardim 26th May 2023 With 2023 marking 30 years of Securex South Africa and 13 years of A-OSH EXPO, this year’s events – to be held at the Gallagher Convention Centre from June 6 to 8 – will showcase various security and occupational health and safety- (OHS-) related products, services and discussions. Trade show... →

An image depicting a smiling man, Mark Anderson

MARK ANDERSON The topics at the seminar theatres will focus on current and predicted future trends in technology and how these will impact business operations

Machine safety can reduce downtime

26th May 2023 Today’s manufacturers are under pressure to be more flexible, reduce downtime, increase efficiency and, above all, keep personnel safe. These efforts are complicated by yet another requirement: the successful management of external influences says automation specialist Omron. The company notes... →

Pre-employment tests limit risks

By: Sabrina Jardim 26th May 2023 With substance abuse having been exacerbated during the Covid-19 pandemic, pre-employment drug and alcohol testing has become a greater necessity in the workplace, says substance abuse testing equipment supplier Alco-Safe MD Rhys Evans. Pre-employment testing entails conducting tests prior to or... →

An image depicting a smiling man, Rhys Evans

RHYS EVANS Substance abuse can lead to employees making poor decisions, and higher absenteeism, which, in turn, exacerbates poor production rates, in addition to increased company expenses and the risk of accidents

Smart fire-detection systems making headway

By: Sabrina Jardim 26th May 2023 Amid the emergence of Industry 4.0, the need for smarter and more proactive fire detection systems to monitor assets and mitigate fire hazards is continuously increasing. These systems have become more efficient with ongoing research and development (R&D), which is particularly noticeable in... →

An image depicting the FireLaser technology

FIRELASER The 'game-changing' FireLaser can be applied to almost any industry requiring smarter hazardous environment monitoring

Specialist offers improved solutions

23rd September 2022 California-based tactical communications producer Silynx Communications, for which situational awareness and hearing protection specialist Octave10 is the sole South African provider, offers a cost-effective and improved solution to enable effective communication in noisy environments, such as... →

HEARING, COMMUNICATIONS AID By using the Silynx Clarus FX2 smart tactical headset system, operators enjoy clear hearing and radio communications even in a significantly noisy environment

Amendment Bill fails to recognise safety practitioner profession

By: Tracy Hancock 23rd September 2022 The continued failure to recognise the safety practitioner profession is yet another disappointing aspect of the poorly drafted Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Amendment Bill 2020, says law firm Klass Looch Associates managing member, advocate Raynard Looch. “Unlike the Mine Health and... →

RAYNARD LOOCH Managers and supervisors are an integral and essential part of an employer’s health and safety management system and deserve statutory recognition

Be careful of relying only on screening tests

By: Tracy Hancock 23rd September 2022 Substance abuse continues to be a significant problem for employers in South Africa; however, substance abuse testing equipment supplier ALCO-Safe MD Rhys Evans notes that some employers are trying to base disciplinary action on the results of screening tests alone. “A large number of companies... →

RHYS EVANS The number of local companies undertaking substance abuse tests incorrectly is equal to those which are undertaking them correctly

Culture, protocols key to blast safety on mines

23rd September 2022 A recent global safety report for mining indicates a gradual but steady improvement in mine safety, with a total recordable injury frequency rate at a low 2.9 – down from 5.07 just a decade ago. The Safety Performance Report by the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) benchmarked the... →

PLAN TO SUCCEED BME designs its electronic detonators to measure and predict key blast impacts

Supplier to showcase breathalyser solution

By: Cameron Mackay 27th May 2022 Alcohol-testing solutions provider ALCO-Safe will launch its new ALCONTROL Version 2 breathalyser solution at the A-OSH Expo event, which will be held from May 31 to June 2 at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand, Gauteng. Although ALCO-Safe may not have the required volumes for a full... →

RHYS EVANS There’s a range of different requirements across different companies and industries for automated capabilities

Mining health and safety beyond the mine

27th May 2022 Ensuring the overall health and safety of our employees is of paramount importance. To take from the Mine Health & Safety Act of 1996, the Act “intends to provide for protection of the health and safety of employees and other persons at mines” and ensure that provision is made for the promotion... →

African Snakebite Institute

27th May 2022 The African Snakebite Institute (ASI) is the leading training provider of Snake Awareness, First aid for Snakebite and Venomous Snake Handling courses in Africa and has the best selection of quality snake handling equipment in Southern Africa, most of which is manufactured in South Africa. ASI... →

Remote solution makes alcohol testing more accessible

By: Cameron Mackay 27th May 2022 Alcohol testing equipment supplier Alcohol Breathalyser’s new iSober Breathalyser application (app) and cloud service will contribute to making alcohol testing solutions more affordable and accessible for remote workers and drivers. The iSober app and cloud service is a Bluetooth breathalyser... →

Image of Alcohol Breathalyser’s iSober breathalyser solution and box

EFFICIENT REMOTE TESTING iSober is available for social users, drivers, business owners, fleet operators or others that need to test drivers of vehicles and employees remotely

OHS Expo back after two years

27th May 2022 The excitement is mounting behind the scenes as the confirmed exhibitors for the continent’s leading occupational health and safety (OHS) show continue with their preparations after a two-year gap. The largest trade show organiser in Southern Africa, Specialised Exhibitions announced earlier this... →

A-OSH EXPO The expo will take place over three days, from May 31 to June 2, at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Johannesburg

Alcohol Breathalysers

19th April 2022 Alcohol Breathalysers was established in 2004 with the aim to make reliable, affordable and accurate digital breathalysers available to ensure that all businesses and individuals can gain access to alcohol testing equipment. The company offers the widest range of alcohol testers available in... →

New safety learning programme launched

By: Khutso Maphatsoe 17th September 2021 Safety training solutions provider KBC Health & Safety introduced its microlearning training programme for employees in July this year. “We developed the microlearning training to focus on high-risk work areas . . . hazards and controls to avoid incidents from occurring,” explains KBC Health &... →

KBC Health and Safety innovation manager

NATALIE PITOUT Every module covers one topic; the duration of an online module spans about 15 to 20 minutes and the microlearning flash videos about two minutes

PPE designed for women now more accessible

By: Khutso Maphatsoe 17th September 2021 Owing to the rise of female employees in sectors such as construction, mining and engineering, which were previously male dominated, personal protective equipment (PPE) brands are looking at offering safety wear specifically for women. Catering for women in these sectors will require companies to... →

Drug testing dipped during pandemic

By: Khutso Maphatsoe 17th September 2021 Breathalyser and drug testing equipment supplier ALCO-Safe has noticed a trend over the past 12 months, during which a number of companies discontinued drug testing and testing that requires breathalysers. This is because people are working from home (WFH) and, consequently, fewer people are... →

RHYS EVANS The enclosures allow for proper physical distancing

Covid-19 vaccinations can be made mandatory

By: Khutso Maphatsoe 17th September 2021 Owing to the latest guidelines provided by the Department of Employment and Labour, which stipulates that Covid-19 vaccinations can be made mandatory by employers, companies would need to update their policies and procedures to ensure that they comply with the guidelines, which correspond with... →

Digital Cloud base solution manage remote breath alcohol testing

By: Khutso Maphatsoe 17th September 2021 Breathalyser specialist Alcohol Breathalysers is in the early stages of rolling out its iSober Breathalyser App & Cloud Service which is a breath alcohol test management tool and can be downloaded from the Google Play Store, Apple App Store or Huawei App Gallery. This application (app) is a new... →

CONNECTIVITY Employees use their smartphone to connect to the app using Bluetooth

Company ready for Covid-19 medical waste surge

By: Theresa Bhowan-Rajah 21st May 2021 Waste and recycling company Averda says it has treated more than 600 000 kg of Covid-19 waste in January this year. “This represents a significant increase in the volume of medical waste, compared with those of previous months. Only a month prior, in December 2020, at the peak of the second wave,... →

KEEP IT CLEAN Averda, which has extensive medical waste treatment facilities located in City Deep Johannesburg, Klerksdorp, George and Killarney Gardens has made provision for the possible third Covid-19 wave

Company achieves zero harm operations

By: Theresa Bhowan-Rajah 21st May 2021 Drilling technology and services provider Rosond celebrated a year of zero-harm operations last month with 263 employees across six different mining operations in Carletonville, Gauteng. The company achieved this through its hazard identification and risk assessment (HIRA), which forms the basis... →

NO HARM Rosond celebrated a year of zero-harm operations last month through its hazard identification and risk assessmen

Company brings evolution to PPE

21st May 2021 As South Africa’s premier supplier of personal protective equipment (PPE), G.Fox continuously strives to break new ground and offer the very best “fit for purpose” products to their customers. This ethos is embodied in their new brand of EVOLUTION and CUTGUARD gloves and EVOLUTION masks amongst... →

TOUGH AND RUGGED Designed and tested for safety, comfort and endurance, these gloves provide maximum hand protection and durability in the most rugged and physically challenging work conditions

Safety critical to ensuring ‘solid business case’ for projects

By: Simone Liedtke 21st May 2021 Safety excellence is not separate from construction or operational excellence – a safe site avoids the cost of incidents and improves personnel’s motivation and the company’s relationships with clients, thereby forming a “solid business case” for a project, says South Africa-based contractor... →

CRAIG LAWRENCE
The Covid-19 pandemic has added a layer of difficulty to focusing on safety

Concor’s Craig Lawrence talks about the company’s health and safety approach and protocols

Get your Employees Home Safely

21st May 2021 Safety is everything, to everyone. This statement is never truer within the mining community. Mining houses are completely safety driven and are founded on the principles of eliminating fatalities, providing a safe working environment and putting employee safety first. →

Fugitive dust reduced on mine haulage roads

By: Theresa Bhowan-Rajah 21st May 2021 Owing to the dust emissions generated on mine haulage roads and the growing health concerns associated with Covid-19, environmental management company I-CAT has developed the GreenBit dust-suppression solution. The water-soluble and easy-to-apply product improves tyre grip while reducing the need... →

LESS DUST I-CAT manufacturing plant

New app tracks, assesses driver behaviour

By: Theresa Bhowan-Rajah 21st May 2021 Telematics tracking solutions provider MiX Telematics has developed the MyMiX Tracking app to track and assess driver behaviour without the need for embedded hardware. MyMiX Tracking leverages mobile phone technology to enable real-time tracking of drivers while also recording, measuring and... →

HENRY SMITH The MyMiX app increases driver accountability through the monitoring of drivers

Breathalyser tests should be adapted, not cancelled

By: Darren Parker 18th September 2020 The misconceptions regarding the potential hygiene risks associated with alcohol breathalyser tests can have a significant negative impact on affected industries, since the safety of staff and expensive equipment can be compromised by intoxicated workers, says alcohol breathalyser and drug... →

RHYS EVANS Lives can be saved and accidents can be avoided if proper alcohol testing continues to be implemented

Covid-19 outbreak delays launch of dust suppression system

By: Darren Parker 18th September 2020 Environmental solutions company I-CAT intended to launch a new dust suppression system earlier this year but there were many delays owing to the national lockdown, says I-CAT director Lourens Jansen van Rensburg. “While the Covid-19 national lockdown halted many mining operations, the outbreak... →

A MIST OPPORTUNITY I-CAT’s new misting system launch was delayed because of Covid-19, but the company aims to launch it before the end of the year

Acquisition ensures increased OHS offering

By: Darren Parker 18th September 2020 Facilities management services provider Afroteq Advisory, a subsidiary of holding company AFMS Group, expanded its service offering in the occupational health and safety (OHS) sector by acquiring OHS service provider OHS Africa. Acquired in May this year, the new division, OHSAfroteq, forms part... →

Photo by Adobe
A HEALTHY OUTCOME Covid-19 has put health and safety in the workplace at the top of the agenda

Correct policies, equipment vital for substance testing

By: Mc'Kyla Nortje 7th February 2020 Without the correct drug-testing policies and correct testing equipment in place, companies can face serious legal implications, warns workplace testing company ALCO-Safe MD Rhys Evans, adding that these policies serve as guidelines for employees and employers. “Having policies in place ensures... →

WELL INFORMED Policies ensure employees understand the drug-testing equipment better and eliminate misconceptions

Employment services assist facilities go digital

7th February 2020 Temporary employment services (TES) provide the missing link in helping healthcare facilities on their journey to digital transformation, says information and communication technology company T-Systems South Africa operational excellence manager Theresa Ackerman. Healthcare costs continue to... →

Devices assist to combat sick building syndrome

7th February 2020 Monitoring devices that are able to detect high levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) have been introduced to the local market to help detect poor air quality that can lead to sick building syndrome. Sick building syndrome refers to the condition affecting office workers, typically marked by headaches... →

NO PLACE TO HIDE The devices allows operators to easily monitor carbon dioxide levels

Sprinklers and ventilation systems must work in harmony

By: Tracy Hancock 20th September 2019 Sprinkler and ventilation systems are essential parts of a building’s fire-protection system and need to operate in harmony with each other to ensure its holistic operation, says fire risk management company ASP Fire CEO Michael van Niekerk. “Many people don’t understand the value of employing... →

SAFETY IN HARMONY Sprinkler and ventilation systems need to work together to preserve life, as well as the building they protect

Economic difficulties creating OHS challenges in South Africa

By: Tracy Hancock 20th September 2019 South Africa continues to have a high injury-on-duty rate despite its advanced occupational health and safety (OHS) legislation and regulations, and adoption of best international practices, says industry body South African Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (Saiosh) president Sanjay... →

ZERO HARM QUESTIONED Is zero harm possible, considering the complexities and varying risks associated with different industries?

Health and safety practitioners need tech roadmap

By: Tracy Hancock 20th September 2019 Health and safety practitioners need to develop a technology roadmap to provide a foundation for planning aspects of safety that support technological advancements, says Department of Employment and Labour (DEL) director-general Thobile Lamati. “The roadmap will allow for the expansion or... →

SAFETY EVOLUTION Occupational health and safety practitioners need to become more familiar with emerging technologies to support safety efforts

Collision solution complements operator activities

By: Khutso Maphatsoe 8th February 2019 Since the launch of its fourth-generation MineAlert collision awareness system (CAS), the core focus of industry leader in fleet management technology in mining, Modular Mining Systems, Inc. (MMSI) is to ensure that the collision awareness solution mitigates false alarms while continuing to... →

Know how to choose quality PPE and workwear

By: Khutso Maphatsoe 8th February 2019 Personal protective equipment supplier, Dromex has launched a specialised range for arc protection, which includes Arc Workwear and includes a 51 Cal rated Suit, Arc Visors, an Arc Hard Hat and Arc Gloves, Kimi Gas Escape Mask, Denim Conti Suits and a flat fold respirator tailored for women and... →

PROTECTIVE GEAR Companies should ask suppliers for a copy of certifications when purchasing products with specific standards

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