Occupational Health and Safety Regulations

Tlakula Occupational Health Services (TOHS) offers companies the necessary industry knowledge and risk assessment services to achieve compliance. Here is a look at some of the occupational requirements.

South African legislation requires employers with 21 or more employees to maintain records of all work-related injury and illness and post an annual summary of these records. TOHS is able to assist by establishing a record of all work-related injuries and illnesses, dating back five years, which must be made available to any Occupational Health and Safety representative the requests them. Companies failing to produce such documentation are liable to incur major financial penalties.

TOHS can assist employers by identifying all chemical, physical, biological, and ergonomic hazards in the workplace. For exposure to certain materials, medical surveillance is required under the Occupational Health and Safety Act. These include, among others:

• Asbestos
• Benzene
• Noise
• Lead

This monitoring will include a thorough medical history and physical examination, including blood tests, pulmonary function tests, chest X-rays, and hearing tests.

Employers and employees must fully understand the substances with which they work, as well as the risks associated with working with these chemicals. Employers are further required to provide a material safety data sheet (MSDS) for a hazardous material, which is a technical bulletin describing the chemical, its characteristics, the health and safety hazards, and precautions for safe handling and use.

TOHS is able to assist with the establishment of a MSDS, as well as offering a workplace risk assessment to determine if necessary protective equipment is required for workers. The equipment supplied can include:

• Safety glasses
• Gloves
• Shoes
• Helmets
• Respirators
• Hearing protectors

There are many occupational health and safety systems that can implemented to minimise risk and keep employees safe. South African public workers’ compensation laws regulate work-related injuries and illnesses, requiring employers to provide replacement incomes to employees who suffer work-related injuries or illnesses. Employers are required to pay a portion of the salary lost and many have a fee-schedule for hospital and physician services. This can be covered by state-funded of private insurance companies.

TOHS is able to work closely with employers to ensure all necessary compensation laws are considered and the insurance policies are in place to protect both the employee and employer in the event of injury. We are also able to assist with early on-site treatment, health services, wellness programmes accident investigations.

By securing the services of TOHS, companies will benefit from the following services:

• Investigation and reporting of injuries
• Establishment of a health and safety management committee
• Selecting and training a health and safety representative
• Providing information systems including statistics
• Performing commercial driver examinations (and public driver permits)
• Providing disability management
• Providing general occupational health services, legal advice and notification

Companies are able to minimise health and safety risks within the workplace by securing the primary healthcare services offered by TOHS. These include:

• Health education and workshops
• Full check-ups
• HIV workshops, medical surveillance and counselling
• Testing for pulmonary tuberculosis, HIV, diabetes, drugs, and others
• Immunization
• Physical therapy services

Alongside the medical examinations, disability or incapacity programmes, wellness programmes, health risk assessments and workshops, TOHS’ primary and occupational healthcare programmes include:

• A comprehensive report to management
• Full statistical report
• Consolidated trends’and complaints’ profile
• Fitness certificates of employees and recommendations

TOHS is able to provide the aforementioned services through early diagnosis of potential occupational or non-occupational diseases and identifying harmful lifestyles.