HEALTH AND SANITATION
25
What should be in your
safety file?
By Chris Coetzee
A safety file is a documented body of evidence that provides a
convincing and valid argument that a system is adequately safe
for a given application in a given environment. In other words,
it’s the proof of your duties being fulfilled as per the Occupational
Health and Safety (OHS) Act and regulations.
From the company:
• Policies:
- Health, safety and environmental
- Use of tobacco
- Alcohol and narcotics
- HIV Aids
- Bribery and corruption
- Any other scope or company-related policies.
• Employees:
- Orientation programme
- Induction programme
- Training and development
- Medicals / surveillance
• Prevention:
- Emergency plan
- Incident and accident reporting /recording
procedures
- Drills
- Audits
Legislative:
From the OHS Act as well as its regulations, there are certain
requirements that must be met depending on the area or
scope of work of the company. For instance, every company
must have a risk assessment outlining its risk rating.
There are, however, additional items that some companies
should have that others may not require. This could be a
documented Fall Protection Plan when working at heights.
Thus, it is necessary to first start with a ‘Legal Register’ for
the company. This includes all legislation that applies to each
company. From here you can work on a system of works
based on the applicable legislation.
How does this work?
Every company must abide by the main Act – The
Occupational Health and Safety Act 85 of 1993, and as
such each company must comply with the sections laid
out therein.
February 2020 Volume 25 I Number 12
Now take a look at your area of work, do you perhaps work
with hazardous chemical substances? In that case, the
Hazardous Chemical Substance Regulations of 1995 will
need to be read, understood and incorporated into your
safety file. Such as having the risk assessments updated
to include these hazards, MSDSs (Material Safety Data
Sheets) on hand, and an emergency procedure to ensure
prompt treatment should an incident occur while using this
hazardous substance.
There are many other considerations to take into account
before any tasks are completed, these are items such as:
• SSOP (Standard Safe Operating Procedures)
• SWP (Safe Working Procedures)
• Method Statements
• Lock out procedures
• Hot work permits
• Materials handling rules
• Maintenance programs
• Vehicle safety rules
• Personal protective equipment requirements
• Engineering standards
• Purchasing standards
• Preventive maintenance
• Registers and Checklists
Chris Coetzee is director
of OHS Savvy Consulting
(Pty) Ltd, HSE Member
of IOPSA and Technical
Member of SAIOSH. He
has worked along with
training facilities as an
assessor to provide SAQA
Unit Standard training
on various subjects.
Chris currently works as
an Occupational Health
and Safety Practitioner
assisting IOPSA / FEM as
well as member companies
with OHS related issues.
He is the presenter of FEM
Tuesday toolbox talks.
Chris specialises in Fall
Protection Plans, Hazard
Identification and Risk
Assessments, Incident and
Accident Investigations
and Safety Management
Systems / ISO
Solution:
• Request a standard safety file template from IOPSA at
[email protected]
• Follow the index and see whether you have the correct
documentation for this.
• If you need help, we can assist you.
Final note:
Having a safety file is more than just ensuring you have
the right documents to comply with the law or your clients’
safety specifications. It is about demonstrating a compliance
system that cares for the Health and Safety of your
employees and those who are affected by your work. PA
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