WINNING
Robyn Grimsley
Some of the members who attended the Aspasa Health and Safety Committee meeting, including auditor Marius van Deventer( third from left) and Aspasa director Nico Pienaar( far right).
to attend these audits. During this briefing, van Deventer updates those present on what is happening in the industry, and about problems and findings he has encountered over the preceding months, as well as enquiring about changes to the operation since the previous audit took place.
The next step is the physical – or operational – audit. This entails going through facility and he checks the plants, machines and work areas. As he moves around the site, van Deventer checks everything from paperwork to tool kits, storage areas and even fire hoses and the expiry dates of items in first aid kits. Areas warranting particular focus are those with high risk of injury, such as machine guarding for conveyors and correct filling out of lockout registers, which indicate when equipment has been physically locked down to ensure safety while personnel are engaged in cleaning or maintenance work on that equipment.
He also questions staff and contractors on site regarding processes and procedures, as well as their knowledge of applicable legislation( including Sections 22 and 23 of the MHSA, which cover the rights and duties of employees), and queries any irregularities or potential problems with the various permits and lockout registers to determine standard operating procedure. Once the tour of the site is completed and the operational processes and procedures checked, the group moves onto the second part of the audit: documentation control. This part of the audit involves scrutinising the documentation and questioning the various health and safety practitioners who work at the operation, including nurses, occupational hygienists and SHE representatives.
This session starts off with van Deventer following up on the findings from the previous audit( if
AUDIT RESULTS
Each site that is audited can achieve one of the following results:
Result |
Score |
Showplace |
95 %+ |
5 shields |
90 – 95 % |
4 shields |
80 – 90 % |
3 shields |
70 – 80 % |
2 shields |
60 – 70 % |
1 shield |
50 – 60 % |
Participation |
< 50 % |
Each year, the top performers in the health and safety audits are recognised at the Aspasa Health and Safety and Environment Awards.
For 2017, the audit average was 85.5 %, with 16 sites achieving Showplace status, compared to an average of 84.76 % in 2016, with 15 quarries achieving Showplace status. This is particularly notable given the extent of the changes made to the audit document from 2016 to 2017, stemming from changes in legislation and which resulted in quarries having to put in significantly more effort to achieve the same scores.
24 _ QUARRY SA | JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2018