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