Inside this issue...

-          “Man’s leg crushed in Benoni factory”

-          “Man’s arm wedged inside machine”

-          Whose fault is this?

-          Your 17 obligations to your employees

-          A quick way to ensure your employees know what they’re doing…

Dear Reader,

These were the headlines that jumped out at me last week:

“Man’s leg crushed in Benoni factory”

“Man’s arm wedged inside machine”

I couldn’t believe it! According to ER24 spokeswoman, Vanessa Jackson, the man whose leg was crushed caught his leg on a conveyor belt as it was being pulled through two fifteen centimetre thick rollers.

Whose fault is this?

As soon as I read these articles, I asked myself how were these employees standing that they injured themselves so painfully? What’s more, is it the employee’s fault for not knowing the correct procedure or the employer’s for not informing him of the correct way to use the machinery?

Your 17 obligations to your employees

One of your 17 obligations to your employees is to provide information, instruction, training and supervision to ensure they are able to work safely and protect their health. This requirement means that once you’ve identified all your hazards, risks and risk control measures, you do the following:

·         Make sure every new employee undergoes induction training so they know and understand the hazards and risks of their work and how to protect themselves. The induction training should include information on the emergency procedures applicable to your business. Ensure your employees sign that they have received this training.

(For instructions on how to induct employees read update 8/2009. If you don’t have this update, you can locate it on www.healthandsafetyhandbook.co.za. Use the password on the cover of your latest update to access the electronic versions of past updates.)

·         Document safe work procedures for tasks with significant risk so that there’s standardisation and all employees have a reference on how to do the task in a safe way. Make these easily accessible.

·         Make sure all your employees have been trained on the safe working procedure on how to do their work in a way that doesn’t compromise their own or anyone else’s safety.

·         Make sure the supervisors are competent as supervisors and guide their staff in safe working methods and compliance.

This is just one of your 17 employer obligations. For the other 16, consult E01: Employer obligations in your Health and Safety Advisor.

In the name of safety,

Christel Fouché

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    * 2 quick tips to make sure your employees wear their PPE

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