By Louise Woodburn, General Manager of KBC Health & Safety, Risk Solutions

In today's complex, fast-paced work environments, paying attention to occupational safety and health regulations is becoming increasingly unavoidable. By collaborating with providers of specialised risk solutions, organisations can ensure the proper consideration and implementation of essential procedures mandated by law, which has the effect of improving occupational health and safety practices that contribute to safer and healthier workplaces. 

The risks and ramifications of non-compliance

The Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) sets out the legal requirements for employers to ensure the health and safety of their employees. The legal consequences of non-compliance with occupational safety and health regulations in South Africa are serious. Businesses who fail to comply with the OHSA risk being fined, imprisoned, or having their workplace closed. Non-compliance can also have several negative consequences related to the workforce. Employers may be liable to pay damages to employees (or their dependents) who are injured or killed because of non-compliance. Productivity could be reduced due to downtime caused by accidents or injury. There is also the very real risk of damage to reputation, which is particularly prevalent given the speed at which negative news travels, which will make it difficult to attract and retain customers and employees.

Navigating the regulatory landscape

In an ever-changing regulatory landscape, partnering with a specialised risk solutions provider for compliance with Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) is one of the most effective strategies for improving occupational health and safety in risk-intensive industries. The risk of accidents is increasing as technology advances and work environments become more complicated. A specialised risk solutions provider can assist businesses to identify and mitigate risks, and develop and implement tailored, contextual safety plans that will protect employees and help businesses to protect their reputation. 

Professional partnerships 

For risk-sensitive industries such as mining, bypassing critical safety processes could hold potential long-term ramifications. Partnering with a professional solutions provider means that the organisation will be well-equipped to identify risk exposures and determine the necessary response measures based on a hierarchy of controls. Furthermore, the organisation can ensure its workforce participates in comprehensive training programmes that encompass risk assessment, hazard identification, emergency response planning, and essential compliance requirements.

Utilising KBC Health & Safety’s Risk Solutions services will assist you to achieve a sustainable compliance cycle. A granular development approach is applied to ensure that these solutions are customised to industry and business specific requirements. Our aim is empowering stakeholders with the necessary knowledge and tools to make prompt and confident choices regarding safety in the workplace.