In fostering an awareness of safety in the workplace, adult-based education and training provider the DEKRA Institute of Learning (IOL) stresses the importance of targeted occupational health and safety training, which provides crucial information on workplace hazards.

The company highlights the importance of cultivating an inclusive workplace safety culture, emphasising the importance of behaviour-based safety. This aims to create behavioural change by encouraging people to take ownership and collective responsibility for workplace safety. Neurocentric safety training further enhances this approach, by reshaping how individuals perceive and react to safety issues, fostering a proactive mindset.

DEKRA IOL offers occupational health and safety training courses on topics such as behaviour-based safety and legal liability.

“The goal is to align with our global parent company DEKRA’s 99-year track record in and commitment to safety, striving for zero harm ‘at work, on the road, and at home’, in line with its safety slogan and ethos. Our 2024 internal DEKRA industrial and IOL safety campaign #WhyIWorkSafe also encapsulates these objectives, highlighting that our primary asset is our people,” comments DEKRA IOL training and consulting head Christopher Mörsner.

In addressing the significance of the institute’s accreditation, Mörsner assures clients that IOL remains committed to investing in developing its services and complying with the required industry standards.

“Within the safety context, this demonstrates that we practise what we preach, maintaining high standards in occupational health and safety training.”

Mörsner says the company is proud to have been one of the first local training providers to receive the QCTO FirstAid course accreditation.

“As the expiration deadline date for legacy qualifications and singular unit standards – June 30, 2024 – swiftly approaches . . .[the] accreditation provides a strong assurance [for] companies seeking the highest-quality basic, intermediate and advanced training for first aid responders,” he adds.

DEKRA IOL says first aid training is crucial, as it empowers individuals to preserve life and reduce the severity of injuries until medical assistance is available.

Its courses are “innovatively structured” to provide practical and impactful, in-person first aid training, and they prepare participants to respond effectively to real-life emergencies.

Addressing the growing influence of technology in developing the training courses, the company notes that the incorporation of gamification and other technological advancements makes education and training more fun and engaging, thereby improving learners’ retention and recall.

DEKRA IOL has a hybrid training model that includes online and in-person training, and has indicated that this is flexible in terms of time and location, allowing for the training of significantly more people online than is possible in person.

Mörsner also indicates that recent changes to occupational health and safety legislation have resulted in employers having to meet much more stringent requirements, underlining the need for added training in this area.

The company asserts that events such as the global Covid-19 pandemic and the recent, tragic building collapse in George, Western Cape, have highlighted a greater need for safety and accountability. The company expects increased scrutiny of the construction industry in the future.

Regarding the pertinent trends in this sector, Mörsner notes the growth of process safety following amendments to major hazardous installations, or MHI, legislation, particularly in sectors such as power generation, petrochemicals, mining and foundries.

He adds that the company’s health and safety training has been well received in the market.

“Our accreditations and the expansion of our footprint into various provinces – such as our recently opened branch in Lephalale, Limpopo – demonstrate our commitment to quality and consistency,” he says.

In creating a culture of care and responsibility in the workplace, DEKRA IOL highlights that health and safety education should not be viewed as a purely legal or compliance- related obligation, but as a commitment to preserving life, property and the environment.