Ninety-five people employed in the Road Transport Hauliers Industry are injured every day on South African roads. That is why the development of a strong in-house Health and Safety ethos is critical.
Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) in this billion-rand industry
- Prevents injuries
- Identifies hazards
- Avoids accidents
- Safeguards vehicles and machinery
According to the World Bank, road freight is the biggest industry within the transport industry. This is followed by rail, storage and air freight. The road and transport industry includes companies that transport people, animals and products. It also encompasses air, rail, cable, pipeline and water. A land transport survey published by Statistics South Africa in mid-June 2019 indicated an increase of 5.2% in goods transportation.
South Africa has thousands of kilometres of road and rail links, while its coastline stretched across 2 800km. With one of the busiest domestic air routes in the world, the country’s transport industry is a huge contributor to the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The transport industry annual turnover is estimated at anything between R274 billion and R480 billion. The reason for this disparity is that transport costs are often offset against other categories. For example, major retailers that transport and store goods often list these volumes are under the retail category. Major supermarket chains regard transportation as a cost centre and list savings under the retail savings category. The same applies to the steel manufacturing, cargo and sea freight sectors.
MAKROSAFE and SafetyWallet, leading OHS consultancies, say companies operating in the Road Hauliers Transport Industry must take precautions to curtail the accident-rate. This can be achieved by developing a sound in-house Health and Safety ethos to identify and avoid hazards that result in injury. MAKROSAFE says diligent identification of hazards can eliminate catastrophic accidents but warns that emergency situations can and do arise. With SafetyWallets powerful OHS Online database you have access to an ever growing library of task templates which saves time and money and assists in inspections with mobile technology.
Avoiding catastrophic accidents
MAKROSAFE and SafetyWallet pinpoints vulnerable areas of the industry where due-diligence can save lives and injuries.
- Prompt response time by emergency personnel and staff after an accident can represent the difference between life and death. MAKROSAFE says transport workers must be well versed in emergency procedures. Regular drills need to be held to ensure that first aid and evacuation procedures operate smoothly when the lives of passengers are at stake.
- A frequent cause of accidents is mechanical failure. To ensure that vehicles and machinery function optimally, regular services and assessments must be undertaken. It is easy to implement a health and safety culture with Safety Wallets latest technology.
Rewarding road hauliers for compliance
MAKROSAFE believes in giving back to all sectors of the South African services industry. For that reason it has introduced a SafetyWallet Rewards Programme that encourages and rewards employers for being OHS compliant. It teaches hauliers how to maintain Occupational Health and Safety standards by providing tools and the support needed to achieve this goal. But what is even more important is that SafetyWallet rewards clients with substantial financial savings.
There are four SafetyWallet Rewards programmes depending on the size of the company. These are divided in:
- Friend Circle (1- 50 Employees)
- Family Circle (51- 100 Employees)
- Champion Circle (101- 300 Employees)
- Pinnacle Circle (301+ Employees)
To illustrate the financial rewards that are available, here are some examples in the Champion Circle (101 to 300 employees):
Health and Safety Compliance
- A once-off fee of R3 000+
- Savings estimated at R12 000+
- Return on Investment 42%+
- Once-off fee R14 000+
- Savings estimated at R7 000+
- Return on Investment 69%+
Health and Safety Implementation
- Once-off fee R64 000+
- Savings estimated at R34 000+
- Return on Investment 219%+
Health and Safety procedures in the road and transport industry are complex. By using the services of a professional consultancy, such as MAKROSAFE and SafetyWallet, companies can enjoy a total solution to reach and maintain OHS compliance. Here are some of the aspects dealt with by MAKROSAFE and SafetyWallet.
Health and Safety Compliance Audit
A Health and Safety Compliance Audit is probably the most important aspect of compliance in the South African workplace. The audit ensures that companies comply with the OHS Act and Regulations, standards and by-laws.
- MAKROSAFE’s compliance audit establishes the legal standing of a company in terms of OHS compliance demands and support SafetyWallet.
- Risk Assessment
A Health and Safety Risk Assessment is a critical part of the OHS Act. To ensure compliance, this has to be monitored and conducted regularly.
- MAKROSAFE conducts risk Assessments to control, identify and manage hazards and risks in the workplace, safeguarding employees from possible death or injury.
- OHS Online Powers the data behind it and is moulded to cover all aspects of the OHS Act and Legislation and by-laws
Implementing Health and Safety Programmes
Health and Safety in the workplace is a continuous challenge. It requires a thorough understanding of relevant legislation. The involvement of specialists is therefore extremely important.
- MAKROSAFE and SafetyWallet’s Health and Safety Programme Implementation introduces fundamental Health and Safety strategies and procedures to maintain Health and Safety Compliance.
Inspections
Regular inspections of the workplace help to prevent deaths, injuries, accidents, illnesses and unforeseen incidents. By implementing a thorough examination of the workplace, inspections identify hazards for corrective action. Health and Safety committees should conduct, monitor, plan and report-back on inspections at a regular interval. This will underscore whether or not existing OHS plans are effective. It should also identify the possible existence of fatal hazards.
- MAKROSAFE guarantees the functionality and quality of this essential service in the first step to control damage if disaster strikes.
Injuries on Duty (IOD)
The objective of IOD’s is the prevention of accidents. It also by-passes the time-consuming process of administrative follow-ups.
- This should be handled by dedicated administrators, such as MAKROSAFE. Their intervention safeguards employees and ensures the continuity of company operations. IOD’s demands in-depth knowledge of the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act, as well as the OHS Act.
Maintaining Health and Safety Programmes
Maintaining Health and Safety in the workplace encompasses ongoing follow-ups and administrative processes.
- MAKROSAFE undertakes an impartial observation of the situation and provides possible solutions. This service ensures a hazard and risk-free workplace that is continuously monitored by professionally trained Health and Safety specialists, ensuring company compliance.
- SafetyWallet is backed by MAKROSAFE and supplies the knowledge, assistance and training to implement such a program.
Additional Services
With more than two decades of service in the field of OHS and with branches nationwide, MAKROSAFE offers a variety of additional services to maintain a safe and healthy working environment. These include:
- Managing and Tracking IOD’s
- Arranging and Managing Medicals
- Load Testing
- Refilling and providing first aid boxes
- Servicing fire equipment
- Site Files
- Evacuation plans
