Ensuring safety in the workplace
When someone is injured at the workplace, having a trained staff member at hand to treat that someone while waiting for professional help could save a life.
POLOKWANE – However, in many cases people aren’t handled with enough care which leads to further injury.
The law on health and job safety, which gives employees rights when it comes to their safety at work, was proclaimed in 1994. By law a workplace is required to have safety representatives and a safety committee.
Employees are responsible to keep an eye on their health and safety at work. It is the employee’s responsibility to be attentive to any warnings and precautionary measures in the workplace to keep them safe and healthy.
The employer must ensure the working environment is safe and not hazardous to anyone’s health at all times. The employer is also responsible for the provision of safety clothing as well as warning signs and proper training to operate dangerous equipment in the workplace.
It is the employee’s responsibility to report any unsafeness in the workplace to the representative or safety officer.
Should any accident happen in the workplace, the workplace must keep a register of it and some accidents or incidents must be reported to the Department of Labour.
The department is situated at 42a Schoeman Street and can be contacted at (015) 290 1744. Their office hours are Monday to Friday from 07:30 to 16:00. You can also visit their website at www.labour.gov.za.
