Health & Safety Officer

"AHS employees are professional and experts in their field...the facilitator was live and vibrant, making us focused and wanting to know more."

Health and Safety Officers ensure that their organisations comply with the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Act. A Health and Safety Officer is responsible for planning, implementing, and overseeing health and safety strategy, and helps to keep employees, visitors and contractors safe.

Studies have shown that most incidents and accidents can be avoided, as they are generally caused by unrecognised hazards and risks from employee errors, faulty equipment and bad habits. Employers gain peace of mind from knowing that their OHS requirements are being carefully managed by skilled Health and Safety Officers who obtain workplace health and safety training.

Roles of a Health and Safety Officer

An Officer's responsibilities include the following (and more!):

• Ensure that the employer and all employees comply with the OHS Act
• Review, plan and help implement OHS policies, procedures, and strategy
• Advise on the annual OHS budget
• Conduct annual risk assessments to ensure risks have been addressed
• Conduct incident and accident investigations with health and safety reps
• Advise and inform employees on OHS initiatives and strategy
• Prepare regular in-service health and safety training and communication
• Ensure that the OHS team is trained in first aid, firefighting, evacuation planning, health and safety, etc.
• Work with HR to assist in conducting health and safety induction programs for new employees

Health and Safety Officer course content

• First Aid Level 1 (NQF) – to assist with emergencies, and understand responsibilities of first aiders and how they can workeffectively as a team.
• Firefighting – to know the theory behind fires, how equipment is used and serviced, and how to implement fire prevention measures and strategies.
• Occupational Health & Safety Act – to understand the regulations of the OHS Act that are critical for ensuring compliance
• Incident investigation – to conduct thorough incident investigations, identify unsafe working conditions or acts, determine causes, make recommendations, and implement corrective and preventative actions
• Risk assessment – to identify risks to employees, visitors, and the organisation; and to propose, review and implement control measures.
• Health and safety management systems – to implement a system, including health and safety policies, structures, administration, culture, communication, objectives, and more.

Because of the hands-on nature of this training, it is offered in person at Absolute Health Services' excellent training facilities in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban & Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth). Alternatively, if your employer has eight or more people needing to take a course, the instructors can come to you and conduct the training on sites.