DIY OHS TOOLKIT

Suitable for OHS Consultants,
Small, Medium and Large Organisations

What is Occupational Safety and Health (OSH)?

It is concerned with the health, safety, and welfare of employees in the workplace. We also call it Occupational Health and Safety (OHS), Workplace Health and Safety (WHS), and Occupational Health.

The purpose of the OHS Act is to provide for the safety and health of persons at work, whether in an office, factory or construction environment and in connection with the use of plant and machinery. It further provides for the protection of people other than people at work (visitors to your premises or the general public) from hazards arising out of or in connection with the activities from people at work.

The main purpose of the Act is to protect workers from health and safety hazards on the job. It sets out duties for all workplace parties and rights for workers. It establishes procedures for dealing with workplace hazards and provides for enforcement of the law where compliance has not been achieved voluntarily.

Workers/Employees have the Right to refuse unsafe work, the Right to participate in the workplace health and safety activities through the Health and Safety Committee (HSC) or as a worker health and safety representative. Employees have the Right to know, or the right to be informed about, actual and potential dangers in the workplace.

The Occupational Health and Safety Act is supported by subordinate legislation, Regulations and Codes of Practice, which give practical guidelines on how to manage health and safety issues.

Under the Act we all have obligations that we must comply with. The regulations form an inseparable part of the Occupational Health and Safety Act. These regulations provide specifications and requirements in the area that they govern.

How does the Occupational Health and Safety ACT affect you?

The law says that every business must have a policy for managing health and safety. A health and safety policy sets out your general approach to health and safety. It explains how you, as an employer, will manage health and safety in your business. Non-compliance with the act is a punishable offense ranging from minor fine to lengthy jail times.

The OHS toolkit (and consultancy services) offered by Gintan Luthuli Associates are designed to be aligned with the customer’s Corporate Risk Management Strategy as well as legal compliance with the Occupational Health & Safety and National Environmental Management Acts, ensuring that your company will be OHS compliant.