An OHS file contains a range of documents and records related to OHS in the workplace. These may include:

1. Risk Assessments: A risk assessment is an evaluation of the potential risks in the workplace. It should identify hazards and assess the likelihood of harm occurring.
2. Health and Safety Policy: This document outlines the employer’s commitment to providing a safe working environment and the measures that will be taken to achieve this.
3. Safe Working Procedures: These procedures are developed to ensure that tasks are completed safely and without risk to employees. Safe working procedures should be written in a way that is easy to understand and follow.
4. Incident and Accident Reports: These documents detail any incidents or accidents that have occurred in the workplace. They should include information about the nature of the incident, the date and time it occurred, and any injuries sustained.
5. Training Records: Records of any OHS training provided to employees should be included in the OHS file. This includes training on specific hazards, emergency procedures, and safe work practices.
6. Checklists and inspection reports: These conducted at set intervals as required by legislation.
7. Minuets of safety committee meetings and related communications.
8. Formal appointments: Appointments are required for various roles such as; first aiders, occupational health and safety representatives to name a few.

An OHS file is important for a number of reasons. Firstly, it helps employers to identify and manage risks in the workplace. By keeping accurate records, employers can track their progress in improving OHS and identify areas where further improvements are needed and maintain their records for the prescribed time periods. Secondly, an OHS file helps employers to comply with legal requirements. In the event of an inspection or investigation, employers will need to provide evidence that they are complying with OHS legislation. Finally, an OHS file can be used to educate and train employees on OHS policies, procedures, and safe working practices.

An occupational health and safety file is a vital tool for managing OHS in the workplace. By keeping an up-to-date OHS file, employers can ensure that they are providing a safe working environment for their employees and complying with legal requirements.

Dynamikos can assist you and your organisation develop and maintain your OHS file. In addition, we can assist you with producing occupational health and safety files for site specific work that may be required by your clients while performing activities on their premises.

We would love to assist you with your occupational health and safety, send us an email to sales@dynamikos.co.za or visit our web site www.dynamikos.co.za

If you have ever had a visit from the Department of Employment and Labour, you will know that, without fail, this is one of the first documents the inspector’s request. With good reason.  It ensures that employers have complied with the most important legal duty imposed on them by the Occupational Health and Safety Act, (Act 85 of 1993 as amended) and its incorporated regulations.  This is the duty to provide and maintain a working environment that is safe and without risks to the health and safety of all employees.  This duty cannot be discharged diligently and completely unless all potential hazards and related risks within the workplace have been identified.

The process of identifying the hazards and risks is referred to as a risk assessment.  Often referred to as Hazards Identification and Risk Assessment or HIRA.  Based on the outcomes of the risk assessments decisions are taken as to the required preventative measures to be implemented to ensure a safe workplace is provided and maintained.  Simply put a risk assessment is a detailed look at what could hurt employees while they perform their duties at work.  This then helps employers figure out what precautions and controls must develop to prevent workplace accidents, injuries, and death.

Within the workplace there are several types of risks assessments that could be undertaken. These include:

This provides an overview of the hazards and risks for all aspects, machinery, and tasks within a workplace.  This is generally undertaken if no previous risk assessment has been drafted.  These should be reviewed at least annually.

The purpose of conducting an issue-based risk assessment is to conduct a detailed assessment that will result in the development of action plans for the treatment of significant risk.  This type of assessment is normally focused at operational activities, processes and systems-based functions. It focuses the identification of the risks within a certain task, process or activity and is usually associated with the management of a change in the work.  An example would be if a new machine has been commissions this assessment will be conducted prior to it becoming operational in the workplace or after a incident has occurred the process or task that was being conducted will be carefully re-assessed to ensure that all hazards addressed properly.

Regular inspections conducted on equipment or machinery such as daily inspection of vehicles could be regarded as continuous based risk assessments.  It is a strong and vital evaluation method that should be used regularly as part of everyday operations that results in the identification of hazards for immediate action, the identification of significant risks, gathering of information to updated or improved the Baseline Risk Assessment.  Continuous Risk Assessments should be performed by direct (first-line) supervisors as they should be ongoing and not too complex for them to manage.

Non-compliance with the Occupational health and safety Act (Act 85 of 1993, as amended) apart from being a criminal offence can be very expensive and damaging to an organisation’s reputation. Resulting in severe losses to production and earnings.

Dynamikos offers Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (HIRA) training courses as well as Occupational Health and safety services including the conducting of Risk Assessments for our clients to assist them in remaining compliant.

Anyone (basically). AED’s were designed with the intention that anyone (over the age of 12) should be able to use it. This includes all non-medical personnel, bystanders and… you! The purpose of these devices is to be accessible to anyone who may need it, as they need it.

Although these devices do not necessarily require training, or any certification to use them, it’s highly recommended that individuals are first aid trained when using one. This is as cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is often required in conjunction with, or before/after the AED has been used.

Upon finding and opening the AED, the rescuer should turn it on and follow the instructional voice ques (or the illustrated, or text instructions). There are likely to be graphics indicating where to place the conductive pads, and how to place them. The rescuer should then correctly place the pads on the casualty’s chest. An AED then assesses the casualties heart rhythm to determine whether the casualty has an irregular heartbeat. Should the AED detect that the casualty requires a shock, a voice will prompt the rescuer with instructions. These instructions are likely to involve asking all individuals to stay clear of the patient before a shock is administered (ensuring they are not shocked), and thereafter instructing continuation of CPR should a regular heart rhythm not be achieved as a result of the shock.

These instructions ensure effective use of the AED, assisting the user to ensure that the patient has the best chance  to achieve the intended outcome: a regular heartbeat. AED’s will only deliver  the shock if it is required. Therefore, it is extremely important that the AED measures the casualty’s heart rhythm prior to advising a shock. An AED cannot deliver a shock accidentally or without determining that it is required by the patient first.

AED’s are likely to be found in most public spaces, including shopping centres, large shopping malls, hotels, airports, etc.

As previously mentioned, an AED is used when a casualty is in cardiac arrest. The device measures the individuals heart rhythm, and should it be irregular the device will shock the casualty’s heart in an attempt to  get it back to a normal rhythm.

Although AED’s can bring back a natural heart rhythm, they do not necessarily work after a shock is delivered. In certain instances, several shocks may be required or due to an underlying cause they may not be effective. For this reason, it is highly recommended that CPR is performed before, between and after shocks are delivered in order to  maintain circulation of oxygenated blood throughout the body.

Do you want to learn to perform CPR? Use an AED? Sign yourself up for one of our first aid courses now! We offer First Aid Level 1, First Aid Level 1-3 and Paediatric CPR & Basic First Aid courses which will all provide you with sufficient knowledge to perform CPR. First aid level 1 is focused on adults, whereas the latter is focused on babies and children; first aid level 1-3 prepares you for anyone!

In a life-or-death situation, all you hear is sirens. The sound of saving your loved ones’ life. Although in such a situation, you would be willing to do anything to save your loved ones’ life, should there be no ambulance available… your options are limited, and due to the ambulance crisis in South Africa, there may be no ambulance available to save your/your loved ones’ life.

Alongside the above, there are also differences in private and public ambulance services, and the implications of entering each of these emergency vehicles differ too.

In South Africa, you cannot be refused emergency, lifesaving medical services; this includes individuals that cannot afford such services. The National Patients’ Rights Charter protects and provides South Africans with the right to medical assistance. Provincial, state-run emergency services can stabilise and transport individuals to hospitals at no cost. It is important to note, however, as seen above, that all provinces within South Africa have too few public ambulances available.

The above situation is relevant for public emergency services, however, when dealing with private emergency services, the following is relevant:

• Should you have medical aid, you will be charged accordingly/your medical aid will finance the relevant portion of the fees. There are various medical aid plans in South Africa, and each one is likely to pay out differently based on the level of coverage.
• Should you not be a member of a medical aid scheme, an assessment is performed based on your income and you will be charged accordingly.
• Traffic accidents are covered by the road accident fund and therefore private ambulance services are reimbursed via this structure.

In summary, should an ambulance be required by you/your loved ones, there is a way to make it happen no matter your financial situation. An ambulance bed is available to all!

• DOWNLOAD THE NAMOLA APP

As a South African, you should download the Namola app! Namola is your best friend in an emergency situation. It is free to download (available on Apple and on Android devices) and can assist you greatly. After downloading the app, and inserting basic personal information, a large SOS button can be seen at the bottom of your screen, this button then has options including: Fire, Medical, Accident and more. Selecting the option best suited for your situation will put you through to a call centre where someone will answer and be ready to assist you. Namola strives to create safer communities, and to protect you in frightening situations. The app has many features, outside of those mentioned. Namola can assist you in contacting public emergency services, as well as community responders.

• TRAIN FIRST AID

Having basic First Aid knowledge is extremely beneficial to assist in an emergency medical situation. Should an ambulance take hours to arrive on scene, being first aid trained could be the difference between life or death for the casualty.

• REMEMBER: 10177 AND 112

10177 is the South African number fire department and ambulance emergency number. 112 is the number for all emergencies. These two numbers are important, and valuable to remember. Save them on your cell phone, write them down and slip them into your cell phone cover or in your handbag or car.

The above tips, tricks and knowledge will hopefully assist you, as a South African, when you find yourself in a situation requiring emergency medical services.

As taught in CPR classes, your hands should be placed in the centre of the sternum. Should your hands be placed too far left or right of the sternum, the risk for breaking ribs runs higher. This is largely because of the depth at which CPR is provided. If the individual providing CPR does not have CPR certification or has not been shown the correct manner in which to perform CPR, this individual has a higher chance of breaking ribs.

As bones age, they become more brittle and therefore, fragile. In situations with older casualties, the risk of breaking ribs is significantly higher, and the placement of the CPR providers hands is not the main reason behind possible broken ribs.

Alongside age, varying bone diseases (including osteoporosis) could increase the risk of broken ribs. Any illness that affects bone density or bone fragility increases the risk of breaking ribs significantly. Weaker bones are significantly more susceptible to breaking (understandably).

Children’s bones (until the age of 10) are a lot more flexible. In this, their bones are more supple and can therefore move more when pressure is applied to them. Breaking children’s ribs while performing CPR can cause life threatening damages. For this reason, rather than using two palms while performing CPR on a child, only one hand is used. When performing CPR on a baby, two fingers are used at the centre of the chest.

In summary, ribs can break during CPR, however it is not guaranteed. Do not let the possibility of breaking ribs hinder you from performing CPR or alter the depth at which you perform CPR. Breaking ribs is not a sign of “effective CPR”! Breaking a rib is a small price to pay when considering an individual’s life could be saved.

Should a rib break while performing CPR, this is not an indication to stop. The only time to stop chest compressions is when a medical professional arrives at the scene. As an individual you can stop/pause chest compressions when you are switching out with another person to perform the compressions. However, once you have started the compressions, they should not be stopped until a medical practitioner arrives on the scene and takes over.

In first aid the most important thing to remember is: Life Over Limb. Stopping CPR is likely to cause death, however breaking a rib will cause pain or skeletal injuries, but those are likely fixable.

Another reason why compliance training is so important is that it can help to improve the overall performance of your organization. When your employees are properly trained, they are better equipped to do their jobs and are more likely to make fewer mistakes. This can lead to increased productivity and efficiency, which can ultimately result in higher profits for your business. Additionally, when your employees are properly trained, they are more likely to be engaged and motivated, which can lead to increased job satisfaction and employee retention.

Perhaps the most compelling reason why compliance training is so important is that it can help to protect your business from legal and financial risks. In South Africa, there are a number of laws and regulations that govern health and safety, first aid, and other related areas. If your business is not compliant with these laws and regulations, you could be subject to fines, penalties, and even criminal charges. Additionally, if your employees are not properly trained, they may not be aware of their rights and responsibilities under these laws and regulations, which could leave your business vulnerable to lawsuits and other legal challenges.

In conclusion, compliance training is an absolute need for any business in South Africa. Whether it is first aid, health and safety, or other related short-course training, compliance training can help to ensure that your employees are prepared to handle a wide range of situations, improve the overall performance of your organisation, and protect your business from legal and financial risks. Rather than being a grudge purchase that you would rather not make, compliance training is an investment in the future of your business that will pay off in the long run.

It is important to note, that compliance training is not only a legal requirement but also a moral one. It is the responsibility of the organisation to ensure their employees are safe and healthy. Investing in compliance training is an investment in the well-being of your employees and the business, and ultimately it will lead to a better work environment and a more successful company.

Would you like to learn more? Get in touch with us: info@dynamikos.co.za