A NEW YEAR

SAFE - Not Sorry

Safety is not a gadget, but a state of mind – Eleanor Everet

Safety in the workplace is a shared responsibility – in as much as the company is obligated to provide a safe work environment, the employees are responsible to follow the guidelines and safety measures.

The Occupational Health and Safety Act, Act 85 of 1993, governs the safety and health of persons at work, when they use plant and machinery and the protection of people from hazards arising out of or in connection with the activities from people at work.

In accordance with the Act, employers are required to provide and maintain safety signs in the workplace to communicate potential health and safety risks to employees and people interacting on site as visitors.

It is also required, in terms of the Act, that a company should have a Safety Officer or Committee and official Safety Plan that is part of the induction of new employees. The most important aspect of the safety plan is how the contents are communicated with the team. Proper training, instructions and clear signage are some of the requirements to keep your employees and visitors safe from harm.

Signage

All hazards must be clearly identified and the appropriate signage must be displayed in all areas where hazards have been identified. Appropriate signage must be displayed in areas that have been declared hazardous, where hazardous activities occur, or where hazardous substances are stored and/or handled (General Safety Regulations GN R1031, Reg2B).

The employees’ safety awareness increases when they see the signage and this helps to reduce the risk of workplace accidents. It is important that signage must be properly displayed and that the employees understand the meaning of the signs. They must also be informed about which hazards the signs are about.

Signage is important for the following reasons:

• It indicates the potential of immediate danger, which means action must be taken, or that something is prohibited. • It indicates that precautionary steps should be taken to ensure safety. • It indicates escape routes or first aid/ measures to assists in times of danger.

Types of health and safety signs

There are 3 main types of signs that you should be aware of: Mandatory signs, Emergency signs, and Warning signs.

Mandatory signs

Mandatory signs show what action is required and is usually a white safety symbol or pictogram on a blue background. These are used to show required actions or behaviours implemented within a workplace or public areas to ensure compliance with relevant health and safety regulations. These are required by law and include emergency and safety messages. The following list includes the safety signs that must be displayed in the workplace:

Caution signs

Electrical power shut off Fire safety signs Fire signage Hazard signs Hazardous chemicals Important notice signs Restricted entry Safety directional signs

Emergency Signs

Emergency signs are strategically placed markers that guide people out of the building during an emergency. Since the electricity may be out in cases like this, the signs should ideally be photoluminescent and be clearly visible in the dark. Emergency signs must always be highly visible, able to hold their light for at least an hour, and able to withstand severe heat so that they don’t melt in a fire.

The South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) manufactures all emergency signage, but it is the employer’s responsibility to display them in the appropriate areas.

Warning Signs

Warning signs give safety instructions and are the most common type of health and safety message displayed. The purpose is to keep all employees, visitors and contractors safe. Examples of warning signs are “Workmen Overhead” or “High Voltage.” The signs can include information, exit points, rules and regulations, and speed limits.

All warning signs need to be clear, specific, and easy to understand. For this reason, they are usually in picture form this ensures that everyone can understand what they mean, even if they cannot read. In South Africa, where we have a diverse nation with different languages, the pictures are understandable as it is a universal language.

There are some general rules around the shapes of warning signs:

• Squares and rectangles convey information, such as how to use fire equipment. • Circles are instructions that should be followed, such as speed limits and no entry notifications. • Triangles warn about dangerous situations, such as slippery surfaces.

Displaying signs

All dangerous locations must have specific signs. For example, slippery surfaces, low headroom, and overhead construction. Safety signs must comply with regulations and be in universal picture format as far as possible.

Ensure all staff understand the signage and what actions need to be taken. Signs and messages must be placed at the observer’s line of sight and far enough from the hazard itself so that the viewer has sufficient time to heed the warning, but close enough so that it is obvious where the danger lies.

Signs should not be placed on movable objects such as doors. Do not position too many signs in close proximity. When too many messages are displayed close together it can cause confusion.

Signs that are no longer relevant must be removed, for example when construction in a particular area is complete. All signage must be regularly cleaned and maintained. Regular inspections to ensure that they are securely fixed and not damaged are essential. All exits must be clearly marked - exit and escape signs should be visible from any place within the building. Signs must be positioned in well-lit and highly visible areas. signs may be required for fire safety. For example, exit doors should have warnings such as: “Fire Escape –Keep Clear.”

Areas where hazardous chemicals are stored must be clearly indicated. The worldwide standard of a yellow triangle with black pictogram must be used.

Regular risk assessments and safety inspections will ensure that the necessary health and safety signs for your unique workplace are correctly displayed. It is the employer’s responsibility to adhere to all recommendations and legal requirements.

Top 10 safety tips for the workplace

Here are ten safety tips for the workplace – it is good to communicate this with your employees regularly . This will help create and maintain a culture of safety:

1. Understand risks

Every work environment is different and these will vary from industry to industry and from workplace to workplace. It’s critical that employees understand the inherent risks that come with a particular job. This way they will take the proper steps necessary to avoid injury, particularly if working with dangerous equipment or in a hazardous environment.

2. Be aware of your surroundings at all time

Constantly remind employees to always be aware of what is going on around them and to look for hazards constantly.

3. Know where the first aid kit/officer are

If someone requires first aid, do your employees know how to access it in the workplace? Ensure your staff know where the first aid kit is and if you have a designated first aid officer, ensure they know who that person is so they can get assistance should they need it.

It is important to train staff members in basic first aid so that they can assist in case of injury or other emergencies.

4. Taking regular breaks

Many workplace injuries happen as a result of an employee being tired or burned out. By taking regular breaks, employees can stay fresh on the job. It is important to monitor staff as their state of mental wellness may also cause them to be negligent or experience loss of focus .

5. Always using equipment properly

When machines and tools are used in the workplace, employees should always take proper precautions. Never take shortcuts and never use the equipment for purposes other than what is intended to reduce the risk of workplace injury. Staff should also be well-trained in the use of the machines and tools.

6. Pay attention to signage

Signage is placed to indicate that there could be a potential hazard in the area and includes important information about maintaining a safe work environment. Employees should regularly be reminded about the warning or instruction of a particular sign so that they know how to act.

7. Know where emergency exits are

All employees should understand where they should safely exit the workplace in the event of an evacuation. Assembly points should also be clearly indicated so that everyone knows where to go – this will prevent people from panicking in an emergency.

8. Keep emergency exits accessible

Because employees need to access exits quickly in the event of an emergency, it is imperative that these be kept clear. Nothing should be placed in front of the exits that would block them or impede them from opening.

9. Reporting unsafe conditions

Employees should know how to report unsafe conditions so management can quickly address any safety risks or hazards. The regular inspection of machinery, equipment and signage will also help prevent incidents from happening as people will know that they are entering a dangerous or hazardous area.

10. Wear correct safety equipment

Every employee has a responsibility to ensure they are wearing proper protective equipment that will enable them to safely carry out their job. The equipment should ideally be replaced regularly to ensure that employees are protected.

Communication is key

Good communication is essential to ensure that employees understand the safety plan of the company, know who the safety officers are and what requirements they must abide by in the workplace. This will help to build a safety culture where people speak up about potential hazards and understand the role that they have in keeping themselves and their colleagues safe.

Ensuring that you get employees’ attention can be challenging in the modern workplace: there are so many competing sources of information these days that people don’t have time to pay attention to everything. If you send all your safety messages by email or put them on the intranet, there’s a very high likelihood your employees will miss them. It may be a good idea to include written communication on safety with payslips or have a staff meeting where safety is discussed. Assuming that the employees know will not protect you in case something happens.�

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

https://www.makrosafe.co.za/blog/ Why-must-Health-and-Safetymessages-be-displayed

Department of labour labour.gov.za https://www.alert-software.com/ blog/top-10-workplace-safety-tipsevery-employee-should-know https://siza.co.za/health-andsafety-signage/

Shift happens

We need to learn how customers use our products and services to determine the value we want to add

One could argue that change has been our constant companion for a long, long time.

Change has however not been evenly distributed over time and for some generations the rate of change was different to those before them.

This is typically fuelled by changes in technology which makes possible new economic models.

Profound change is less common than we think and the current shift from the industrial, capital driven economic model to the digital economy based on datadriven insights has a significant impact on the current economic and political systems.

The scope and scale of this shift, if not upending or optimising existing business models, is creating the potential to build brand new businesses with the ability to empower and enable people previously excluded on a basis of access to capital.

Predominant model

We need to acknowledge though that the industrial economy is still the predominant model (it’s a shift not a switch), and this creates a challenge for many business owners. One the one hand they need to run their existing business as optimally as possible in an increasingly competitive market while they build new businesses that will make them participants in the digital economy.

Unless of course your business has digital technology at its core and it’s the way you create value for your customers.

Technology and, more specifically, ubiquitous access to information has also shifted the power from manufacturers of products and services to the customer. This coupled with the fact that customers increasingly want to share the risk of ownership and value realisation with the provider of the product and services has left to the emergence of highly as-aservice business models.

The value chain is therefore inverting, and we have now to firstly show the customer how we will deliver value and then also learn how they are using our products and services to derive value.

Traditional roles

This has significant implications for traditional roles like sales and marketing. The shift in sales is towards customer success and marketing is shifting from a product led, competitor focused approach to a customer led and use-case driven model. The focal point is on customer empathy, and it is critical as each of our customers embark on a process of digitisation.

In the South African context, it can change the structure of our economy, create new and modern jobs and ensure that we remain globally competitive.

We will need to re-imagine our educational system at all levels but even here technology will drive the change needed. Our technology sector is already developing world class solutions, but we can do so much more if we leverage enabling technologies like the cloud, high speed internet, IOT and renewable energy.

Our challenge is to embrace all these shifts and ensure that we listen to our customer – they are on the same journey as us.

None of us has all the answers and, the need to work together in a network of alliances to solve for customer challenges and opportunities, is becoming a core capability.

This is the start of a shift away from vertical value chains into an adaptive ecosystem that will evolve and morph along the path our customers are on. But more about that next month…. �

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Opinion Piece by Anton Herbst