Page 13 - KZN BUSINESS SENSE Vol3 No3
P. 13

COMPETENCY IN SAFETY



           WHEN IS A PERSON SEEN AS COMPETENT IN
             THE HEALTH AND SAFETY ENVIRONMENT?



                      Bryan van den   b.  Is familiar with the Act and with   to be a safety
                       Heever, Operations     the applicable regulations made    representative
                        Manager         under the Act.              from a training
                                      Notes:                        provider and a lot
                                                                    of information like
                        The           a.   An all-inclusive assessment    the act, accident
                       construction     should be on all four       and incident
                          regulations     components knowledge,     procedures as
                           define a     training and experience, and    well as hazard
                           competent     where appropriate          identification and
                           person as     qualifications exist in relation    risk assessment is
                           a person      to the work to be performed.   provided. It would
                           who:       b.  Part b. of the above definition    be reasonable to expect that   behind his name. Remember you   “Did I do enough to prevent
                                        is best reflected through     the senior or supervisor in the   as the employer have to do what   this incident or accident from
                                        demonstration of understanding    business is already qualified in the  is reasonably practicable in your   happening”. If the answer is, I
        a.  Has in respect of the work or      of the Occupational Safety and    subjects provided in-post training   workplace. The moral and legal   don’t know or No then you need
          task to be performed the      Health (OSH) Act and its    to assist this safety representative   liability for this person being   to ensure competence as well
          required knowledge, training      various applicable regulations.  in his tasks.        responsible for people’s lives and   as a working health and safety
          and experience and, where                                                               health is not acceptable if he is   management plan. 
                                                                     Many companies I have dealt
          applicable, qualifications,    So how do we implement this in   with actually send a person on   not competent.
          specific to that work or task:    our workplace to form part of the   a safety representative course   The same principle has to   T: 087 941 7180
          Provided that where appropriate    safety management system?  and then expect him to do a   be enforced with regards to   bryan@hesscon.co.za
          qualifications and training are    Just training people in a   safety practitioner’s job. Surely   all aspects in and around   www.hesscon.co.za
          registered in terms of the                                he cannot be deemed competent   health and safety. Accident
          provisions of the National    subject like health and safety   in doing a safety officer or   investigators, permit issuers, fall
                                      representative does not make him
          Qualification Framework Act,    or her competent. As you can see   practitioner’s job. He would need   protection planners etc. all need a
          2008 (Act No.67 of 2008), those    from the definition they need   way more intense training as well   qualification as well as experience
          qualifications and that training    experience as well as knowledge.   as experience. In the same breath   and knowledge.
          must be regarded as the     This is a very hard thing to   it is not compliant to appoint a
          required qualifications and    manage in the workplace. The   person as a safety officer with   Remember to ask yourself
          training; and               person has one day of training   only a theoretical qualification   the question as an employer,



        THE POWER OF HR LEADERSHIP



        Lathasha Subban               for HR leadership, and what CEOs     accepting that HR is a “support”,     present. HR needs to drive    in February this year. It was a short
                                      and businesses expect from HR. As    add “strategic”. Become strategic     business by recognising the    phrase that I believe has a lot of
           n the 8 June 2017, the South   the new and emerging trends were     and the support function will      multi-skills and potential in    power in it, and I hope it inspires
           African Board for People   presented, I saw HR leadership     fall in place.             their talent, and map those    the HR leader in you:
        IPractices (SABPP) presented   step up and get excited to drive the   ■   Talent audit yourself as HR. It is      individuals to business outputs.    “HR IS THE HEART OF EVERY
        at the 4th Annual Emergence   change.                         imperative that you understand      Employees sit with many skills    ORGANISATION.”
        Growth HR Conference 2017. The   So, I will ask the same question     your strengths and weaknesses,      and competencies that need a
        theme was “The power of HR”,   that I started my presentation with,     but more so your unique talent      platform to thrive.  As a HR profession, I truly
        and it was well represented in the   “Do you recognise yourself as the     in HR.         ■   Learning becomes digital,    believe that we are the King/Queen
        presentations and the audience.  talent that will drive the business   ■   Know the trends and innovate.      adaptive and accessible.      that is responsible for all the hearts
          As a speaker, I was overwhelmed   vision?”                  Innovate your thoughts,       Embrace technology as an    of the organisation, and we need
                                                                                                                                to ensure they beat well and in
                                                                                                    enabler, your talent already is
        with the enthusiasm of the HR   As HR, we are responsible     processes and programmes by      learning and growing their    harmony. HR is the heart of every
        professionals that attended, and   for the leadership development     understanding the change in      knowledge base with it.  organisation….beat as the life line
        through our interaction, I really   programmes, the leadership ladder     employee, employer and                        for the employees and employer
        admired the “HR leadership” that   and the leadership everything     business needs.      ■   Leadership at all levels.      and embrace your talent and
        was being driven. Sharing the   that the organisation requires,   ■   Evolve the HR function. In the      Recognise leadership at all    leadership as a HR leader.
        speaker platform with experts like   yet we have not unpacked our     article “The evolving employee”,      levels. Most of the structures in
        Natalie Singer, Yendor Felgate, Prof  own leadership talent. HR     I mentioned that since the      organisations still have very    Lathasha Subban is Head
        Sakkie van der Merwe and Dr Pat   leadership talent is vital to “lead”     employee is evolving in their      hierarchical or flat structures,    of Knowledge & Innovation
        Smythe, the event dealt with many   the programmes that build the     needs and expectations, HR      hence making leadership    at SABPP. She was one of the
        HR and business challenges that   organisation’s talent pipeline and     needs to evolve and respond to      something from a top-down    speakers at the 4th Annual
        HR professionals face in current   workforce. Interestingly enough,     those needs. Business evolution      level. The power of HR      Emergence Growth HR
        times.                        the audience when asked the     + employee evolution = talent      leadership is that it can      Conference. You can contact her
                                                                                                    recognise leadership at all levels
          Areas of equal work and equal   question went into deep thought,     evolution = HR evolution.    and measure through outputs.  on lathasha@sabpp.co.za. 
        pay, talent standards, talent   yet what I witnessed was a group of  ■   Measure success and return on
        strengths, training and millennial   powerful HR leaders equipped to     investment. Everything we do in    HR is clearly a critical talent   T: 011 026 3442
        engagement was unpacked       drive the business vision.      HR must have a measurement    in driving the business vision,   F: 086 766 8598
        with solutions and practicality.   Here are some tips to assist in you     and must make business sense.    and mainly so because its role   Head Office: 328 Main Ave, Ferndale,
        Myths were squashed and real   in becoming “the talent that drives     Ensure your strategy aligns to    functions across the entire   Johannesburg
        time statistics was shared and   the business vision”:        outputs that drives business    structure, between every level   www.emergencegrowth.com
        exchanged. The power of HR                                    success.                    of work, and forms the life   Facebook: @EmergenceGrowth
        leadership created a strong fire on   ■   Know the business plan. By    ■   New game + new rules = new    line between the employer and   Twitter: @EmergenceGrowth
        a very cold day in Johannesburg.    understanding that HR does not      skills and competencies. HR is a    employee. This is why the power   LinkedIn: Emergence Growth
          I witnessed an audience that     work in the silo of the business,      leader in talent, and the      of HR leadership needs to develop
                                                                                                  and soar.
                                        but enables the business strategy
                                                                      standard in talent acquisition,
        engaged and interacted with the     with a skilled and competent      selection, benchmarking has
        knowledge experts, but shared     workforce.                  changed. The adapt, evolve and    As I closed my presentation at the
        their challenges and solutions. I                             survive mode is in action at    conference, I repeated a phrase I
        learnt new things about the drive   ■   Change the words. Instead of                      coined when I presented in India




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