Page 6 - KZN Business Book Vol.3 No.2

KZN

KwaZulu-Natal
Business Chambers Council
SAFETY AND RESPONSIBILITY

these responsibilities. e general workplace the more I have to do to soon as possible. Remember all does not comply. Add the
Bryan van den duties of the employer are stated protect my workers. sta have to be reasonably aware requirements of the Act in a
Heever -
Operations in section 8 of the Act paragraphs of all the hazards and the hearing situation when the
Manager “A” to “J”. Namely, the employer Let’s use an example, a lady mitigating factors. employee oversteps the rules of
shall provide and maintain as far selling goods from a container safety and/ or ignores it.
as reasonably practicable a tuck-shop versus a rubber tyre Section 14 of the Act deals with Remember, employees will very
working environment that is safe manufacturer. Clearly we will have the general duties of the employee. easily testify that they know
and without risk to the health of more hazards in the tyre Only ve aspects are discussed nothing about safety, if you as the
the employees. manufacturing operation than the from paragraph “A” to “E”. employer have no proof of
tuck-shop. However, many training and information.
is means that the employer employers in an oce In short the employee has to Creating a health and safety
abide by the act with regards to:
environment will say, “But it’s an
W hat determine all hazards with regard oce with 10 sta we have no • Taking reasonable care of their culture within your organisation
shall do a risk assessment to
need for OSH Act compliance
to safety, health and
will ensure compliance and
are
the
safety in the workplace.
of others who may be aected
workplace. Once the risk
manufacturer”. is is a total
employers’ and the employees’ environmental issues in the seeing that we are not a own health and safety and those respect for all aspects regarding
responsibilities according to the assessment has been done the misconception. What are the by their acts
Occupational Health and Safety employer has to either remove hazards? Robbery, re, slips and • Carrying out lawful orders with T: 087 941 7180
Act (OSH Act) 85 of 1993? such hazards and or mitigate the trips, portable electrical regards to any safety bryan@hesscon.co.za
www.hesscon.co.za
Well to understand this concept hazards and risks. e last method equipment, hazardous substances requirement
we need to understand that the of mitigation should be the issue and maybe you have a driver with • Reporting incidents and
OSH Act 1993 is a criminal act. and training with regards to a company delivery vehicle, which unhealthy or unsafe conditions
is means that either party can personnel protective equipment has driving hazards. immediately
be criminally charged if an oence (PPE).
is committed according to the Act. e employer has to determine As you can see these duties are
What does the word reasonably these hazards either by themselves far easier than the responsibilities
Both parties have practicable mean to an and/or with help from safety of the employer. However, we do
responsibilities and obviously the employer? practitioners. e mitigation not enforce the requirement of
employer carries the burden of e more hazards I have in my implementation will follow as section 14 when the employee
INVESTING IN HUMAN CAPITAL
80%, which cannot be explained, claiming what the system adaptability and willingness to creating a pool from which the
Andrew Layman surely, by a slow-down in permitted. is apathy, which has learn. So, why not seek them employees with better prospects
F construction. In the following extended to a general lack of through taking in interns and may be chosen?
learners, oer bursaries, establish
representation on the part of
ollowing Government’s
occupations, the decline exceeded
business on SETA boards, has
constructive relationships with
commitment to eighteen
80%: builders’ worker, scaolder
layman.uip@gmail.com
so-called Strategic
Infrastructure Projects (SIPs) in (93% decline), earthmoving encouraged a proliferation of education institutions; even
ineciency and corruption which
worker, cement and concrete plant
sponsor them, perhaps, thereby
2012, some surveys were done to worker, paving and surfacing has led to the sorry state of most
assess whether the country had worker and handyperson. ese SETAs. ey are due to be
adequate skills for these projects are all at the “elementary” level. absorbed into the Department,
to be completed. It transpired that e CETA website is devoid of any apparently, which is unlikely to
we do not, although this has not nancial reporting, but surely the enhance their contributions
been the only setback. From our revenue which accrued to the towards the development of skills.
perspective in KZN, the new port SETA did not decline by 80% from
is not to be built yet, and there are 2010 – 2012. It appears clear that It is high time that Business
few signs that the Durban-Free the CETA has not executed its accepted a great deal more
State-Gauteng logistics and mandate successfully. At the same responsibility for developing the
industrial corridor is likely to time, the TVET colleges have been skills that are required. It is about
materialize any time soon. All notoriously unsuccessful in investing in human capital, about
those N3 motorists yearning for a achieving a healthy through-put of identifying hidden abilities among
dedicated road freight route qualied and suitably skilled employees, and about consciously
remain as frustrated as ever. young people, despite the providing opportunities for
adoption of the National Artisan improvement and advancement.
But it is the skills shortage Team formed in 2008. In the ere is no value in waiting for the
which is a cause for greater period between April 2009 and state to deliver young people who,
concern. e CSIR identied over March 2014, 24 750 learners even if they don’t have the
30 occupations in which shortages entered artisan programmes, but required skills, at least have the
were critical. While these included only 46% of these (13 845)
those dened as “professional”, completed them successfully. In
others near the top of the list were monetary terms, R4.5 billion may
technician, grader operator and be considered to have been
welder. Also in the top ten were wasted.
concreter, bricklayer and
electrician. e Construction is sad state of aairs is
SETA also analysed skills attributable to several government
shortages in its Sector Skills Plan plans that have gone awry since
Update (2013/14). For the 1994, but the private sector, which
implementation of the SIPs alone, has painted itself as a victim of the
this quantied the shortages, not system, must share some blame.
all of which were construction- Prior to 1994 several training
related. For example, the shortage boards, private sector bodies in
in the spheres of clerical support, the main, had good support from
services and sales, was estimated large companies that were active
at 725 000, while there were in employing apprentices and
386 000 too few people to ll training them to a high standard.
professional occupations, and When these bodies were replaced
even 284 500 too few people to ll by the SETAs and the skills levy
“elementary” occupations. was introduced, the private sector
gave in and began to rely on the
e Construction SETA (CETA) public sector to produce a steady
itself reported a signicant decline supply stream. One of the reasons
in its expenditure on learnerships that the mandatory grant – money
from 2010 – 2012. Whereas it which companies could reclaim to
funded a total of 101 737 in 2010, fund their training – was reduced
only 20 534 were supported in rst to 50% and subsequently to
2012. is represents a decline of 20%, was that companies were not

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