Wednesday, June 24, 2015

What is dry drowning...?

A 10-year-old died from “dry drowning,” or “secondary drowning”: a freak accident that is quite rare, but usually deadly. It happens when a person, usually someone small like a child, ingests too much water and it gets into their lungs, causing a delayed pneumonia.

Dry drowning or secondary drowning is something most parents dont know about. It is rare, BUT its real. Just because something is rare doesnt mean that it wont or cant happen to you or someone you know... Dont be "that" person. Educate yourself enough to know the warning signs and to know what to do.

Warning Signs

Because you might not witness your child inhale and swallow pool, ocean or even bath water it's important to know the signs. You need to watch for distressful breathing, consistent coughing, vomiting, unusual behavior or extreme sleepiness.

Seek Professional Help

If you witness an event in the water, the lifeguard can and will perform initial lifesaving measures, but further observation should be in a medical facility.
Go to the ER! Treatment of dry drowning includes obtaining a chest X-ray, having an IV and being monitored for signs of respiratory distress or compromise.

Don't Be Fooled

Most importantly, parents need to know that dry drowning is very sneaky.
Drowning conjures images of someone thrashing around in the water, not a child who went swimming several hours ago, Think of your child at home resting on the couch, worn out by sun and swimming. Your child is only tired, right? Not dry drowning. Or is she? The scary part is the timing of the drowning, up to 24 hours after an event in the water, Even more scary: Dry drowning can occur while the child is napping or down for the night. Why? Water in the lungs can induce vomiting, followed by choking.

Prevention Is Key

Dry drowning can be prevented by taking appropriate precautions around water.
Children over the age of 4 years should have swim lessons and be supervised by at least one adult at all times while near a body of water, including bathtubsIn addition, parents and caregivers should know CPR. Proper fencing around swimming pools is an important safeguard, too. Don't forget about boat safety: Passengers of all ages on a boat need to wear a life jacket."My No. 1 piece of advice when it comes to safety involving large bodies of water is to have someone with your child at all times. Incidents leading to dry drowning can occur in a matter of seconds," Dr. Fisher a medical practitioner says.

Share this information with your friends & loved ones.. it could save a life!

Daycare / Creche enrollment - Vital Questions to ask...


Ensure that the creche you send your child to is compliant with the health and safety regulations... You are well within your right to ask them the following questions -

- Firstly are you registered?

Unfortunately in this day and age most moms and dads need to work and they need to find suitable places for their kids to stay while they are at work.. As a parent you want to ensure that your precious child is in the care of people they can trust and people that will keep your kids safe from harm..

Recently, two children were killed after a building caught fire on Koch Street in the Johannesburg CBD.. The father of a 3 year old little girl who died in the fire is completely devastated. He explains "Not even one teacher has come to me to explain what happened to my child. I’m hearing the news from other people, but I want the teachers to explain.”

He said all he wanted was for his daughter to have a better life than his, but the people he trusted are not responding to his calls for an explanation.

There are unregistered, non-compliant daycares / creches popping up all over. Sadly parents are sometimes desperate to find a "safe" place for their children to stay while they are at work. 

Most of the time though the owners of these mushrooming daycares / creches only see one thing.... MONEY! They prey on the parents that cant afford "fancy" expensive schools and take advantage of this.The minute something like this dreadful fire happens... they are no where to be found. A child has lost their life and a parent has lost their precious child...

However ensuring that their staff are trained in first aid and fire fighting as well as emergency preparedness can be affordable if you look in the right places. 

Please remember the vital questions to ask... they could save your childs life!



.

Monday, June 22, 2015

What is a SHE REP?

There have been many times in the past where I have asked a client or a friend if they have designated a SHE REP... Thats when I get this puzzled look on their face like I have asked them to explain what a Priapism is. (You should look it up, its quite interesting :)) So I am going to explain what the SHE REP does and what their responsibilities are.

What is a SHE Rep

A Health and Safety Representative may be seen as the “voice” of the people 
through which matters of safety and health can be attended to. 

What are the functions of the Health and Safety rep? 

The rights, duties and functions of Health and Safety Representatives are 
stipulated in the OHS Act 1993 and include: 

 Review the effectiveness of health and safety measures. 

 Identify potential hazards and major 
incidents at the workplace. 

 Assist his employer in establishing the cause 
of incidents at workplace. 

 Investigate employees’ complaints 
regarding health and safety at the 
workplace. 

 Make representations regarding the above 
to the employer, health and safety 
committee and the inspector. 

 Make representations to the employer in 
general with regard to health and safety in 
the workplace. 

 Inspect the workplace at agreed intervals, 
the representative must also give 
reasonable notice of his intention to do so, 
as employees may wish to present. 

 Participate with, and accompany inspectors (Dep. of Labour) during their inspections. 

 Receive information from inspectors with respect to any request they may have submitted 
to him. 

 Attend the health and safety committee meeting. 


According to the OHS Act, health and safety representatives are entitled to the following: 
 Visit the scene of an accident and attend meetings “in loco” (at the scene). 
 Attend investigations or enquiries held by inspectors. 
 Inspect any document department by the employer that may require, carrying out his 
duties. 
 Accompany an inspector on inspections. 
 With the employer’s approval, a technical advisor to may accompany him on any 
inspections. 
 Accompany an inspector on inspection 
 Participate in health and safety audit

A Health and Safety Representative my not incur any civil 
liability with regard to their duties 

All the activities of representatives will be carried out in working 
hours, as if they were part of his working day. 


This is the law...

Do you know what the penalties are if you are not compliant with the Health & Safety regulations?


In general, a fine of R 50 000.00 per transgression or one year imprisonment, possibly both can be given and where there is, or could have been, a charge of culpable homicide, then a fine of R 100 000.00 or two years imprisonment, it is even possible that both can be given.


Below is an example of what the requirements are in every work place according to the OHS Act, these are dependent on your risk category and departments - 

How many fire fighters should be designated?

Where more than 10 employees are employed at a workplace, the employer needs to appoint a trained fire fighter. This is a compulsory legal appointment and the fire fighter should be readily available during normal working hours. However it is recommended to train 2 employees instead of just one as people are human and do have their sick days or leave days..

How many first aiders should be designated?

Where more than 10 employees are employed at a workplace, the employer needs to appoint a trained first aider. This is a compulsory legal appointment and the first aider should be readily available during normal working hours. However it is recommended to train 2 employees instead of just one as people are human and do have their sick days or leave days

How many health and safety representatives (SHE Reps) must be designated?

A representative must be designated for every workplace consisting of 20 or more workers. Therefore, where only 19 workers are employed, it is not necessary to designate a representative. In the case of shops and offices, one representative must be designated for every 100 workers or part thereof. For example, one representative must be designated in the case of 21 to 100 workers. But two representatives must be designated where 101 to 200 workers are employed, etc.However it is recommended to train 2 employees instead of just one as people are human and do have their sick days or leave days...

Do you have to have a safety file?

It is imperative to keep all your health and safety paperwork up to date. This file should be compiled for onsite construction as well as in each company. This will also have all important information that can be referred to in the event of an incident investigation and this is the first place a department of labour or fire department inspector will check.

How often should you have a Evacuation drills?

Evacuation drills have to be executed at least once a year.

Why should you have Comprehensive Risk Assessments done?

These ascertain any shortfalls and assist greatly to ensure that your company is compliant.

We all need to do this... the department of labour will be employing an additional 100 inspectors to start keeping on top of Health & Safety. So dont be stuck with a letter from the department telling you that they will shut you down for 30 days or whack you with that large fine... Get it done!

Basic First Aid Education for kids

Basic First Aid Education for kids

Did you know... A 4-year-old can learn to treat cuts and scrapes. An 8-year-old can be taught to help a person who is choking, and studies show they're also smart enough to use automated external defibrillators when trained. Studies show a 9-year-old can learn and apply CPR. An 11-year-old can learn how to tend to bee stings, allergic reactions and burns. Maybe its time kids are taught and given the confidence to help in an emergency?

Learning a few first-aid principles does more than prepare kids for the worst: it also helps them develop their compassion, self-esteem, and sense of purpose.

I believe that first aid is a life skill that everyone can and should learn from an early age. 

We all need help at times in our lives. We all have accidents now and again and we all get hurt.

When we are injured or suddenly unwell, what we want and need is someone to help us – someone who knows what to do. First aid is all about helping people in situations like this.

It’s easier than you think, and there are simple things that you can do to help.

You can make a difference.

www.proactivecompliance.co.za

General duties of employers to their employees - Health & Safety

Duties of the Employer "Section 8: General duties of employers to their employees"

"Every employer, as far as is reasonably practicable, shall provide and maintain a working environment that is safe and without risk to the health of his employees."

The rest of section 8 enhances sub-section one in that it clearly spells out what needs to be done. Therefore for this purpose the focus will be concentrated on the first part of section 8, as it is the most important part of employer compliance. 

It is clear from section 8 (1) that the first step in legal compliance is to identify the hazards, risks and dangers associated in the working environment under the control of the employer. Section 8 (1) identifies two specific duties, namely provide and maintain. This in fact refers to the management of risks at all times in the workplace. To achieve this compliance the employer must adapt risk processes that caters for an issue-based program and those results must be used to develop and implement a continuous risk program.

In terms of sections 43 and 44 the employer must establish compliance with those regulations and standards applicable on the organisation. It will be easy to comply to the stipulations of the Regulations incorporated in the OHS Act, as it is self-explanatory.  However the regulation addresses only the conditions relating to specific plant and machinery, and therefore the health and safety of employees may still be at stake. It is for this reason that the is "as far as is reasonably practicable" principle is included in section 8 (1). Some employers use this as an escape gate not to establish a comprehensive risk program and moves directly to the last defence in safety namely the provisioning of personal protective equipment. The implications of "as far as is reasonably practicable" are:



From the above it is clear that certain steps must be taken before PPE can be issued, and when it is issued there are further duties that the employer must comply with. Aspects that are not clearly demonstrated in the above diagram are engineering, substitution and administrative controls. These controls should be the first consideration before a decision is made to control risks by means of PPE. 

One of the most important aspects in the duties of the employer is to educate and train employees regarding the risks and hazards in their respective work areas, and to clearly define their scope of authority in the workplace.

Many employers use this principle ("as far as is reasonably practicable" ) to by-pass the responsibility of section 8, by arguing that it is not cost effective to initiate the risk management process. However the cost benefit is only measured against Engineering and Administrative controls. The rest of this principle is not open for negotiations to proof compliance as defined in section 37 of the Act. Therefore without comprehensive compliance to section 8 it would be almost impossible to claim compliance with any other stipulations in the OHS Act, and will the accountable person still be exposed to legislative risks.

You need a consultant that can educate and empower the employer on the content of the Act with the expressed intention to establish real compliance and to minimise legal exposures that are faced on a daily basis. This is achieved by assisting the employer on the route of integrating the OHS Act into a management system, to ensure not only legal compliance but also to have a effective loss prevention system which cater for all business resources.