Welcome to the SafetyCloud Blog

Later this month –­ on the 27^th to be precise ­– the enquiry into the Grayston Bridge collapse (which occurred on the 14^th of October, 2015) will resume after several delays. In the meantime, the Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA) has announced that construction of the bridge is set to continue. On Monday 27 February, it released the following statement:

You already know that studying further is a good idea. How can enhancing existing qualifications ever be a bad thing? And you already know that once you have successfully achieved your qualification you’ll be able to plan, implement and maintain a safety, health and environmental (SHE) management system.

There is no doubt that health and safety professionals are committed to their work, and their industry. But – to be frank – passion alone doesn’t pay the bills. When planning your career, it’s helpful to know where your qualifications will take you, and the qualifications you’ll need to acquire when you want to go further.

With this in mind, here are 14 of the most common jobs in the occupational health and safety industry, and what you can hope to earn by performing each of them. Remember, as always, this is not a finite list, but should give you a solid foundation off which to work when plotting your job prospects. What is interesting to note is the gender disparity in some of the roles – now may be your chance to change that!

Note: These salaries are measured according to international benchmarks, and do not take into account socio-economic factors specific to a region. Also, these are median amounts, meaning they usually fall directly in the middle of the pay scale for these particular job titles.

When we leave school, although many of us think we know everything, this is usually not the case – especially when it comes to having a solid idea of where we see ourselves in terms of a lifelong career. In fact, it’s become very common for people to begin working in an industry for as long as a decade… before realising it isn’t really what they want to do, and they begin with something else late into their 30s. So the idea of a clear, mapped-out plan for what we want to do for the rest of our lives can be downright laughable.

But, unless you’re happy to move randomly from job to job, meaningful growth in your career has to start with a strategy. And this is where we come in. From current trends to the myriad job choices you can make, this guide will be your assistant to realising your full potential in your pursuit of a career in occupational health and safety management.

If you say something often enough, whether or not there is any truth in that statement, it somehow becomes fact. There is also always the risk of repeating something that may have once been true, but as a result of developments and research no longer actually applies. The best thing to do is investigate anything you aren’t sure of, accessing reputable sources for confirmation. Be sure to stay in touch with (or belong to) industry organisations that will help you stay current with goings on in your sector.

In our continued coverage of the recent release of King IV, we take a look at the benefits of adhering to it. To adhere to King IV is to adhere to the principles of sound corporate governance. Let’s take a look then of the benefits of adhering to corporate governance

Today we further unpack the differences between King IV and King III. So let’s dive in.

A quick recap

As discussed in What are the key features of King IV?, the application or adoption of the principles is assumed in King IV.

 The fundamental philosophy and concepts of King III won’t change, so companies will therefore continue following King III as it stands. King IV will also aim to be simpler, and easier to interpret and access. One of the ways to achieve this will be by clearly differentiating principles from practice recommendations. Principles will be stated as higher order objectives.

Why it’s essential to carry your HSE training outside of the workplace

We’ve said it before – training doesn’t stop at the boundary wall of where you work. Safety is an attitude, a way of life. This means that how you observe safety is constant, and just as important when you are at home prepping dinner for your family, or travelling on the road, as it is when you are, say, operating a forklift machine on the factory floor. Apart from anything else, constant and consistent observance means you’ll get into the habit of practising safety, and eventually it’ll be second nature, and not something you have to consciously work at.

It’s good to see that the law is standing firm when it comes to enforcing penalties – and punishment – for health and safety violations. This is certainly the case in Delaware in the United States, where former coal baron Donald Blankenship will stay in jail after an appeals court upheld his conviction for flouting mine-safety laws.

The self-named ‘political prisoner’ was unable to identify any reversible errors in his 2016 trial, where he was charged with ignoring safety rules at Massey Energy’s Upper Big Branch (UBB) mine.

On the 7^th of January, two people sustained injuries after parts of the roof collapsed at the Sandton City Mall. The patients were treated at the scene, before being taken to hospital for further care.

Reports are somewhat conflicted, with paramedics saying two roof tiles collapsed, while management for the centre released a statement that confirmed two wall tiles at McDonald’s inside the mall fell off a wall.