This week, the 55th NOSHCON conference took place at the Champagne Sports Resort in the Drakensburg. As one of the leading risk management conferences, NOSHCON explores the latest in in risk management products and services, and showcases practical solutions and best-practice risk management concepts to a host of industries.
Included in the programme were a variety of addresses by selected industry specialists, who delivered presentations on a wide range of contemporary risk-management related topics. Here are some of the topics that could potentially have an impact on how we will see health and safety changing in the coming months and years…
Resilient leadership in a transformational era
Dr Eugene Kemp rethinks HSE leadership within the current global context and helps you understand the unique challenges the next decade is likely to present. Attendees had the opportunity to understand current trends and equip themselves with the resilience skills to bounce back from disruption – and initiate innovation.
Metabolic syndrome – a real threat to workplace productivity
Were you aware that at least 3.5 million South Africans have been diagnosed with diabetes? About 200 million people worldwide have metabolic syndrome (diabetes, insulin resistance, high blood pressure, obesity, and high cholesterol). Dr Arien Van der Merwe shared important information on how to screen for, diagnose and manage this prevalent health challenge.
Personal integrity in the workplace – how it can save lives
In one of the conference’s keynote addresses, Professor Piet Naudé demonstrated how building trust is a personal and organisational responsibility. He reiterated how in South Africa’s unique political context, it goes without saying that our country is in need of leaders we can trust. The presentation aimed at inspiring its audience to take up this task NOW.
Material unwanted events – critical control management
In one of the hottest topics in current health and safety trends, George Coetzee outlined the methodology to follow when using bowtie risk analysis, and the practical application of ‘barrier’ thinking to understand the complexity of how material unwanted events (MUEs) materialise and how to determine pathway vulnerability. The methodology also described a systematic approach to develop an effective critical control framework to prevent MUEs from materialising.
ISO 45001 and organisations as complex adaptive systems
NOSA’s very own Head of Innovation, Dr Deonie Botha, deliberated the fact that the business environment is complex in nature and that organisations need to function like complex adaptive systems to be robust and ensure long-term sustainability. ISO 45001 emphasises a multitude of technical and non-technical factors, which organisations need to manage in order to ensure compliance. However, Deonie also highlighted how it will also serve as a tool to assist organisations in being robust and ensuring sustainability.
The mining industry must dig deep to ensure corporate governance prevails
With financial struggles experienced by the mining industry, maintaining good governance from the boardroom to the mining front remains a challenge. Retha Zeelie showed how companies should avoid the temptation to take shortcuts by maintaining proper standards accordingly by introducing or maintaining transparency, identifying prescribed officers and curbing conflicts of interests to ensure compliance.
For more on this year’s highlights, keep your attention focused across all of NOSA’s social media platforms, where we’ll be sharing presentations, pictures and more updates on the current developments and initiatives in the occupational health and safety landscape.
