As regards Occupational Health and
Safety (OH&S), which includes the
environment, it is trying to ensure that
the OH&S Act85 of 1993 and it's revisions
(2016) and the approximately 20
various regulations are implemented at workplaces to ensure a safe working
environment, in other words our job is to try and make work places safe to work
in.
This Act places certain responsibilities on the
Employer and some on employees.
The
essence of this is that:
The Employer may not allow a person in their
employment to work in an unsafe situation; an employee may not work in an
unsafe situation.
Health and Safety is built on Risk assessments.
You wake up in the morning, make yourself a cup of
coffee/tea, right?
Why do you not put your hand into the boiling
kettle?
Because you did a risk assessment and know that it
will burn you, causing you pain, costs for the doctor, and depending how bad
you burnt, a dysfunctional hand.
Now looking at the workplace, you identify the
risks and try to mitigate them.
That is what OH&S & environment is.