“Prevention is better than cure” is how the adage goes. With this in mind, Rand Mutual Assurance (RMA) is embarking on an occupational health and safety programme that aims to reduce injury, illness and fatalities in work environments. As we know, an injury in the workplace can be devastating – it can result in someone becoming a wheelchair user.
How can this programme help companies?
The programme will contribute towards the promotion of health and safety in the workplace, says RMA, as well as towards the prevention and reduction in the number of occupational injuries and diseases. Programmes of this type have been found to have enormous social and economic benefits for both employers and employees, locally and internationally.
These benefits include improvements in productivity and competitiveness of employers, safe working environments for employees and an overall improvement in their quality of life free from injury or disease. Through this programme, RMA also intends to ensure a more equitable provision of compensation benefits to injured workers, including medical treatment, financial compensation and access to rehabilitation and return-to-work services.
Last, the programme aims to help reduce premiums paid by employers. Premiums are aligned to each company’s claims experience, which, in turn, can often be linked to good safety and preventive measures. While RMA has already received much interest in this programme, its ultimate success will depend on how well it is adopted and implemented by organisations. Furthermore, there needs to be a wider embrace of a culture of prevention by employers, employees, RMA and government within South Africa.
What are the key components of this health and safety programme?
In line with established key elements of successful occupational health and safety programmes, it will include: leadership, stewardship, worker engagement and participation, hazard risk identification and assessment, hazard prevention and control, education and training, and medical surveillance.
To assist in developing an effective intervention programme that promotes occupational health and safety, RMA intends to encourage employers to collect and share their medical surveillance data. This data will also be critical in the future assessment of rates.
What are the expected benefits of participating in the programme?
Employers will benefit from improved compliance with Occupational Health and Safety legislation as well as Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Disease requirements, increased productivity, reduced absenteeism as well as reduced rates and premiums.
Employees will benefit from a safe working environment with a reduction in occupational injuries, diseases and fatalities. And the government will benefit from effective enforcement of company compliance to legislation ensuring worker safety.
How will this programme be rolled out?
It will be rolled out with various awareness campaigns focusing on high-impact injuries and diseases, in order of priority. In other words, the most prevalent injuries and diseases experienced within the RMA client base will be addressed and rolled out first.
RMA therefore launched its year-long programme on October 12 with an awareness drive focusing on Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL). It will run until March 1, 2018. RMA is usually at the receiving end of system and process failures, leaving it immobilised to assist in managing this cost. By bringing these perceived failures to the fore, RMA will be contributing to sustainable partnerships going forward. Feel free to contact RMA about your involvement in the campaign. Participation makes good business sense.
