New SA Worksafe safety campaign

SA Worksafe has released a campaign aimed at raising employers' and workers' awareness of their role in contributing to a safer workplace.

The campaign states that everybody in the workplace has a role to play to ensure the workplace is healthy and safe. Whether an employer, an employee or a contractor, all need to work together to keep their workmates safe.

It reminds employers that they have a duty to ensure that their workers are safe, and that employees have an obligation to follow reasonable instructions to keep them and their workmates safe.

The campaign offers five tips to get started:

• Make sure that you and your workmates talk about health and safety issues in your workplace all the time — before, during and after the job is done.
• Make sure that everyone in your workplace understands what health and safety issues they are responsible for.
• Work together to develop and implement procedures and systems for every job in your workplace.
• Don't let work start without finding and fixing any dangers or risks that might be involved in the job.
• Think about how you and your workmates can do the job safely before you start work.

The message is simple and straight to the point: "Think safe before you think work.'