SHEQ Management Magazine

12/01/2026

😢 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿'𝘀 𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝗮 𝗦𝘄𝗶𝘀𝘀 𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗯 𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗱𝘆 - which could have been prevented, say investigators.

🔥 The primary cause of the fire that took 40 lives and left +100 people injured? 🎇 Sparklers, which ignited soundproofing foam on the ceiling.

⚠️ The venue - Le Constellation in Crans-Montana ski resort in Switzerland - had allegedly not undergone a health and safety inspection for five years.

📢 Industry leaders are calling for stricter compliance with fire-risk assessments and bans on indoor pyrotechnics, as reported in HSI magazine: https://buff.ly/bwsZXc7

𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝗛𝗘𝗤 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹: When last did your operation undergo a fire-risk assessment?

A safety expert has warned that a lack of inspections and combustible materials created a ‘recipe for disaster’ following a fatal fire at a nightclub in Crans-Montana, Switzerland.

08/01/2026

Bursary Funding for Saiosh Members - 2026 Academic Year. 🎓

Application Now Open: https://www.saiosh.co.za/general/custom.asp?page=bursary_funding

Apply for Saiosh Membership: https://www.saiosh.co.za/page/profreg

08/01/2026

📍 South Africa recorded 1,502 fatalities across all provinces during the 2024/25 festive season.

KZN, Gauteng, and the Eastern Cape accounted for the highest fatality numbers.
These statistics reinforce the urgent need for improved driver behaviour, better pedestrian awareness, and enhanced safety training — especially ahead of the festive travel surge.

MasterDrive’s December Driver Safety Advantage campaign helps organisations prepare their teams for the deadliest month on SA roads.

Let’s make 2025 the year of safer journeys.

🔗 Full details: https://mastertorque.co.za/masterdrives-december-safety-blitz-targets-festive-road-deaths/

07/01/2026

🚨 𝗝𝗮𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗳𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗴𝘂𝗲 = 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆-𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗮𝗹
January fatigue isn’t a motivation issue: it’s a SHEQ issue.

🥀 Occupational health research shows that the benefits of annual leave fade within days of returning to work, especially when job demands remain high and systems restart unchanged.

👉 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗦𝗛𝗘𝗤 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗝𝗮𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘆:
🐌 Slower decision-making
😠 Increased irritability and tension
📉 Reduced psychological safety
⚠️ Higher risk of errors and near-misses

This isn’t “post-holiday laziness”.

It’s an early-warning signal that recovery collapses quickly under sustained pressure.

📌 𝗦𝗛𝗘𝗤 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆:
January is a critical month to reassess workload design, fatigue risk, cognitive demand and psychosocial hazards – before they translate into incidents.

06/01/2026

🏗️ 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝘀𝗮𝗳𝗲𝘁𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝗻𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
The sector may well be showing early signs of growth (https://buff.ly/OADeO7o), but experts warn that construction workers are still dying due to negligent practices (https://buff.ly/UaOWO0O).

👉 The George building collapse, for example, which killed 34 workers in May 2024, was found to be caused by systemic failures including weak oversight, regulatory non-compliance, inspection lapses and safety violations.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝘀𝗵 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆

📈 6 223 construction site incidents and 60 deaths in 2024, up from 48 fatalities in 2023 (Federated Employers Mutual – FEM).

⚠️ Official figures likely understate the crisis due to under-reporting and misclassification, especially by smaller contractors (Prof John Smallwood, Nelson Mandela University).

👷‍♂️ FEM data covers insured workers only, meaning actual safety performance is likely worse (Smallwood).

🚨 SA’s construction sector scores just 1.65/5 on health & safety maturity, well below compliance level (Smallwood; benchmarked against Anglo American H&S model).

💡 Leading causes of fatal accidents (2004-2024 FEM):
🛻 Motor vehicles (44.39%)
💥 Struck by objects or machinery (19.97%)
🤕 Falls (15.73%)

😴 Negligent supervision and skills gaps are driving preventable accidents (Joseph Khoza, WBHO Construction).

📋 Health and safety has become a paperwork exercise, with insufficient real-time inspection on sites (Smallwood).

𝘈 𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 – 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦-𝘴𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨.

15/12/2025

May you have a safe festive season and an amazing 2026!

10/12/2025

🚀 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝗔+𝗔 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗢𝗛𝗦 𝗯𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝘀?
Over 67,000 industry professionals from 150 countries descended on Düsseldorf in late 2025 to discover that the future of safety is digital, sustainable, people-centred and design-driven.

𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗴𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝗛𝗘𝗤:

⚠️ Digital assistance systems for real-time hazard detection

🤖 AI-powered analytics to improve incident prediction

🍎 New Work + mental health elevated as board-level priorities

♻️ Sustainable PPE materials and circular manufacturing

🩻 Next-gen exoskeletons that prove real-world ergonomics are getting smarter

⌚ Start-ups pushing boundaries with sensor-based protection and wearable tech

With 81% of visitors being decision-makers, A+A 2025 showed how global investment is accelerating in occupational safety innovation.

👉 South Africa’s SHEQ community should watch this space: many of these technologies are beginning to enter our market, with opportunities for improved compliance, lower injury rates and stronger ESG alignment.

08/12/2025

𝗜𝘀 𝗶𝘁 𝗯𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗿 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗲𝗻𝗱-𝗼𝗳-𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗴𝘂𝗲?😩
As the year winds down, many feel exhausted. But there’s a big difference between end-of-year fatigue and workplace burnout. Fatigue is temporary and can be relieved by rest or a holiday. Burnout, however, is a persistent state of emotional and physical exhaustion, often accompanied by pessimism and disengagement from work.

💡 In South Africa, 36% of workers face daily stress, and over 71% are disengaged at work – clear signs that burnout is more than just being tired. Did you know unaddressed mental health conditions cost the local economy R161 billion each year? Burnout leads to absenteeism, reduced productivity and high staff turnover.

📉 What about the hidden costs? Loss of knowledge, expensive retraining and a toxic culture that drives away top talent.

Employers and employees both have a role to play in preventing burnout:
🏆 Recognise and reward performance
⚖️ Distribute workloads fairly
👩‍⚕️ Provide access to mental health resources
🏃‍♀️ Encourage work-life boundaries
🗣️ Foster open communication
🔄 Rotate assignments and offer mentorship

A healthy workplace is a productive workplace! Prioritise self-care and recognise warning signs early.

👉 𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝗯𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲?

05/12/2025

𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲, 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲𝘀👨‍🦽
South Africa just celebrated Disability Rights Awareness Month and the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. But did you know that people with disabilities make up only 1.2-1.4% of our SA workforce – far below the national target of 3%?

👉 That means thousands of talented South Africans are still missing out on job opportunities and leadership roles.

There are over 3.3 million people living with disabilities in SA, but only 18% of adults with significant disabilities have jobs, compared to 45% of those without disabilities.

The SHEQ sector can step up by:
✅ Making workplaces accessible, inclusive & safe
✅ Supporting real opportunities for training & promotion
✅ Saying NO to stigma and exclusion

📢 It’s time to move beyond “tick-box” inclusion and create safer, healthier and more equitable workplaces where everyone belongs.

04/12/2025

🌍 𝗕𝗶𝗴 𝗻𝗲𝘄𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲!⚕️
Irish company HaPPE Earth has won the inaugural All-Island Circular Venture Awards for its fully compostable PPE apron, designed for health care settings and made from a proprietary bio-resin.

🥼 Unlike standard plastic aprons – which can take up to 50 years to degrade – HaPPE Earth’s apron breaks down in just five weeks, turning into nutrient-rich fertiliser. 🌱

🗑️ Why does this matter? Hospitals generate about 4.4% of global plastic waste, with single-use PPE like aprons, gloves and masks making up to 25% of a hospital’s daily waste stream. Globally, billions of disposable aprons are used each year, and most end up in landfills or incinerators, contributing to microplastic pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

💡 Switching to compostable PPE is a game-changer for occupational health and safety – protecting both people and the planet.

02/12/2025

📢 𝗔 𝘄𝗮𝗸𝗲-𝘂𝗽 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮’𝘀 𝗔𝗜𝗗𝗦 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲
Yesterday’s World AIDS Day arrived under a shadow: South Africa’s HIV research sector is still reeling from the unprecedented 2025 shutdown of major US-funded projects.

A 90-day “STOP WORK” order from USAID – followed by permanent termination of several flagship studies – forced local scientists to halt clinical trials overnight. These included projects developing new prevention technologies for women and efforts toward an HIV vaccine.

For a country leading global HIV research, the disruption was profound. As noted by Prof Salim Abdool Karim, director of The Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA), this wasn’t just a funding cut – it was “the disownment of science”.

South Africa’s response has been one of resilience: CAPRISA and others are rebuilding momentum by diversifying funding sources and re-asserting leadership in the global AIDS response.

More: https://buff.ly/GPDOTFu

👉 The message of is clear: an AIDS response is needed that is more sustainable, more African-led and impossible to derail.

26/11/2025

💡 𝗧𝗼𝗽 𝟭𝟬 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝘀𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 & 𝘀𝗮𝗳𝗲𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀
When interviewing for a new job, could you answer all of these questions?

🤔 What’s missing? What difficult questions have you been asked before?

1. How do you maintain safety in a high-speed work environment?
2. What methods do you use to ensure adherence to safety regulations and standards?
3. How do you address an employee who ignores safety rules?
4. How do you manage safety during emergencies or crises?
5. How do you foster a culture of safety among employees?
6. What techniques do you use to minimise workplace hazards?
7. How do you keep up with new safety regulations and practices?
8. How important do you think safety is to a business's success?
9. What safety procedures have you introduced in your previous jobs?
10. What do you consider the critical components of an effective safety programme?

Source: https://buff.ly/wUVDepT