Health and Safety Assistant

Assistant Health and Safety Officer

Industry: Aluminium Smelting, Scrap Recycling & Ingot Production
Operation Structure: Continuous 24/7 Operations (12-Hour Shifts)
Reporting Structure: Reports directly to the Health and Safety Officer. Works closely with the Factory Supervisors, Shift In-Charge teams, and Human Resources department

1. Job Purpose

The Assistant Health and Safety Officer provides critical operational support in maintaining workplace safety, health compliance, and environmental risk mitigation on the factory floor. Operating within a high-risk, heavy-industrial environment—characterized by molten metal hazards, high-voltage potlines, heavy scrap transport vehicles, and high-heat furnaces—this role ensures continuous ground-level adherence to the South African Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA, Act 85 of 1993).

The Assistant Health and Safety Officer assists in executing daily field inspections, auditing safety compliance, collating data for incident investigations, verifying equipment logs, and organizing documentation for unannounced Department of Employment and Labour (DoL) inspections.

2. Key Performance Areas (KPAs) & Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

KPA 1: Daily Factory Walkabouts, Risk Assessments & Hazard Identification

· Conduct routine, documented daily factory walkabouts alongside the Health and Safety Officer across smelting, casting, sorting, and logistics areas to flag immediate hazards.

· Support the development and review of baseline and issue-based Hazard Identification and Risk Assessments (HIRA) for routine operations.

· Monitor and enforce 100% compliance regarding specialized thermal and respiratory Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) among floor staff.

· KPIs:

o 100% completion and filing of assigned daily safety checklists.

o Escalate all identified "High-Risk" hazards immediately to the Health and Safety Officer.

o Maintain an up-to-date, organized repository of signed-off HIRAs.

KPA 2: Machinery, Equipment & Safety Logs

· Collect and verify daily pre-use machinery and equipment checklists executed by Factory Supervisors (e.g., overhead cranes, forklifts, holding furnaces).

· Maintain the statutory physical and digital legal registers for load-testing and pressurized equipment.

· Assist in reviewing administrative details on Permits to Work (PTW) for high-risk operations like hot work or confined space entries.

· KPIs:

o Zero missing pre-use logs or equipment verification records.

o 100% accurate tracking of statutory lifting equipment testing deadlines.

KPA 3: Incident Log Maintenance & COIDA Administration Support

· Document initial details of all near-misses, first-aid cases, and Lost Time Injuries (LTIs) on the floor.

· Assist the Health and Safety Officer in gathering evidence and drafts for root-cause analysis (RCA) investigations.

· Coordinate with HR to assemble documentation and claims under the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act (COIDA)

· KPIs:

o All initial incident intake logs completed within 12 hours of occurrence

o Zero administrative errors or delays in preparing COIDA submission packets

KPA 4: Committee Administration & RACI Tracking

· Handle logistical coordination for the monthly Statutory Health and Safety Committee Meetings

· Compile highly accurate meeting minutes and update the central safety RACI matrix

· Follow up daily with designated supervisors to track the progress of open safety tasks

· KPIs:

o Meeting minutes distributed within 24 hours of committee adjournment

o 95% on-time updates of safety tasks within the RACI tracking system

KPA 5: Safety Training Coordination & Contractor Onboarding

· Facilitate daily safety toolbox talks and conduct safety induction training for new hires and external contractors

· Distribute specialized safety training materials and track worker training completion records

· Review external contractor safety files to verify compliance before granting site access

· KPIs:

o 100% of newly arriving contractors successfully vetted via safety inductions

o Maintain up-to-date rosters for bi-annual emergency evacuation drill participants

KPA 6: Audit Readiness & Environmental Monitoring Logistics

· Organize and maintain safety documentation, medical surveillance logs, and inspection files for unannounced DoL inspections

· Assist in tracking environmental compliance indicators, including emissions data, dross storage logs, and chemical management sheets

· KPIs:

o Zero administrative data gaps identified during internal prep-audits

o 100% compliance with filing routines for Atmospheric Emission License parameters

3. Minimum Requirements

· Education: Higher Certificate or National Diploma in Safety Management / Occupational Health and Safety (e.g., SAMTRAC, NEBOSH Certificate) (p. 3). Professional registration with SAIOSH is an advantage

· Experience: 2+ years of health and safety administrative or floor experience within a heavy manufacturing plant, foundry, steelworks, or industrial environment running 24/7 shifts

· Skills: Strong understanding of the South African OHS Act (Act 85 of 1993); proficiency in digital safety logging systems (RMA), Microsoft Excel, and drafting incident data reports

Pay: R8 000,00 - R11 000,00 per month

Education:

• Certificate (Required)

Experience:

• Safety Management / Occupational Health and Safety : 2 years (Preferred)
• Strong understanding of the South African OHS Act : 2 years (Preferred)

Language:

• English (Required)

Work Location: In person