News from the Saiosh AGM

Saiosh president Robin Jones delivered the 2016 Saiosh Annual Report at the fifth Saiosh Annual General Meeting (AGM) during October

The AGM was held directly after the Johannesburg Saiosh continuing professional development (CPD) Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Workshop, which was attended by more than 200 members! These are a few highlights:

The first major step in 2016

We realised, in January 2016, when we reached the magic 6 000-member target, that we needed a dedicated full-time CEO to manage the business. A set of procedures was followed, which led to the appointment of our present CEO, Neels Nortje.

Membership

In February 2017, Saiosh will be seven years young. The Institute has already passed the 7 000-member mark. Membership is growing at just over 200 new members per month.

There are now more than 350 corporate members and the number is growing. These members include training providers, personal protective equipment providers and consultants who support our objectives and the work we are doing.

Just over 3 000 members registered under the designations recognised by the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) professional body.

Communication

Keeping members informed is a key function of the institute’s duty to its members. Whether it is notices of meetings, CPD workshops, articles from authors or legal updates, our output of information is roughly three newsletters per month.

Our official communication through the SHEQ Management journal goes out free to members every two months.

An unusual feature (that perhaps members do not know about) is the “Contact Us” service on the Saiosh website. This is where members, or the public, ask questions about everyday issues. The queries are all answered by the team at the Saiosh office. Currently, the number of queries answered is, on average, 13 000 per year!

Working with other organisations

Saiosh is an accredited “Voluntary Association” member on the South African Council for Project and Construction Management Professions (SACPCMP) committee. Meetings with the South African Protective Equipment Marketing Association (SAPEMA), the Master Builders Association (MBA), the Federated Employers Manual Assurance company (FEM) and the Department of Labour (DOL) have also been held. At the Saiosh conference, in May 2016, the chief inspector again presented a paper.

CPD workshops

Organised by the Saiosh national office, these workshops are held (roughly quarterly) in Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Johannesburg, Durban and Bloemfontein. Members attend for free and earn CPD points.

All the SACPCMP VA meetings have been attended. The Institute has regularly attended the SAQA forums for an exchange of information with other professional bodies. SAQA conducted its halfway audit as part of the five-year recognition appointment. We were delighted to get a clean sheet from SAQA. The Free State and KwaZulu-Natal conferences were attended at the end of last year.

Conferences

In May 2016, Saiosh hosted the sixth Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) conference at Gallagher Estate. More than 250 delegates attended the conference. There were 11 speakers including two international speakers from the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia.

In addition to exhibiting at Noshcon in the Drakensberg, Saiosh presented a paper at the Interbuild exhibition in Johannesburg in August. The Saiosh CEO was invited as a panellist for both the Noshcon and the MBA Congress.

The list of benefits for members continues to grow

In our free e-learning programme, currently more than 5 000 modules have been completed. Members have free access to updates on 800 Acts. There is also a 50-percent discount on the subscription to any of the listed Acts.

Saiosh makes a financial award to the Top Student of the Year. It is open to full-time students studying for their National Diploma in Safety Management (NADSAM). Second-year students are nominated for this category. The award is paid directly into the successful student’s third-year academic fees.

The work done by professionals in the OHS field is recognised through the Safety Practitioner of the Year award. Members may nominate themselves (or a fellow member) for this award, together with a motivation. The nominations are adjudicated by the full Council. This award recognises the work done by a member and has a financial reward.

With the emphasis on obtaining qualifications in OHS, Saiosh has finalised a study bursary scheme for members wanting to study for a formal qualification related to OHS. Details have just been published.

Financial Report

The financial report was tabled by the CEO. Saiosh needs to specifically acknowledge the most generous sponsorship from Federated Employers Mutual (FEM), which will enable Saiosh to widen the services to all members and specifically towards the construction industry.