Premium health and safety training and consulting services

South African Safety Management and Training Services (SA SMTS) is an internationally accredited provider of health and safety training and consultancy services. Max Koen, executive director of the company’s South African division, explains that this was the company’s sixth consecutive year exhibiting at at the A-OSH expo.

“Our focus this time has been on helping our clients make sure they are legally compliant – sometimes things may look compliant on paper, but we check that they really are,” says Koen.

“The show has been attended by more visitors than last year – this time around I think the organisers have done an excellent job at advertising and creating awareness about the exhibition,” he comments.

One of the innovations from SA SMTS, which was on show, was its safety passport. At the moment, the company is using this system to train and certify employees working on petrol forecourts at companies such as BP, Total and Engen.

The safety passport is internationally recognised, but is industry-regulated, so has been made relevant to the South African market. It can work in other industries, too, such as in the pharmaceutical sector, manufacturing, quarries, logistics, construction, telecom, and so on.

Another focal point of the stand was the information relating to the Hazloc (hazardous location) training, now also offered with SA SMTS. “We provide various legal consulting and training services to the onshore and offshore industry, relating to areas where flammable gasses, vapours, liquids and combustible dusts and fibres are handled, stored and processed,” explains Koen.

In a nutshell, SA SMTS provides consultancy, training, advisory, risk assessments and policy writing services. It also develops safe systems of work, and undertakes client / contractor audits for management (and contractor management). It is is a leading provider for the Nebosh IGC and ICC training courses, which are presented across South Africa and Namibia as part of various open and in-house courses.