Occupational Safety and Health Consultants in Uganda | OSH Consultancy Services

Health and safety at work encompass a wide range of duties and initiatives aimed at maintaining a safe working environment for employees.

We can help your organization to implement relevant pieces of legislation and case law that impose legal duties on matters ranging from the provision of insurance and written policies on health and safety to education and training for staff, risk assessments, and inspections.

It’s an Employer’s role to prevent the development of diseases, injuries & death which are caused by working conditions in offices & workplaces.

You do not have to wait for compensation of workers for injuries suffered and scheduled diseases incurred in the course of their employment. Remove all possibilities where people can die as a result of occupational accidents or work-related diseases.

Houston Executive Consulting is providing advisory services and training to create awareness of the dimensions and consequences of work-related accidents, injuries, and diseases.

To the level of internationally acceptable Occupational Safety & Health Administration Standards. Modern Health and Safety Is Important for The Safe Operation of All Organizations.

We can work with you to develop an OSH Policy, set OSH Objectives and Targets, form a committee responsible for Health & safety, and prepare an OSH Manual that will guide the organization to have its own capability assessment.

In addition, we can also prepare Workplace Assessment/Inspection Checklist and a corrective action plan that captures Recommendations (Identified Hazards / OSH System Deficiencies)

OUR AREAS OF EXPERTISE INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:

WORKPLACE REGISTRATION

We can help your organization comply with (Sections 40(2), 120(2) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act, 2006. Under Occupational Safety and Health Consultancy we aim to support organizations and Safeguard, Safety and Health at Workplaces.

Section 40 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act requires that every person shall, not less than one month before he or she begins to occupy, or use any premises as, a workplace, serve on the Commissioner for Occupational Safety and Health a written notice containing the particulars set out in the third schedule to the Act. Provided that he or she may occupy or use the premises as a workplace less than one month after serving the notice if the Commissioner issues in his or her name a certificate of registration.

After we have registered your workplace you will receive a certificate of workplace registration, an Incident Register, Occupational Safety and Health Inspection Checklist, and a short guide to the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) ACT, NO9, 2006, all from The Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development (MGLSD)

Look around your workplace records today and if you don’t find a certificate of workplace registration that is valid for 3 years, then we need to talk NOW!

TRAINING ON WORKPLACE HEALTH, SAFETY, SECURITY, AND ENVIRONMENT (HSSE)

We work closely with the Ministry of Gender Labour & Social Development of Uganda (MGLSD) officials and with their advice to deliver Training on Occupational Health and Safety (OSH) in Uganda that enables workplaces to reduce illnesses or injuries caused by working conditions.

This training provides a clear understanding of Occupational Safety & Health (OSH) widely neglected in many African countries, where industrial activity has increased, but the health and safety of workers are scarcely tackled.

By the end of this training programme, your staff can understand the interaction between the actors within occupational health, including employers, workers, health & safety staff, and the government.

After the course, you will understand the basic concepts of occupational safety & health, tasks, and structure of occupational safety & health services, risk factors for illness and injuries at workplaces.

You will also learn about the major occupational diseases, the association between workplace exposure and health effects; and the main steps in preventing exposure to health hazards in the work environment.

OSH POLICY FORMULATION

We will help you to create and write your health and safety policy, or review an existing one to ensure it is up-to-date and appropriate.

If a company employs at least five or more members of staff, health and safety policies are a legal requirement. A company’s health and safety policies must be frequently reviewed and assessed, and all employees must be fully informed of any changes that have been made.

The 3 Divisions of Health and Safety Your Organization Must Have:

1. The Statement of Intent (company goals, objectives, and targets for health and safety)
2. Organizational Responsibilities (the duties of management and employees).
3. Arrangements for Implementation (what measures the company will take to achieve their aims). This is business-specific and should include the existing health and safety issues onsite.

Your Health and Safety Policy Statement

We can help you create a new health and safety policy for your organization, or renew an existing one that is easy to read. We develop concise documents that cut through the red tape. With our professional experience and expertise, we can identify the specific health and safety procedures your company requires to adhere to each section of the policy.

SUPPORT CONTRACTS

We can assume the role of your ‘competent health and safety personnel to ensure that you comply with the requirements of the law.

In addition to our ad-hoc services, we also offer annual Health & Safety Support Contracts that are tailored to meet the needs of our clients.

If you sign up for one of these contracts, we will assume the role of your ‘competent health & safety advisor’, as required by Ugandan law. When tendering for contracts, you can use details of our qualifications and experience. We can also assist with pre-qualification questionnaires, whether these are for specific clients.

HEC Contract Options

Prices start from just a few thousand shillings per year for a telephone and email support contract. However, many companies require more help than this and consequently opt for our basic annual support contract. This includes the following features:

1. A tailored health & safety policy (which is a legal requirement)
2. A full audit/inspection of existing practices and procedures, followed by a report
3. A health & safety manual, including all required forms and templates
4. Unlimited telephone and email support
5. A newsletter update service to keep clients up to date with any changes in legislation, recent court cases, and more

Please note that we can further tailor our contracts if you have more complex needs. For example, we can include risk assessments, regular progress visits, and training.

We can also include documentation that you can issue to your workers, such as employee handbooks and key information cards. These materials can all be personalized with your specific or tailored business’ logo and branding.

WORKPLACE INSPECTIONS

We carry out thorough workplace inspections and provide practical advice on achieving compliance.

Health and safety inspections are a necessary part of any organization. Performing thorough checks regularly allows the identification and control of potential hazards and ensure employees and other individuals are not put at risk.

Some workplaces like construction sites can be hazardous environments, so to mitigate risk, safety inspections can be combined with toolbox talks.

These talks provide additional evidence that an employer is fulfilling legal obligations to give employees and subcontractors information and training to protect their wellbeing.

Inspection reports can be submitted electronically or can be handwritten and issued on site. Our inspection service can also be covered as part of our annual support contracts.

Full Health and Safety Instruction

We can carry out full health and safety inspections of the physical aspects of your premises, as well as your on-site documentation.

Full reports can be produced that detail:

1. Observations made and hazards identified
2. Level of risk (High, Medium or Low)
3. Any recommendations necessary to ensure ongoing legal compliance

HEALTH & SAFETY MINI & COMPREHENSIVE AUDITS

We conduct a full audit of your business and workplace to verify that your health and safety practices are correct. Our qualified safety auditors can assist any companies that require health and safety audits of their management systems.

Our audits are tailored to meet the specific needs of our clients both in Uganda and abroad. For smaller organizations, they can be as simple as an inspection of the premises and a review of current health and safety documentation. This is followed by a report detailing all observations and a corrective action plan (CAP).

Larger firms may be keen to have external audits of their management systems. Our health and safety audits are conducted according to the requirements of Uganda Labour Legislation and the principles contained within the Occupational Health & Safety Act of 2006.

After these assessments have been completed, we produce a prioritized action plan offering guidance to the health and safety committee on how to make any required improvements.

RISK ASSESSMENTS

We can carry out risk assessments for your business and support you with appropriate training.

Have you carried out written health and safety risk assessments covering all significant hazards? Our expert guidance details a 5-step approach to conducting these analyses. A health and safety risk assessment identifies potential hazards in your workplace.

There are two compelling reasons to conduct regular risk assessments in the workplace:

• Risk assessments are essential management tools, used to maintain the health and safety of all employees and visitors.
• Every employer with five or more employees has a legal duty to conduct risk assessments under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations.

How We Conduct A Risk Assessment

Houston Executive Consulting guidance details the following five-step approach to workplace risk assessment:

1. We identify all hazards present in the workplace.
2. We identify those at risk from the hazards, including employees, contractors, and visitors. Particularly vulnerable workers should also be considered, such as young people, new staff members, and new or expectant mothers.
3. We evaluate the level of danger, the likelihood of accidents, and the measures currently in place to reduce risks.
4. We record the findings in a suitable form.
5. We then review the assessment regularly. This is particularly important after an accident, or when something changes, such as when new equipment is introduced.

HEALTH & SAFETY MANUALS

We will work closely with your team to create a tailored health and safety manual. Your company must have written arrangements in place for the planning, organization, control, monitoring, and review of their health and safety measures.

As part of this, firms must have documents in place to ensure that their personnel is informed and up-to-date concerning the relevant safety information.

We can help provide you with tailored Health and Safety Manuals that include the following:

1. Your Health & Safety Policy and any associated employee receipt records
2. Risk assessment documents, including basic risk assessment forms, detailed forms with scoring systems, site-specific risk assessment forms, and more
3. Fire risk assessment documentation and records
4. Display screen equipment risk assessment documentation and records
5. Manual handling risk assessment documentation and records
6. Risk assessment documentation and records
7. Machinery and work equipment registers, check sheets and maintenance logs (for example, for ladders, vehicles, safety harnesses, electrical equipment, and forklift trucks)
8. Training documentation (for example, employee information sheets, training sign off sheets, training matrices, and induction records)
9. Personal protective equipment issue and receipt documentation
10. Fire safety documentation (for example, alarm test logs, fire drill records, and emergency lighting test logs).
11. Sub-contractor assessment documentation

To find out more or to arrange a free initial consultation with one of our health and safety experts in Uganda, contact us today.