Shisalanga Construction prides itself on being a market leader in asphalt and road construction. Its competent staff, cohesive teams and continuous drive towards innovation allow it to soar above competitors.
Whether big or small, Shisalanga undertakes every project with meticulous planning and foresight. Its overarching commitment to operating safely is what enables it to maintain the highest standards.
On all fronts, Shisalanga upholds the principles of its Integrated Safety Culture, whose four cornerstones are Ethics, Clear Expectations, Responsibility and Accountability. Setting sound safety ethics ensures that staff remain informed, and communicating expectations prevents confusion regarding who is responsible for what. Once these responsibilities are clearly understood, the final step is to hold one another accountable in following correct SOPs.
“Our Integrated Safety Culture sets a strong foundation for our employees. On a moral level, Shisalanga doesn’t want to see people harmed at work. We prioritise Health and Safety because our people are our greatest assets and we are committed to seeing them get home safely every day,” says Sandra Wakeford, health and safety manager.
One of the initiatives that Wakeford kickstarted is the monthly Health and Safety Poster campaign. These posters focus on Health, Safety and Environmental topics, from which daily toolbox talks flow, and the content is used to inform and educate staff. The campaigns take their content from current topics from the Department of Employment and Labour and the World Health Organisation.
“We try to choose relevant topics to which our staff can relate. Recently, the information has been surrounding issues such as COVID-19, drug and alcohol abuse and mental health. Some staff will even ask for specific topics to be covered in toolbox talks and we’re more than happy to do put together information for discussions,” she explains.
The campaigns are a success as there has been a greater level of engagement from staff during mandatory toolbox talks. Over and above this increase in involvement, Shisalanga has seen an increase in reporting near misses.
“It can be a slow and gradual process to change people’s mindsets and attitude towards health and safety, but we continue to strive towards consistent reporting of near misses. It’s encouraging to see the fruit of this campaign in the form of willingness and support from our staff members.”
Given the current state of the pandemic, Shisalanga’s priority remains the curtailment and prevention of COVID-19 in the workplace. However, the pandemic has not dampened Shisalanga’s resolve, and the company plans to launch additional safety initiatives in the foreseeable future.