Occupational health and safety, occupational health, or occupational safety, is a multidisciplinary field concerned with the safety, health, and welfare of people in a workplace environment.
In addition to protecting your employees, workplace health and safety will help you meet your legal obligations and reduce the risks of being fined. Investing in a strong team of safety professionals is a great way to get a jump-start on meeting these obligations.
In order to become a health and safety officer with a professional body such as the South African Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (SAIOSH), you'll need an accredited certificate at NQF level 5 or equivalent, as well as some work experience under your belt.
If this is a career you can envision yourself heading into, here are a few institutions where you can study Occupational Health and Safety:
The University of South Africa (Unisa)
The University of South Africa (Unisa) offers many Health and Safety courses at different qualification levels.
The following programmes in Health and Safety are offered at Unisa:
- Occupational Health and Safety Act, 1993 Short Course
- Care for the Caregiver Short Course
- Safety Management (Diploma NQF level 6)
- Logotherapy Meaning-Centred Living, Counselling and Psychotherapy:; Train-The-Trainor Short Course
- Managing Health and Nutrition in Adverse Conditions Short Course
- The Support of Children at Risk Short Course
- Training Trainers in HIV and AIDS Care and Counselling Short Course
- Practical skilss for HIV AIDS Care and Counselling Short Course
North West University (NWU)
North West University offers a short course in Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems.
This short course focuses on the requirements of Occupational Health and Safety to develop, document, implement, maintain and improve occupational health and safety management systems in conformance with the international standard.
The Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT)
CPUT offers a short course in Occupational Health and Safety, done through blended leaning; both online and in-person.
Students are expected to engage online to access course material and participate in the short course. Access to an online device (computer, tablet or mobile phone) is essential.
A Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) Certificate will be awarded to successful participants. The course content is benchmarked against level 5 of the National Qualifications Framework (NQF).
The University of Cape Town (UCT)
The University of Cape Town is another institution offering a short postgraduate course in Occupational Health and Safety.
The Occupational Health and Safety online short course from the University of Cape Town (UCT) will equip you with the skills to ensure legal compliance and create a safe, productive working environment for employees.
Those looking to advance their career prospects and take a lead on OHS matters at their companies will likely find this course beneficial.
It’s suitable for both professionals looking to break into the field, and those who already have experience in occupational health and safety and want to build on an existing qualification.
The University of the Witswatersrand (Wits)
The Wits School of Public Health offers a Postgraduate Diploma in Occupational Health (PG DOH) over two years.
With this course, you'll be exposed to:
- Industrial relations applied to health and safety
- Health and safety legislation, policy and programmes (e.g. HIV/AIDS at work)
- Worker participation
- Environmental policy and impacts
- Occupational health services, including design and management of workplace health services
- Medical surveillance and biological monitoring
- Ethical issues relating to industrial relations and the role of the occupational health service provider
- Compensation issues
Students will visit a work place (mine, foundry, etc.) to gain practical experience and familiarise themselves with processes in various industries.
This experiential learning will comprise a practical (hands-on) systematic approach to managing an occupational health issue and an opportunity to interact with management and workers in a variety of workplaces.
