The Occupational Health and Safety Act’s Construction Regulations require employees working on heights, crane operators, operators of mobile plants and drivers of construction vehicles to have a medical certificate of fitness issued by an occupational health practitioner. This certificate must declare them both physically and psychologically fit. Currently there is a big drive by companies to ensure that their employees are assessed for psychological fitness.
Where do you fit in?
Some companies implement the Psychological Fitness assessment tool (Sapfi) through their internal Occupational Health and Safety structures. Others, who must also comply, do not have the internal resources to do so and must rely on external Occupational Health Practitioners.
Irrespective of whether you are employed by a company as OHP or run your own practice, you now have the opportunity to become competent in using the Sapfi and to issue the medical certificates of fitness required by law. If you have your own practice, this will broaden your scope, enable you to provide additional services to your existing clients and position you to gain new clients.
What do you need to do?
In order to use this tool, you will have to attend a two day training course and complete a competency assignment upon which we will provide you with all the relevant information and tools to administer the assessment. Our upcoming courses:
- 4 & 5 June 09 - Alberton
- 25 & 26 June 09 - Alberton
- 13 & 14 July 09 - Durban
We plan to arrange courses in other centres, especially the Western Cape. If you wish to have training conducted in your area, please contact us!
Your next step?
Contact Lelani Brand-Labuschagne at lelani@afriforte.co.za or register directly online for a course in your area at the following web address: http://www.afriforte.co.za/sapfitraining/ You can also contact people who had attended our course. Here is what some of them had to say:
“We found the training session and scope of the project beyond expectation: congratulations on excellent work!” – Elana (eventer@uj.ac.za). “The course was extremely well presented, most informative and above all practical and adding value in a meaningful way” – Lorna (gneave@absamail.co.za). Also willing to talk to you are Sonet (Sonet.Bornman@debeersgroup.com) and Margareth (siyanqobahealth@mtnloaded.co.za).
