South Africa-based turnkey camp accommodation construction and facilities management company African Camp Construction (AfriCamp) will be entering into the first phase of accreditation for its integrated safety, health, environmental and quality (Sheq) management system, in July 2014.

AfriCamp has been running its Sheq management system at JSE-listed diversified mining company African Rainbow Minerals’ Black Rock expansion project, in the Northern Cape, and at US-based oil and gas exploration company Anadarko Petroleum’s liquefied natural gas project, in Mozambique, since June last year.

The company’s Sheq management system involves the implementation and integration of the NOSA Five Star System, and OHSAS 18001, ISO 9001 and ISO 14001.

“Phase 1 involves a documentation audit, which investigates whether a company has the correct procedures and systems in place,” explains AfriCamp safety, health, environment, risk and quality manager Lorretta Viljoen.

AfriCamp will complete the first phase of the accreditation process in August, which will be followed by Phase 2, a maintenance audit. Viljoen explains that the maintenance audit investigates whether Sheq procedures and systems are properly communicated and successfully implemented throughout the company.

“Once we have completed Phase 2, we will have a fully integrated Sheq accreditation comprising OHSAS 18000, ISO 9000 and ISO 14000, which will enable us to secure more contracts in the mining sector,” says Viljoen.

The accreditation will also enable AfriCamp to compete with some of the largest camp construction and facilities management companies in South Africa, she adds.

Viljoen argues that even if a company has a world-class safety management system in place, it will not be successfully implemented without proper training.

“Without the correct training and knowledge, people tend to think that safety is a difficult and complex process. Training plays a significant role in helping people understand what occupational health and safety (OHS) is about and that everyone is responsible for OHS, from the labour force to top management personnel,” she asserts.

Viljoen further notes that there are certain requirements that all contracted companies need to comply with, including AfriCamp, especially on a mine site, such as ensuring that personnel have the appropriate safety training to complete the task for which they have been appointed. Contractors also need to complete legal liability training, as they need to understand what they are legally responsible for.

Viljoen is accredited to provide five different safety courses, namely hazard identification and risk assessment; safety, health and environment representative; incident investigation; emergency preparedness and response; and a holistic approach to the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA).

“If there are any changes made to the Mine Health and Safety Act or the OHSA, training must take place to ensure that companies still comply. It is important for companies to understand what the changes are and why they have been put in place,” Viljoen asserts.