AMENDED NOTICE OF DIRECTION: REQUIREMENTS FOR ACCREDITATION OF FIRST AID TRAINERS
Title: Amended notice in direction in terms of section 27(2) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act, read with regulation 3(4)(a) of the General Safety Regulations
Government Gazette Notice: GN 827 in GG 41037 of 11 August 2017
Commencing date: 11 August 2017
In terms of Regulation 4 of the General Safety Regulations, published under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 85 of 1993 in GN R1031 of 30 May 1986, the employer must ensure that persons at work receive prompt first aid treatment in case of injury or emergency. Individuals are usually appointed as First aiders. These individuals must be in possession of a valid certificate of competency in first aid, issued by the SA Red Cross Society, the St John’s Ambulance, the SA First Aid League, or a person or organisation approved by the chief inspector for this purpose.
This notice now confirms that from the date of this notice, all applications for approval from a person or organisation who wants to provide First Aid training approved by the Chief Inspector, as referred to in Regulation 3(4)(a) of the General Safety Regulations will only be considered if it is accompanied by a valid accreditation certificate issued by the Quality Assurance Body that has been delegated the quality assurance responsibilities for First aid unit standards by the Quality Council for Trades & Occupations (QCTO), established in terms of section 26I(1) of the Skills Development Amendment Act, 2008, and has been authorised by the Chief Inspector to carry out such accreditation.
Those already registered with the Department of Labour, will after the promulgation of this notice, be granted 12 months to be accredited with Quality Assurance Bodies. All service providers who fail to register within the given period will automatically be de-registered from the Department of Labour database and will no longer be recognized as legitimate service providers.
So what for my operation?
You should ensure that organisations or individuals that you use for training of First Aiders are registered with the Department of Labour and also accredited as required by this notice.
If your operation provides first aid training, it must be ensured that your operation is, firstly, registered with the Department of Labour as such. Secondly, valid accreditation certificate issued by the Quality Assurance Body that has been delegated the quality assurance responsibilities for First aid unit standards by the Quality Council for trades & Occupations (QCTO). If your operation is already registered with the Department of Labour, you have 12 months to obtain accreditation with the Quality Assurance Bodies.
