Check our latest blog posts
How NOSA is setting the safety standard in COVID-19 work preparedness and risk mitigation
While the economy opens, and various industries resume operations, the response from our citizens has been mixed. Some of us are delighted at the apparent freedom (or at least freedom in comparison to those difficult weeks in March and April), while for some, the...
Why self-regulation is intrinsic to successful completion of your online course
Perhaps the single greatest challenge to successfully completing an online course is yourself. In other words, you can be your own greatest enemy. And not by any deliberate action – you aren’t wilfully attempting to self-sabotage your efforts (well, unless you are,...
The 9 key qualities of a star safety officer
South Africa just breached the 100 000 mark for COVID-19 cases, with half these being reported in the last 14 days. This exponential growth is inevitable as greater easing of the lockdown restrictions is carried out. Now more than ever, rigorous application of safety...
How your specific training requirements will determine your choice between e-learning or classroom
Contrary to expected assumptions, transitioning from a classroom to a virtual learning space is not a one-for-one trade. While e-learning has gone from a niche type of teaching for techy subjects, to being a preferred and necessary way to teach just about everything,...
E-learning versus classroom training: The case for an all-inclusive approach
How a blended approach to upskilling will reap greater rewards than an ‘either, or’ scenario. During a time that now feels like it existed in an entirely different age, sitting down to a meal out was sometimes quite daunting. With everyone looking for the edge, you...
Johan Jonck on Road Safety in South Africa
1. In your experience of road safety advocacy, what is the major cause of road incidences in South Africa? I believe the best answer is human error and not obeying the rules of the road. This includes drunk driving, speeding, overloading, reckless crossing of roads by...
Why managing your migration from OHSAS 18001 to ISO 45001 is more critical than ever
When ISO 45001 was first published in March 2018, the three-year timeline to update your safety system seemed a long time away. Now, halfway through 2020, the March 2021 deadline looms. What once allowed for a paced approach to ensuring your existing systems aligned...
When a COVID-19-centric attitude is a safety hazard all on its own
For many South Africans, when they withdrew into lockdown at the end of March, their lives (as they understood living to mean) stopped. With only the scantest of trips condoned to restock and resupply, the world ultimately pushed pause. Now presented with the chance...
How a social species must adapt to social distancing to survive
Our biological imperative compels closeness to propagate and survive. And yet, right now, the inverse applies. Perhaps part of the general resentment at being told to stay home emanates from the innate need to be with people aside from those with whom we live. Our...
PPE: How fabric face masks will aid in limiting the spread of COVID-19
We understand there have been mixed messages regarding face masks’ effectiveness, but the World Health Organization (WHO) has made it clear they are effective, provided users follow certain principles when they wear them. Although it is the last step in the hierarchy...
The most effective way to wash your hands and sanitise them correctly
As our country emerges from a full and total lockdown into a situation where some stringent regulations are relaxed ever so slightly, those businesses who’ve been green lit to work now face the seemingly daunting task of readying themselves, their premises and – most...
HSE considerations for when employees return to work after COVID-19
Here in South Africa, and too the world over, governments are contemplating the risks of reopening the economy balanced against the benefits of allowing people to return to work. As of Thursday 23 April, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a risk-weighted, phased...
After COVID-19, we’ll need OHS practitioners more than ever
Right now, the world sits at home, contemplating weeks of inertia and prolonged boredom as it collectively attempts to flatten the curve of the coronavirus pandemic. And yet, while no end in sight can currently be seen, at some point a vaccine will be developed, and...
SAI Global Assurance agrees to sell South African business to NOSA Group
VUCA is an innocuous acronym for a complex issue that impacts the risk landscape of large organizations. Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous, or VUCA describes the nature of the present. We find ourselves in world transformed at previously unprecedented speeds by technology and business, and where the complexity for these increase exponentially.
Countering Complexity with Clarity: The changing face of HSE in a VUCA world
VUCA is an innocuous acronym for a complex issue that impacts the risk landscape of large organizations. Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous, or VUCA describes the nature of the present. We find ourselves in world transformed at previously unprecedented speeds by technology and business, and where the complexity for these increase exponentially.
NOSA acquires Deltamune’s laboratory business
NOSA Group, a leading global occupational health and safety (OHS) risk management solutions provider, has signed an agreement to acquire 100% of the Deltamune Group’s laboratory business (a leader in diagnostic testing and salmonella serotyping).
NOSA launches women’s safety initiative
In an initiative spearheaded by NOSA Group CEO Karl Campbell, NOSA recently launched a campaign aimed at countrywide efforts to place greater focus and emphasis on the safety of women. To make every NOSA branch a safe haven for any woman in distress, NOSA will assist...
The benefits of skills training
How skills training can help you to build a skilled and capable workforce. A willingness to invest in the skills of your employees shows that you are committed to them and are willing to help them do everything possible to get better at their job. The positive benefit...
Software vendor IsoMetrix acquired to create partnership with NOSA
The Carlyle Group, a global investment firm with $223 billion of assets under management, has acquired a majority stake in IsoMetrix, the world’s leading Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) software vendor, through their $698 million Carlyle Africa (Buyout) Fund. Madison Park Group served as exclusive financial advisor to IsoMetrix on the transaction and existing shareholders and management retain a significant stake in the business.
ESG matters are now considered material risks
The Carlyle Group, a global investment firm with $223 billion of assets under management, has acquired a majority stake in IsoMetrix, the world’s leading Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) software vendor, through their $698 million Carlyle Africa (Buyout) Fund.
Mandela Day 2019: The Baby House Westville
Mandela Day 2019
NOSA joins forces with Stellenbosch University in the drive towards ‘Zero Harm’
On Thursday, 23 May 2019, NOSA confirmed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Stellenbosch University’s Water Institute (SUWI).
What are discretionary grants?
Use discretionary grants to secure funding for your training from SETA. Discretionary grants are paid out at the discretion of SETA management for skills development projects linked to scarce and critical skills. These grants are applicable when an employer addresses...
Aspirata becomes NOSA Testing
NOSA Effective 1 October 2018, Aspirata Laboratories will trade as NOSA Testing.
Mandela Day: Each branch gives back to their community
In 2018 the NOSA Group took part in Mandela Day, the nationwide drive Day to devote 67 minutes to a charitable cause. Each branch and service line partnering with a local organisation to give back to local community, with collection corners set up across the country....
2018 Winter project: Imboyi Primary School
2018 Winter project
Winter project: Imboyi Primary School
NOSA’s annual winter project sees the organisation donating jerseys and beanies to disadvantaged schools in rural Kwa-Zulu Natal before the winter season arrives. In 2018, we supported Grade R learners at Imboyi Primary School in Mkhambathini. NOSA’s Training...
Learn more, earn more
Employers can claim back up to R 120 000 from the learnership tax allowance programme. Training and development for employees plays a vital role in the growth and success of a company, but budget concerns often lead employers to think – or hope – that employees will...
The respiratory health hazards of asbestos and particulate matter
Indoor and outdoor air quality topics have been a global concern for a number of years. In 2016 the World Health Organisation (WHO) reported that 92% of the world’s population lived in places where air quality levels exceed WHO limits. Imagine an entire global...
Enterprise risk assessment methodologies: conclusions and strategic recommendations
Risk management and assessment are not new concepts and have been evolving for decades. Many methodologies and techniques originate from the military, aviation, shipping and petroleum industries, such as FMEA and bow-tie analysis. Today, they remain some of the major...
How effective is your HSE training?
It’s important to evaluate your health and safety training because it’s easy to assume that if you’ve provided training to workers, you can pat yourself on the back and think you’re done. But if you do, you’ve put your cart before your horse. If your goal is to...
2017 Winter project: Cosmoore Primary School
2017 Winter project
Winter project: Cosmoore Primary School
NOSA is proud to have been involved in helping the Grade R learners at Cosmoore School in rural KwaZulu-Natal to keep warm and comfortable, by brand-new jerseys and beanies during the cold winter of 2017. NOSA’s Training Facilitator Cheryl Simchowitz shared the...
The true cost of construction accidents
Construction, and the costs of construction accidents, is an area of major concern to employers. Many people do not realise how much accidents really cost, because a lot of the expense isn’t obvious. Attention to accident prevention can and will improve a company’s...
Quiz: Are you up to global HSE standards?
Everybody needs a benchmark. How can you know whether what you’re doing is good enough, if you have nothing to compare it to? Take this quick quiz to see how your HSE efforts measure up! Answers at the end. General 1. The most important reason for carrying out a risk...
6 Ways health & safety training will make your business more efficient
Training is a major responsibility. Whether you’re a training professional, a veteran of company training, or have just been asked to take over or start up a training programme, you have a great deal of responsibility. Just think about all the different kinds of...
FAQs: ISO 14001: 2015
Here’s a look at the 2015 revisions to ISO 14001, and how these have change and improved the standard. What is ISO 14001? ISO 14001 is an internationally agreed standard that sets out the requirements for an environmental management system. It helps organisations...
FAQs: ISO 9001: 2015
Although it’s already been some time since ISO 9001 was revised, you may still be a little hazy on the details. Here’s a look at the main points. What is ISO 9001? ISO 9001 is the world’s most popular and most commonly used standard for quality management systems. A...