Safety rules and regulations are significant to champion in every workplace, even when they are dismissed as “common sense”, (Ensoadmin, 2020). Creating a safe workplace environment requires a lot of effort but healthy and engaged employees contribute to the organization’s success. Workplace safety regulations differ from one organization to another and are dependent on the nature of the working environment, the type of industry an organization falls under and the goods and services an organization produces. For instance, the mining industry and the public service sector may have other similar standard workplace safety regulations, however due to harsh conditions in the mining industry, further safety guidelines must be added to prohibit accidents and fatalities. 
February is dedicated to commemorating safety and therefore it is for employees to know and understand their safety rights and responsibilities. This is according to Safety, Health, Environment, Risk and Quality (SHERQ), a management system that focuses on improving health and safety in the workplace. 
 
The public service is committed to the provision and promotion of a healthy and safe work environment for employees and clients utilizing the public service facilities. This can be achieved by assessing and controlling risk through the enforcement of the Occupational Health and Safety Act, [No. 85 of 1993] in the Public Service, assessing risks and ensuring the implementation of the same act. The Health and Safety Occupation Act (No. 85 of 1993) is designed to protect employees from illnesses, reduce workplace hazards and enhance productivity. 
The Health and Safety Occupation Act (No.85 of 1993) covers sanitation, facilities for safekeeping, changing rooms, drinking water, seats, condition of rooms and facilities, dining rooms and all aspects under the umbrella of Health and Safety in a workplace (labour, 2004). 
Sanitation 
A workplace environment should be conducive and accommodating as it caters for diverse people from different backgrounds who spend most of their time at work, hence the need for safety guidelines. The Health and Safety Occupation Act (No.85 of 1993) regulates the provision of essential products to ensure the hygiene of employees in the workplace. It clearly outlines how the workplace facilities must be structured and marked to protect and prioritize employees’ privacy and safety. According to the Act, all offices must be naturally and artificially ventilated to avoid the spread of respiratory diseases among employees. 
Facilities for Safekeeping
The health and safety occupation act (No. 85 of 1993) states that an employer shall provide every employee, excluding office workers, with a personal facility for safekeeping in which clothes or other personal items of the employee can be kept safe and in good condition.
Changing rooms and dining rooms
According to the Occupational Health and Safety Act (No. 85 of 1993), all employees whose work requires them to change clothing must be provided with changing rooms which allow privacy and are lockable to protect them from any form of harassment. Both dining rooms and changing rooms should be extremely clean and not exposed to any harmful chemicals. An equitable number of tables and chairs should be allocated to all employees accessing the dining rooms and changing rooms. 
Prohibition according to the health and occupation act (No. 85 of 1993)
To maintain a healthy and hygienic environment for all employees, every employer shall:
Prohibit smoking, eating or drinking at workplaces in selected places.
Display clear signs or notices at such workplaces prohibiting smoking, eating or drinking in selected areas.
Drinking Water
Every employer is expected to:
Provide an adequate supply of drinking water for all employees.
Clearly mark equipment such as taps and pipes which are not fit for human consumption.
Seats 
An employer shall:
Where reasonably practicable, provide an ergonomically sound seat for every employee whose work can be effectively performed while sitting.
Where reasonably practicable, permit an employee whose work is normally performed standing to take advantage of any opportunity for sitting which may occur, and for this purpose the employer shall provide seating facilities.
Provide seats with backrests where the nature of work performed by the employees is such that such seats can be used.
 
 
Condition of rooms and facilities
The health and occupation act (No. 85 of 1993) states that every employer must maintain all rooms and facilities which are prescribed or provided in a clean, hygienic, safe, whole, leak-free condition, and in a good state of repair.
Although Occupational Health and Safety regulations play a pivotal role in sustaining a healthy workplace, they must be merged with other safety policies to ensure the overall safety of organizations including their assets, sensitive information and of course employees. Below is a breakdown of essential safety policies that all organizations should have in place according to (Wright, 2024).
Physical policies
An organization’s physical policies secure its premises and assets mainly from fire accidents and criminal activities. These include:
Fire prevention measures and emergency response plans. 
ID verification and access control.
Visitors’ management and employee tracking. 
Surveillance cameras and alarm systems. 
Crises management policies
All unforeseen circumstances including natural disasters, fire accidents, cyber-attacks and public health emergencies fall under this category. A crisis can occur unexpectedly in most instances and can severely affect organizations leading to loss and even liquidation if necessary safety precautions are not implemented. Crisis management policies entail:
Emergency response procedures and communication channels.
Protocol procedures on Employee evacuation procedures and shelter-in-place.
Employee post-crises support and resources. 
Disaster recovery and business continuity plans. 
Infrastructure Security Policies
Infrastructure Security Policies are aimed at ensuring business continuity and preventing service delivery disruptions. Some of these Infrastructure Security Policies outline the following: 
Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS) and wireless security. 
Application Programming Interface (API) security. 
Cloud security, including data storage and cloud-based processes. 
Web Application Firewalls (WAF) and Virtual Private Networks (VPNs). 
Health and Safety Policies 
One of the legal obligations of organizations is to provide employees with a safe working environment to ensure their well-being. This will improve staff morale thus sustaining healthy and productive working relationships among employees. These policies include: 
Ergonomic workstations and employee wellness programs. 
First aid procedures and training. 
Touchless technology and sanitization protocols.
Policies around chemicals and hazardous materials. 
Vaccine verifications and health checks. 
 Cybersecurity Policies 
The modern society consists of organizations mostly operating virtually due to technology advancements and the convenience that comes with it. Online operations benefit organizations and their clients as they save time and travel costs thus improving service delivery and profit. However, the increased utilization of online services and social media may lead to Cyber-related crime hence the need for cybersecurity policies which address:
Data security and encryption.
Password management and multi-factor authentication. 
Network security and firewalls. 
Employee training in identifying and reporting cyber threats. 
Compliance with industry-specific regulations. 
Implementing safety and security regulations and processes is only the first step of promoting workplace safety. Continuous training, data updates, assessments and research are necessary to hinder organizations from being affected by emerging and evolving threats. No matter how many workplace safety guidelines and practices organizations have in place, they won’t serve their intended purpose if employees are not aware of and invested in adhering to them. Therefore, organizations are urged to regularly host information sessions to educate employees about the benefits of safety policies and procedures. 
The Gauteng Department of Community Safety is mandated by the constitution of the Republic of South Africa to make Gauteng a place where people not only feel safe but are indeed safe. To fulfil this, various safety laws and regulations are implemented and evaluated regularly to accommodate emerging crime incidents. 
In a nutshell, as the Department of Community Safety advocates for safety, it only makes sense that all safety ambassadors feel safe first at work and in their respective communities.