Vodacom and Vodafone internationally have launched a safety initiative in a drive to improve health and safety within the various organisations and it has evolved to include all of their staff, suppliers and contractors. The baseline for this health and safety drive is known as the ‘Absolute Rules’ which are ideally a strict guideline for Vodacom, its partners, and various suppliers.
As a valued partner, MEC have adopted the ‘Absolute Rules’ and through their alignment with Vodafone’s stringent global standards, MEC is pioneering a new and revolutionary way in which health and safety is practiced in the OOH media industry throughout South Africa.
Paul Makepeace, MEC Kinetic business head says; “How often do you see flighters on a billboard next to a highway with no safety harnessing or protective gear? Sadly it has become a common sight throughout the continent. Blatant flouting of the rules and common sense when working at heights, flighting of billboards in bad weather conditions, or without any safety harnessing or protective gear can result in serious injury and death and can so easily be avoided.”
Makepeace continues; “MEC has had to find a balance between being a media agency and a health and safety standards leader, which is why we invested in aligning the company with international safety procedures, and developing the necessary skill sets internally through upskilling our own employees and internal practices. We no longer endorse or allow the use of subcontractors and handle everything directly with vetted and approved suppliers.”
"Yasmeen Khan, National HSE manager at Vodacom says; “Health and safety isn’t only about complying with the law, it’s about us caring about people and our reputation as the leading communications company in SA. Often, we don’t realise how to internalise people safety into our industry. By partnering with our stakeholders, Vodacom aims to create a national wave where all our industries are safety savvy and hopefully become the influencers in our country by disseminating into their networks.”
Having acquired the Soweto Towers media space for Vodacom, MEC is responsible for all of the health and safety aspects of the project.
“Painting the towers is no easy task and it is our job to ensure that workers always use suitable personal protective equipment, a safety harness and fall protection equipment when working at heights. The whole operation includes graffiti artists, media and health safety experts, ensuring everyone has the correct skill sets, tools and even ensuring that the type of paint used will not be harmful to those working on the tower,” says Makepeace.
“As an agency, we are breaking new ground by creating awareness and transforming the health and safety culture within our industry. We hope to make a measurable difference,” concludes Makepeace.
For more information, visit www.mecglobal.com.