Driving workplace health and safety

The National Weekender
BUSINESS
Benal Safety Services director Ian Magiten Benal doing an OHS inspection at the Kimbe Market in West New Britain.

By ALPHONSE BARIASI
SAFETY and occupational health are not just great ideas but a necessary part of running workplace operations, including even the least susceptible to accidents or unforeseen incidents popping up every now and then.
Business success is therefore results from happy people working in a safe environment.
That is from an entrepreneur who knows a great deal about workplace safety. Ian Magiten Benal has had years of experience in occupation health and safety and takes this as gospel truth.
Magiten has served a number of major companies as an occupational health and safety (OHS) specialist. And after his last job with the country’s largest rice distributor, Trukai Industries Limited, set out to do his own thing in assisting companies and other organisations ensuring safety healthy work environments.
His company Benal Safety Services Consultants is an OHS consultancy firm that provides services to all types of industries. Benal Safety Services started in 2015 and in full operation is 2019. Its three main areas of operation are OHS consultancy, safety training and ISO (International Organisation for Standardisation) certification. For ISO certificate, the business is accredited to Indian-based SIS Certification which has representation in more than 50 countries.
BSS specialises in OHS consultancy, saftey training and ISO certification.
The company directors are Magiten who is the principal OHS consultant and his wife Hellen Wamingi Bonga, an experienced educationist who is director of finance, training and development.
The company’s training programmes have been approved by the Department of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology (DHERST).
After operation out of Kimbe in West New Britain, Magiten moved to Port Moresby late last year where he will initially operate out of the 6-Mile SME centre.

The company’s SIS certificate.

Risk management
The main aim of the business is providing risk management programmes, OHS auditing and training, assisting industries and other businesses in preventing workplace accidents and work-related diseases, he said.
“We ensure legal compliance to OHS regulations by implementing and managing SHE management systems. BSS renders skills developmental services that will improve employee skills and promote safe working practices within their working environments. This will benefit both employees and employers,” he added.
“It is a known fact that a safer and healthier working environment will ensure a happier and more productive workforce and a better turnover.
“Our team is made up of highly experienced and well-trained people who have been employed in senior positions in industry. They have the practical and theoretical knowledge and skills to assist their clients in the prevention of losses caused by accidents or incidents.
“We are also flexible when it comes to our products and services and will assess and adapt to any unique situation to assist in providing solutions,” Magiten said.
“We take pride in the fact that we build professional relationships with our clients and provide long term support.”
Magiten said that the National Procurement Commission has spoken to him to engage his company to carry out inspections and audits on companies who tender for State-funded projects throughout the country.
Health and safety certification are requirements that bidding firms have to meet. This also applies to projects funded through aid from development partners.
Services
Benal Safety Services specific activities include the following.

  • Inspections and audits on company workers or subcontractors to ensure compliance to company and legislation requirements.
  • Risk assessments on field job placements, field plant and equipment, specific tasks or activities.
  • Advice with decision making with regards to Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) impacts, and training for management teams with respect to their HSE obligations and responsibilities.
  • Reviews of contractor plans and procedures during mobilisation phase to ensure consistency with companies HSE direction.
  • Evaluation of contractors in use by the company or planning on using to ensure compliance to legislation and HSE requirements.

Benal Safety Services started operating in Kimbe, West New Britain and some of its clients there included the West New Britain Provincial Health Authority and the Kimbe Town Authority.
Magiten met with officials from SIS Certification of India who were there to do audits on a rural electrification project and following that he company became a certified agent of the SIS.

Staff of the Kimbe Provincial Hospital during a joint safety drill Benal Safety Services and Kimbe Fire Service.

SIS Certification
The citation accompanying the SIS certificate to Benal Safety ervices reads: “Having Benal Safety Services on board as our international partner in Papua New Guinea, our vast pool of auditors is recognised for their expertise in comprehensively auditing the compliance of your management systems against the required standards and awarding you with the certifications.”
Magiten said: “Our aim is to set the standard for a practical and affordable service to industries to manage OHS within their specific working environments. This will be achieved through our associating with reputable individuals and companies who are leaders in their respective disciplines.”
The small family-owned firm’s success has been achieved on the back of a determined approach to ensure the consistent delivery of high quality services, Magiten said.
“This has opened doors for us to expand into new markets as OHS consultants. Due to our growth and the need to be able to market our quality services we continue to attract clients.”